hulaw94
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"HBCU Happenings" with Elliott Robinson
On behalf of everyone with HBCU Happenings, we would like to extend our prayers, thoughts and heartfelt sympathy towards the families and friends of the victims of the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Pittsburgh tragedies. Please take care and may God bless you all during this time.
After a week's hiatus, this week promises to answer a few questions about this year's contenders and pretenders.
Black College Games of the Week
(Div I-AA)
Tennessee State vs. (#9 - Div I-AA) Florida A&M - in Atlanta, GA at the Atlanta Classic (Fox Sports South) -4:30 EST
The departure of the "Cold-Blooded" offense led by LC Cole at the end of the '99 season, left TSU behind the curve for the 200 campaign. One of their 8 losses in 2000 came at the hands of the Rattlers, 31-6 in the 2000 version of the Atlanta Classic. This season promises to offer a much more competitive contest.
Led into battle by 2nd year coach James Reese, the Tigers feature a revitalized offense and what they are hoping is a more stingy defense. The offensive leader is their senior QB Shannon Harris. Harris torched Alabama A&M in the season opener for 21-of-39 throws for 291 yards and four scores in route to the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Player of the Week honors. His prime targets are wideouts Patrick Jenkins, C.J. Johnson and Carlos Wright (2 TDs on the season). Harris will also spray some balls in the direction of junior TE, Steve Farmer.
With 9 starters returning from a young defense, this should be an area of much improvement over last season (33.8 points per game against). Their defense is led by All-World LB, Walter Reese who recorded 15 tackles (9 solo) in the win against Alabama A&M. After 1 game, they are the No. 1 defense in the OVC. The Rattlers will test that ranking early and often.
Billy Joe brings his nationally ranked Rattlers into Atlanta with a 2-0 record. The No. 9 Rattlers and their Gulf Coast Offense are led by quarterback Quinn Gray. Gray has passed for 561 yards and five touchdowns with only one interception in his first two games this year. His receiving corps doesn't include the NCAA receptions leader Nunnally, but at FAMU they don't rebuild, they re-tool. Gray will throw darts at WRs Marco Junious, Isaac Brown, T.J. Hines and DeMar Bowe.
The Rattler have been played close in their 1st two games at home. Delaware State trailed 21-17 going into the 4th quarter before the Rattler were able to put the Hornets away 35-17. Morgan State scrapped with FAMU until a TD late in the 4th sealed the 21-12 victory for Billy Joe's squad.
Look for the Tigers to press the Rattler CBs and come away with a victory in a high scoring affair.
(Division II)
Virginia Union vs. (#24 - Div II) Winston-Salem State in Richmond, VA - 7:00p *
After an inspiring victory over the then No. 5 team in Division 2, Carson-Newman, the Winston-Salem Rams have been in a funk. After falling to Division II powerhouse and 2000 Pioneer Bowl opponent Tuskegee 23-30, they squeeked by the Bowie State Bulldogs 17-14 on a 2nd half field goal. The Rams' defense is led by All-CIAA players DB Stephon Kelly (2 Ints), LB Calvin Bryant, and LB Dameon Workman. Thus far their defense has carried them, but they must begin to find their groove if they want to best VUU in Richmond.
Virginia Union is coming off a heart breaking last second loss to Wingate, but they should be ready for the Rams. A loss to the Rams in the 2000 CIAA Championship game kept them out of the Pioneer Bowl, but the Panthers may be due for some redemption. The Panthers are led on offense by QB Jasun Thompson who leads the CIAA in every passing category (pass efficiency- 150.6, passing yards/ game- 170, TDs 4, and total offense- 188 yards/ game). His favorite target is WR, Thomas Coleman. In 2 games, Coleman has pulled in 9 receptions for 170 yards and 3 TDs. Anchoring the line is All-CIAA OL, Jason Reaves. He's best described in three words, "The Big Fella." .
Look for the Panthers to surprise the Rams and take the early season moniker as the team to beat in the CIAA.
MEAC Game of the Week
Norfolk State vs. Bethune-Cookman in Norfolk, VA - 7:00p
SWAC Game of the Week
Alabama State vs. Southern in Mobile, AL - 7:00p
---------------------
GAMES ON THE TUBE
MEAC-TV (Comcast) - Howard at Morgan State- 3:30
SWAC-TV (see local listings) - Southern vs. Alabama State - in Mobile, AL at the Gulf Coast Classic - 7:30 CST
Fox Sports South - Tennessee State vs. Florida A&M - in Atlanta, GA at the Atlanta Classic - 4:30 EST
NEWS AND NOTES
TOP PERFORMERS OF WEEK 3
Offensive Breath Taker - Alan Suber - QB, Bethune-Cookman - Throwing for 321 yards and touchdowns of 15 and 17 yards along with 89 yards on the ground and runs of 6 and 24 yards, Suber was a one man wrecking crew. He accounted for over 400 yards of offense in the loss to Florida Atlantic.
