The Wild, Wild SWAC

SWAC Volleyball Leaderboard--through 19 Oct
PLAYERSchoolCategory
Shawn MedlockAlabama A&MHitting Pct-.366
Yolanda BrownGramblingKills-3.13 pg
Sharice GilbertyGramblingAces-0.70 pg
LaToshia TannerPrairie ViewBlocks-1.76 pg
Sigele OverstreetAlabama StateAssists-8.00 pg
Shannon BartonMississippi ValleyDigs-2.61 pg
Southern's Edreece Brown had two critical interceptions late in the SWAC Championship Game to preserve a Southern victory. Photo copyright Outwrite, 1999, picture by Bryan Steven Follins, Dec. 11
11 Dec
Them
by Bryan Steven Follins
Copyright 1999, Bryan Steven Follins
Birmingham, AL(OTW)-Them. They got down 10-3 early, 30-24 late. Them. They played without their starting quarterback, and still won the 1999 SWAC Championship Game 31-30, them. They will be headed back to the Heritage Bowl for the fifth straight year, them. In the first quarter, Jackson State quarterback Mark Washington throws a 35-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Guy, and Jackson State leads them 10-3 going into the second quarter.
However, in the second quarter a 69-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Terrance Levy to wide receiver Michael Hayes gives them a 10-10 tie. Later in the period, a 69-yard run by Ryan Lewis gives them a 17-10 halftime lead. Star 69.
Midway through the third stanza, it was Levy and Hayes again, connecting on an 81-yard air strike, giving them a 24-10 lead.
Jackson State would comeback however, scoring 20 fourth quarter points.
Capitalizing on a Brian Darden interception late in the third quarter, JSU would go 64 yards in four plays early in the final stanza. The drive would end with a 40-yard TD pass from Washington to Lawrence Story, closing the gap to 24-17. Just under the ten minute mark in the game, Jackson State's Torrey Thigpen would return a punt 82 yards, setting up a one-yard Mark Washington run, giving the Tigers a 27-24 lead. A 41-yard field goal by Brian Reynolds at the 5:42 mark of the fourth period gave the Tigers a 30-24 lead.
But no lead is safe with them, for on the next series, Levy would connect with Hayes on a 61-yard pass, putting them inside of the J-State 10-yard line. After a bad snap put the ball back at the 25, Levy would connect with Devin Lewis with 4:26 left in the game, giving them the 31-30 win, and the 1999 SWAC championship.
Back in the 1950s there was a movie called "Them" about giant ants terrorizing the southwest United States. In the 1990s them is Southern University, and while they are a might friendlier than giant ants, these Jaguars have been terrorizing the SWAC for the latter part of this decade. A relentless, blue and gold precision-like machine, opponents speak of them with admiration, frustration, and disdain, all in the same breath. Listen:
"We gave the first game to them," said JSU head coach Robert Hughes, speaking of Southern's regular season win over the Tigers.
They weren't able to stop what we were doing all night," said J-State star receiver Sylvester Morris. "The only people who stopped us was us."
These are the explanations teams having been giving after losing to them. Perhaps SU's Hayes had a better explanation:
If you leave everything on the field, something good is going to happen."
And good things keep happening for them.
Game Notes:
Michael Hayes had 269 yards in receptions and two touchdowns for SU. Teammate Eddreece Brown had two interceptions in the last four minutes of the game to kill Jackson State drives. Mark Washington was 17-40 for 332 yards for Jackson State. Teammate and linebacker Andre Reed had seven tackles, four for losses.
The announced attendance for the game was 47,621 fans.
In other news, the SWAC Presidents rejected Morris Brown's bid to enter the conference. The decision was made last Thursday. According to Morris Brown athletics director Gene Bright, the appeal is being reviewed, and a final answer may be forthcoming Monday.
According to Mississippi Valley's athletics director Charles Prophet, the main reason for the rejection was Morris Brown's inability to satisfy the SWAC presidents on any type of stable financial plan for the athletic program over an extended period of time.
10 Dec
Birmingham, AL(OTW)-Alabama A&M held Jackson State to .095 shooting in the second half, on their way to a 63-41 rout. J-State actually led 29-27 at the half.
Damien Crayton led the winners with 13 points.
Timmy Marks had 13 for the losers.