Defensive Slobber Knocker - Atcheson Conway - LB, Bowie State - The freshman from Silver Spring, MD did his best to keep Bowie State in the game against nationally ranked Winston-Salem State. Conway punished the Rams with 19 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and 1 pass deflection in the loss.
Morgan Bears Return from Hibernation
There's nothing sweeter than home cooking, and the Morgan State Bears will have plenty of it this season. The long awaited and much anticipated renovation of Hughes Stadium is complete. Since renovations to the facility began in earnest, MSU has played 14 consecutive games off campus. The Bears are looking forward to their first game at Hughes since a 1999 contest against Howard. The Bears will also be looking for their first win at home since 1997.
The new Hughes Stadium has lights, allowing for night games for the first time in the history of the institution. Additionally, there is a state of the art scoreboard complete with a video display screen. Increased seating will give more Bear faithful an opportunity to see the Blue and Orange up close and personal.
Morgan takes on the Howard Bison this Saturday at 3:00pm (MEAC-TV Game of the Week) to christen the newly renovated Hughes Stadium. Howard has enjoyed considerable success at Morgan. They haven't lost a game at Hughes Stadium in 10 years. In fact, the last Morgan win over Howard at Hughes came in 1991 when MSU defeated the Bison 37-28. Look for the streak to be broken.
Plenty of road test for HBCUs against Predominately White Colleges (PWCs)
Delaware State vs. Liberty in Dover, DE - 3:30p
Elon vs. N.C. A&T in Burlington, NC - 7:00p
McNeese State vs. Alcorn State in Lake Charles, LA - 6:30p
Portland State vs. Grambling State in Portland, OR - 6:05p
Prairie View A&M vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville in Prairie View, TX - 6:00p
South Alabama vs. Stillman in Mobile, AL - 2:00p
Atlanta Classic on Fox Sports South
The Atlanta Classic, which pits Tennessee State against Florida A&M on Saturday at the Georgia Dome, will be televised for the first time on Fox Sports Net. In the booth, the regional sports network will use WXIA/Channel 11 weekend anchor Sam Crenshaw and former Falcon Jamie Dukes, who's also a part-time FSN analyst.
New and improved Athletics Websites:
Florida A&M - http://www.famu.edu/athletics
Morgan State: http://www.morgan.edu/athletics/athletics.asp[/UR L]
Howard University: [URL=http://www.bisonmania.com]http://www.bisonmania.com
Delaware State Unveils a New Logo
http://www.dsc.edu/athletics/logos.html
--------------
RUNDOWN FOR WEEK 4 - Saturday, September 15, 2001
CIAA - Division II
Bowie State vs. West Virginia State in Bowie, MD - 1:00p *
Elizabeth City State vs. N.C. Central in Rocky Mount, NC - 4:00p *
Hampton vs. Virginia State in Meadowlands, NJ - 2:30p
Livingstone vs. Fayetteville State in Salisbury, NC - 7:00p *
Virginia Union vs. Winston-Salem State in Richmond, VA - 7:00p *
MEAC - Division I-AA
Delaware State vs. Liberty in Dover, DE - 3:30p
Elon vs. N.C. A&T in Burlington, NC - 7:00p
Hampton vs. Virginia State in Meadowlands, NJ - 2:30p
Morgan State vs. Howard in Baltimore, MD - 3:30p *
Norfolk State vs. Bethune-Cookman in Norfolk, VA - 7:00p *
Tennessee State vs. Florida A&M in Atlanta, GA - 4:00p
SIAC - Division II
Kentucky State vs. Fort Valley State in Frankfort, KY - 1:30p *
Lane vs. Albany State in Jackson, TN - 6:00p *
Miles vs. Clark Atlanta in Fairfield, AL - 1:30p *
Morehouse vs. Benedict in Atlanta, GA - 1:30p
#8 Tuskegee vs. Edward Waters in Tuskegee, AL - 1:00p
SWAC - Division I-AA
Alabama A&M vs. Texas Southern in Huntsville, AL - 6:30p *
Alabama State vs. Southern in Mobile, AL - 7:00p *
#7 McNeese State vs. Alcorn State in Lake Charles, LA - 6:30p
Miss. Valley State vs. Jackson State in Itta Bena, MS - 7:00p *