Final Regular Season Stats
RUSHING (Min. 25.0 yards per game)
Player Team Cl G Att Net Yds/C TD Yds/G
-------------------------------------------------------------
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 11 333 1692 5.1 11 153.8
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 11 283 1613 5.7 12 146.6
LEWIS,Ryan..... SU SR 11 180 1011 5.6 6 91.9
JOHNSON,Ron.... UAPB JR 11 154 905 5.9 4 82.3
RUBINS,Ray..... TSU SO 9 143 692 4.8 4 76.9
THOMAS,Rodney.. ALCST SR 9 115 544 4.7 4 60.4
BIAS,Larry..... ALAST SO 11 124 599 4.8 7 54.5
KELLEY,DeMelvin PVAMU JR 9 110 434 3.9 1 48.2
NUNN,Travis.... AAMU FR 9 94 433 4.6 3 48.1
LEWIS,Dain..... SU JR 10 95 347 3.7 7 34.7
PASSING (Min. 10.0 attempts/game)
Player Team Cl G Att Cmp Int Yds Pct TD Effic Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
HAYES,Lionel... GSU SR 11 366 188 6 2935 .514 30 142.5 266.8
WASHINGTON,Mark JSU SR 11 247 130 7 2454 .526 27 166.5 223.1
WILLIAMS,Melvin MVSU SR 11 301 137 13 1905 .455 12 103.2 173.2
WILLIAMS,Troy.. SU SO 11 306 157 10 1753 .513 13 106.9 159.4
TAYLOR,Marcus.. ALCST SR 9 175 85 5 1350 .486 16 137.8 150.0
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 9 164 88 5 1342 .537 12 140.4 149.1
JACKSON,Antonio ALAST SR 9 213 105 4 1176 .493 9 105.9 130.7
FORD,Damion.... ALCST SO 10 194 98 6 1210 .505 13 118.8 121.0
FOSTER,Jamaal.. PVAMU SO 10 174 69 9 845 .397 4 77.7 84.5
WILLIAMS,Kevin. UAPB SR 11 150 75 9 919 .500 6 102.7 83.5
RECEIVING (Min. 3.0 catches per game)
Player Team Cl G Rec Yds TD Rec/G Avg/C
-------------------------------------------------------------
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 11 65 1162 15 5.9 17.9
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 11 63 1139 13 5.7 18.1
WALDER,Marco... ALCST JR 10 54 662 11 5.4 12.3
HAYES,Michael.. SU SO 9 47 559 4 5.2 11.9
GILMORE,Ronald. ALCST FR 9 39 739 10 4.3 18.9
WILSON,Deontay. PVAMU SO 9 38 599 6 4.2 15.8
WATSON,Kenneth. ALAST JR 11 46 671 4 4.2 14.6
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 11 43 609 7 3.9 14.2
HODGE,Damon.... ALAST JR 10 38 486 3 3.8 12.8
JOUBERT,Al'trev SU FR 11 41 531 1 3.7 13.0
TOTAL OFFENSE (Net for rush & pass; Min. 100.0 yards per game)
Player Team Cl G Plays Rush Pass Total Yds/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
HAYES,Lionel... GSU SR 11 455 -186 2935 2749 249.9
WASHINGTON,Mark JSU SR 11 307 -31 2454 2423 220.3
WILLIAMS,Melvin MVSU SR 11 378 69 1905 1974 179.5
WILLIAMS,Troy.. SU SO 11 427 132 1753 1885 171.4
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 9 269 175 1342 1517 168.6
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 11 337 1692 81 1773 161.2
JACKSON,Antonio ALAST SR 9 303 220 1176 1396 155.1
TAYLOR,Marcus.. ALCST SR 9 197 -23 1350 1327 147.4
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 11 283 1613 0 1613 146.6
FORD,Damion.... ALCST SO 10 229 -14 1210 1196 119.6
SCORING (Min. 6.0 points per game) Extra Points FG
Player Team Cl G TD KM-KA RU PA MA-AT Saf Pts Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 11 15 0- 0 0 1 0- 0 0 92 8.4
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 11 15 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 90 8.2
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 11 15 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 90 8.2
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 11 12 0- 0 1 1 0- 0 0 76 6.9
GILMORE,Ronald. ALCST FR 9 10 0- 0 0 1 0- 0 0 62 6.9
WALDER,Marco... ALCST JR 10 11 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 66 6.6
MATTINGLY,Just. SU SO 11 0 28-25 0 0 18-14 0 67 6.1
PUNTING (Min. 3.0 punts/game and 25.0 yards per punt)
Player Team Cl G Punts Yards Avg Long
----------------------------------------------------------
BECKFORD,David. ALAST FR 10 53 2216 41.8 64
WALL,Aaron..... UAPB FR 11 50 2067 41.3 64
BUSHART,Matt... SU SR 11 71 2912 41.0 66
HAIRSTON,Adrian GSU SR 11 58 2297 39.6 70