#17 Portland State vs. #15 Grambling State in Portland, OR - 6:05p
Prairie View A&M vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville in Prairie View, TX - 6:00p
INDEPENDENTS
Cheyney vs. Bloomsburg in Cheyney, PA - 1:00p
Langston vs. Southern Nazarene in Guthrie, OK - 6:00p
South Alabama vs. Stillman in Mobile, AL - 2:00p
Tennessee State vs. Florida A&M in Atlanta, GA - 4:00p
* - Indicates a conference game
WEEK 3 SCORES
MEAC
Delaware St. 27, Millersville 19
Fla Atlantic 31, Bethune-Cookman 28
Florida A&M 21, Morgan St. 12 *
Hampton 27, Howard 20 *
Savannah St 14, S.C. State 9
SWAC
Alcorn St 20, Alabama St 17 *
Delta State 25, Miss Valley St 3
Grambling St 30, Alabama A&M 7 *
McNeese St 56, Prairie View 0
Southern 35, Ark-Pine Bluff 14 *
Texas-El Paso 52, Texas Southern 6
CIAA
Fayetteville St 21, Elizabeth City St 14 *
Livingstone 14, Edward Waters 7
N.C. Central 43, Cheyney 8
Virginia St 34, Johnson C. Smith 7 *
Wingate 13, Virginia Union 12
Winston-Salem St 17, Bowie St 14 *
SIAC
Fort Valley St 48, Lane 12 *
Morehouse 24, Stillman 21 (suspended)
Tuskegee 33, Morris Brown 16 *
West Alabama 35, Miles 12
West Georgia 29, Albany St 13
Western Ky 48, Kentucky St 0
INDEPENDENT
Langston 28, Paul Quinn 19
Savannah St 14, S.C. State 9
Tuskegee 33, Morris Brown 16
West Va State 47, Union (KY) 40
Washburn 31, Lincoln (MO) 20
* - Indicates conference game
--------------
Elliott Robinson, Esq. is a Washington, D.C. based sports columnist specializing in Black college athletics. Elliott can be reached at: hulaw94@onebox.com.
On behalf of everyone with HBCU Happenings, we would like to extend our prayers, thoughts and heartfelt sympathy towards the families and friends of the victims of the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Pittsburgh tragedies. Please take care and may God bless you all during this time.
After a week's hiatus, this week promises to answer a few questions about this year's contenders and pretenders.
Black College Games of the Week
(Div I-AA)
Tennessee State vs. (#9 - Div I-AA) Florida A&M - in Atlanta, GA at the Atlanta Classic (Fox Sports South) -4:30 EST
The departure of the "Cold-Blooded" offense led by LC Cole at the end of the '99 season, left TSU behind the curve for the 200 campaign. One of their 8 losses in 2000 came at the hands of the Rattlers, 31-6 in the 2000 version of the Atlanta Classic. This season promises to offer a much more competitive contest.
Led into battle by 2nd year coach James Reese, the Tigers feature a revitalized offense and what they are hoping is a more stingy defense. The offensive leader is their senior QB Shannon Harris. Harris torched Alabama A&M in the season opener for 21-of-39 throws for 291 yards and four scores in route to the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Player of the Week honors. His prime targets are wideouts Patrick Jenkins, C.J. Johnson and Carlos Wright (2 TDs on the season). Harris will also spray some balls in the direction of junior TE, Steve Farmer.
With 9 starters returning from a young defense, this should be an area of much improvement over last season (33.8 points per game against). Their defense is led by All-World LB, Walter Reese who recorded 15 tackles (9 solo) in the win against Alabama A&M. After 1 game, they are the No. 1 defense in the OVC. The Rattlers will test that ranking early and often.
Billy Joe brings his nationally ranked Rattlers into Atlanta with a 2-0 record. The No. 9 Rattlers and their Gulf Coast Offense are led by quarterback Quinn Gray. Gray has passed for 561 yards and five touchdowns with only one interception in his first two games this year. His receiving corps doesn't include the NCAA receptions leader Nunnally, but at FAMU they don't rebuild, they re-tool. Gray will throw darts at WRs Marco Junious, Isaac Brown, T.J. Hines and DeMar Bowe.