McCOY,Ronnie... TSU JR 11 75 2897 38.6 56
PAIGE,Kenny.... JSU SR 10 41 1499 36.6 50
GRIFFITH,Russ.. MVSU SO 11 74 2659 35.9 63
SCHUGG,Travis.. AAMU SO 11 45 1614 35.9 52
FRANKLIN,Jarrod PVAMU JR 10 66 2254 34.2 62
INTERCEPTIONS (Min. 0.3 per game)
Player Team Cl G Int Yds TD Int/G
------------------------------------------------------
SPEARS,Calvin.. GSU SO 11 5 81 0 0.5
PERRY,Bobby.... PVAMU SO 9 4 15 0 0.4
WESLEY,Gregory. UAPB JR 10 4 68 0 0.4
CARR,Anthony... PVAMU JR 10 4 88 0 0.4
PEARSON,Kalvin. GSU SO 11 4 99 0 0.4
DARDEN,Brian... JSU SR 11 4 9 0 0.4
JACKSON,Demariu UAPB SO 9 3 43 0 0.3
JASPER,Timothy. UAPB JR 9 3 27 0 0.3
PUNT RETURNS (Min. 1.0 per game and 6 yds/return)
Player Team Cl G Ret Yds TD Avg Long
-----------------------------------------------------------
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 11 39 597 2 15.3 81
PERRY,Clifford. ALCST FR 9 13 183 1 14.1 72
JETT,Bobby..... UAPB SO 10 14 197 1 14.1 80
BAILEY,Frank... GSU SR 11 30 310 1 10.3 60
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 11 11 112 0 10.2 37
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 11 16 146 0 9.1 39
PERRY,Bobby.... PVAMU SO 9 21 160 0 7.6 28
EVANS,Tyshun... SU JR 9 14 106 0 7.6 36
KICK RETURNS (Min. 1.0 per game and 17 yds/return)
Player Team Cl G Ret Yds TD Avg Long
-----------------------------------------------------------
BOWIE,Kerry.... SU SR 10 27 746 1 27.6 95
SWAIN,Damian... ALAST JR 11 20 538 2 26.9 99
BAILEY,Frank... GSU SR 11 23 576 0 25.0 62
HARRIS,Courtney JSU SR 10 17 419 1 24.6 100
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 11 23 562 1 24.4 99
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 11 13 309 0 23.8 42
JETT,Bobby..... UAPB SO 10 19 437 1 23.0 99
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 11 22 505 0 23.0 66
MOORE,Marcus... MVSU SR 10 14 319 0 22.8 52
HENLY,Theo..... TSU SR 10 11 195 0 17.7 45
TACKLES
Player Team Cl G Pos UA A Total Sacks
----------------------------------------------------------
TRAMEL,Jasmine. MVSU SR 11 DB 64 53 117 1.0
DANIELS,Chris.. ALAST JR 11 LB 55 56 111 0.0
MACK,Leonard... TSU SO 11 LB 60 39 99 5.0
HEAD,Tommie.... JSU JR 11 LB 60 34 94 5.0
PICKNEY,Michael AAMU SR 11 LB 48 41 89 2.5
WARNER,Channing SU SR 11 LB 40 45 85 7.0
WARE,Jamaal.... AAMU SO 11 LB 28 50 78 2.0
EDWARDS,Charlie UAPB SR 11 DE 36 40 76 4.0
FULLER,Quincy.. PVAMU SR 10 DB 45 30 75 0.0
WICKER,Scott... GSU SO 10 LB 41 34 75 1.0
DUKES,Terrance. GSU SO 11 LB 42 31 73 2.5
HUDSON,Eric.... ALAST JR 10 LB 46 26 72 0.0
SMITH,Shannon.. SU JR 11 LB 33 38 71 5.0
REED,Warren.... TSU SR 11 LB 39 32 71 2.0
CLARK,Howard... ALCST JR 10 LB 27 43 70 0.0
GUIDRY,George.. GSU JR 11 LB 44 26 70 8.0
REESE,Edward... JSU JR 11 LB 31 37 68 3.0
HARRELL,Scott.. TSU JR 11 DB 35 32 67 0.0
WITHERS,Calvin. UAPB JR 11 FS 34 32 66 2.5
WILLIAMS,Marlon GSU JR 11 DB 40 21 61 0.0
ALL PURPOSE (Min. 100.0 yards per game)
RUSHING PASSING PUNT RET KICK RET
Player Team Cl G Att Yds Rec Yds No Yds No Yds Net Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 11 283 1613 11 198 11 112 0 0 1923 174.8
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 11 333 1692 24 215 0 0 0 0 1907 173.4
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 11 25 181 6 136 39 597 22 505 1419 129.0
WILSON,Deontay. PVAMU SO 9 1 9 38 599 3 30 34 502 1140 126.7
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 11 3 13 43 609 15 65 23 562 1249 113.5
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 11 5 100 63 1139 0 0 0 0 1239 112.6
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 11 0 0 65 1162 0 0 0 0 1162 105.6
LEWIS,Ryan..... SU SR 11 180 1011 9 46 0 0 4 68 1125 102.3
JOHNSON,Ron.... UAPB JR 11 154 905 15 216 0 0 0 0 1121 101.9
8 Dec
Jackson, MS(OTW)-Vincent Jones had 23 points and 10 rebounds as Jackson State upended Louisiana Tech 72-69. Jones also added five blocks and four assists for the Tigers.