The Rattler have been played close in their 1st two games at home. Delaware State trailed 21-17 going into the 4th quarter before the Rattler were able to put the Hornets away 35-17. Morgan State scrapped with FAMU until a TD late in the 4th sealed the 21-12 victory for Billy Joe's squad.
Look for the Tigers to press the Rattler CBs and come away with a victory in a high scoring affair.
(Division II)
Virginia Union vs. (#24 - Div II) Winston-Salem State in Richmond, VA - 7:00p *
After an inspiring victory over the then No. 5 team in Division 2, Carson-Newman, the Winston-Salem Rams have been in a funk. After falling to Division II powerhouse and 2000 Pioneer Bowl opponent Tuskegee 23-30, they squeeked by the Bowie State Bulldogs 17-14 on a 2nd half field goal. The Rams' defense is led by All-CIAA players DB Stephon Kelly (2 Ints), LB Calvin Bryant, and LB Dameon Workman. Thus far their defense has carried them, but they must begin to find their groove if they want to best VUU in Richmond.
Virginia Union is coming off a heart breaking last second loss to Wingate, but they should be ready for the Rams. A loss to the Rams in the 2000 CIAA Championship game kept them out of the Pioneer Bowl, but the Panthers may be due for some redemption. The Panthers are led on offense by QB Jasun Thompson who leads the CIAA in every passing category (pass efficiency- 150.6, passing yards/ game- 170, TDs 4, and total offense- 188 yards/ game). His favorite target is WR, Thomas Coleman. In 2 games, Coleman has pulled in 9 receptions for 170 yards and 3 TDs. Anchoring the line is All-CIAA OL, Jason Reaves. He's best described in three words, "The Big Fella." .
Look for the Panthers to surprise the Rams and take the early season moniker as the team to beat in the CIAA.
MEAC Game of the Week
Norfolk State vs. Bethune-Cookman in Norfolk, VA - 7:00p
SWAC Game of the Week
Alabama State vs. Southern in Mobile, AL - 7:00p
---------------------
GAMES ON THE TUBE
MEAC-TV (Comcast) - Howard at Morgan State- 3:30
SWAC-TV (see local listings) - Southern vs. Alabama State - in Mobile, AL at the Gulf Coast Classic - 7:30 CST
Fox Sports South - Tennessee State vs. Florida A&M - in Atlanta, GA at the Atlanta Classic - 4:30 EST
NEWS AND NOTES
TOP PERFORMERS OF WEEK 3
Offensive Breath Taker - Alan Suber - QB, Bethune-Cookman - Throwing for 321 yards and touchdowns of 15 and 17 yards along with 89 yards on the ground and runs of 6 and 24 yards, Suber was a one man wrecking crew. He accounted for over 400 yards of offense in the loss to Florida Atlantic.
Defensive Slobber Knocker - Atcheson Conway - LB, Bowie State - The freshman from Silver Spring, MD did his best to keep Bowie State in the game against nationally ranked Winston-Salem State. Conway punished the Rams with 19 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and 1 pass deflection in the loss.
Morgan Bears Return from Hibernation
There's nothing sweeter than home cooking, and the Morgan State Bears will have plenty of it this season. The long awaited and much anticipated renovation of Hughes Stadium is complete. Since renovations to the facility began in earnest, MSU has played 14 consecutive games off campus. The Bears are looking forward to their first game at Hughes since a 1999 contest against Howard. The Bears will also be looking for their first win at home since 1997.
The new Hughes Stadium has lights, allowing for night games for the first time in the history of the institution. Additionally, there is a state of the art scoreboard complete with a video display screen. Increased seating will give more Bear faithful an opportunity to see the Blue and Orange up close and personal.
Morgan takes on the Howard Bison this Saturday at 3:00pm (MEAC-TV Game of the Week) to christen the newly renovated Hughes Stadium. Howard has enjoyed considerable success at Morgan. They haven't lost a game at Hughes Stadium in 10 years. In fact, the last Morgan win over Howard at Hughes came in 1991 when MSU defeated the Bison 37-28. Look for the streak to be broken.
Plenty of road test for HBCUs against Predominately White Colleges (PWCs)
Delaware State vs. Liberty in Dover, DE - 3:30p
Elon vs. N.C. A&T in Burlington, NC - 7:00p
McNeese State vs. Alcorn State in Lake Charles, LA - 6:30p
Portland State vs. Grambling State in Portland, OR - 6:05p
Prairie View A&M vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville in Prairie View, TX - 6:00p
South Alabama vs. Stillman in Mobile, AL - 2:00p
Atlanta Classic on Fox Sports South
The Atlanta Classic, which pits Tennessee State against Florida A&M on Saturday at the Georgia Dome, will be televised for the first time on Fox Sports Net. In the booth, the regional sports network will use WXIA/Channel 11 weekend anchor Sam Crenshaw and former Falcon Jamie Dukes, who's also a part-time FSN analyst.
New and improved Athletics Websites:
Florida A&M - http://www.famu.edu/athletics
Morgan State: http://www.morgan.edu/athletics/athletics.asp[/UR L]
Howard University: [URL=http://www.bisonmania.com]http://www.bisonmania.com
Delaware State Unveils a New Logo
http://www.dsc.edu/athletics/logos.html
--------------
RUNDOWN FOR WEEK 4 - Saturday, September 15, 2001
CIAA - Division II
Bowie State vs. West Virginia State in Bowie, MD - 1:00p *
Elizabeth City State vs. N.C. Central in Rocky Mount, NC - 4:00p *
Hampton vs. Virginia State in Meadowlands, NJ - 2:30p
Livingstone vs. Fayetteville State in Salisbury, NC - 7:00p *
Virginia Union vs. Winston-Salem State in Richmond, VA - 7:00p *
MEAC - Division I-AA
Delaware State vs. Liberty in Dover, DE - 3:30p
Elon vs. N.C. A&T in Burlington, NC - 7:00p
Hampton vs. Virginia State in Meadowlands, NJ - 2:30p
Morgan State vs. Howard in Baltimore, MD - 3:30p *
Norfolk State vs. Bethune-Cookman in Norfolk, VA - 7:00p *
Tennessee State vs. Florida A&M in Atlanta, GA - 4:00p
SIAC - Division II
Kentucky State vs. Fort Valley State in Frankfort, KY - 1:30p *
Lane vs. Albany State in Jackson, TN - 6:00p *
Miles vs. Clark Atlanta in Fairfield, AL - 1:30p *
Morehouse vs. Benedict in Atlanta, GA - 1:30p
#8 Tuskegee vs. Edward Waters in Tuskegee, AL - 1:00p
SWAC - Division I-AA
Alabama A&M vs. Texas Southern in Huntsville, AL - 6:30p *
Alabama State vs. Southern in Mobile, AL - 7:00p *
#7 McNeese State vs. Alcorn State in Lake Charles, LA - 6:30p
Miss. Valley State vs. Jackson State in Itta Bena, MS - 7:00p *
#17 Portland State vs. #15 Grambling State in Portland, OR - 6:05p
Prairie View A&M vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville in Prairie View, TX - 6:00p
INDEPENDENTS
Cheyney vs. Bloomsburg in Cheyney, PA - 1:00p
Langston vs. Southern Nazarene in Guthrie, OK - 6:00p
South Alabama vs. Stillman in Mobile, AL - 2:00p
Tennessee State vs. Florida A&M in Atlanta, GA - 4:00p
* - Indicates a conference game
WEEK 3 SCORES
MEAC
Delaware St. 27, Millersville 19
Fla Atlantic 31, Bethune-Cookman 28
Florida A&M 21, Morgan St. 12 *
Hampton 27, Howard 20 *
Savannah St 14, S.C. State 9
SWAC
Alcorn St 20, Alabama St 17 *
Delta State 25, Miss Valley St 3
Grambling St 30, Alabama A&M 7 *
McNeese St 56, Prairie View 0
Southern 35, Ark-Pine Bluff 14 *
Texas-El Paso 52, Texas Southern 6
CIAA
Fayetteville St 21, Elizabeth City St 14 *
Livingstone 14, Edward Waters 7
N.C. Central 43, Cheyney 8
Virginia St 34, Johnson C. Smith 7 *
Wingate 13, Virginia Union 12
Winston-Salem St 17, Bowie St 14 *
SIAC
Fort Valley St 48, Lane 12 *
Morehouse 24, Stillman 21 (suspended)
Tuskegee 33, Morris Brown 16 *
West Alabama 35, Miles 12
West Georgia 29, Albany St 13
Western Ky 48, Kentucky St 0
INDEPENDENT
Langston 28, Paul Quinn 19
Savannah St 14, S.C. State 9
Tuskegee 33, Morris Brown 16
West Va State 47, Union (KY) 40
Washburn 31, Lincoln (MO) 20
* - Indicates conference game
--------------
Elliott Robinson, Esq. is a Washington, D.C. based sports columnist specializing in Black college athletics. Elliott can be reached at: hulaw94@onebox.com.