Gerrod henderson scored 20 points for Tech.
6 Dec
Jackson, MS(OTW)-Arkansas State shot a blistering 67 percent in the second half, snapping a 33-33 halftime tie, and eventually beating Jackson State 79-68. C.J. Pepper led the winnners with 20 points.
Vincent Jones had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers.
27 Nov
New Orleans, LA(OTW)-Terrence Levy threw three second-half touchdowns to lead southern from a 31-10 hole to beat Grambling 37-31 in the Bayou Classic Saturday. Southern trailed 31-10 at the half thanks to the passing of Grambling's Lionel hayes, who threw for four TDs in the game.
Levy, who came into the game for an injured Troy Williams, in the third quarter, threw TD passes to Torry Ingram (23 yards) and Michael Hayes (nine yards) in the fourth quarter to tie the game.
SU placekicker Justin Mattingly kicked a 37-yard field goal with just under five minutes left in the game to give Southern a 34-31 lead, and the eventual victory.
Hayes threw for 346 yards and four touchdowns in the game. All of his TDs were in the first half. Levy Washington had 197 yards in receptions and two touchdowns for the G-Men. Randy Hymes had 87 yards in receptions and two TDs for Grambling (7-4). The Tigers missed three extra point attempts and a field goal in the first half, which eventually came back to haunt them.
The Jaguars (10-1) won the SWAC West with the victory, and will face Jackson State (again) for the conference title in the SWAC Chamnpionship in Birmingham, AL on Dec 11.
23 Nov
BATTLE OF THE BAYOU TO FINALIZE TITLE GAME BRACKET
NEW ORLEANS -- Thirteen will be a lucky number for one Southwestern Athletic Conference football team this year.
Week 13, the final weekend of regular-season action of the millennium, will determine the league's Western Division's participant in the inaugural HealthSouth SWAC Football Championship Game, which is slated for Saturday, December 11 at 1:05 p.m. at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. Grambling State University and Southern University will renew their annual hate-fest in the State Farm Bayou Classic in New Orleans at the Louisiana Superdome. Over 70,000 fans are expected for the huge clash with the winner advancing to Birmingham and a date with Eastern Division winner Jackson State University.
The Southern Jaguars, 9-1 overall and 3-0 in the Western Division, will obviously lock up the championship game berth with a victory. But a win by the Grambling State Tigers, who're 7-3 overall and 2-1 in the division, would deadlock the two Louisiana schools with Texas Southern University atop the divisional standings with identical 3-1 records. The GSU Tigers would surge to the top of the heap using the league's tiebreaker plan, putting the north Louisiana school in postseason play for the first time since a 59-56 loss to Stephen F. Austin in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs back in 1989.
"With both teams coming in with a chance to represent the Western Division in the inaugural conference championship game, I think adds a great deal more excitement to an already exciting event," stated SU head coach Pete Richardson, who's SU team has won six straight Bayou Classics over Grambling. "I think this year's game will reestablish the Classic as a very competitive game between two very competitive teams -- something that's been lacking for the past two or three years.
"I think we're going to have to play good, solid football for 60 minutes if we expect to win this game," added Richardson. "We're struggling on offense a bit right now and Grambling has one of the better offenses in the conference. They'll (GSU) come into this game excited and ready to play." Besides the sellout crowd expected at the Louisiana Superdome, the game will again be televised coast-to-coast live on NBC Sports.
While the State Farm Bayou Classic will be the showcase game of the week, the granddaddy of the black college "classics," the 76th annual Turkey Day Classic, will pit in-state rivals Alabama State University and Tuskegee University against each other at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. on Thanksgiving Day. The ASU Hornets will enter the game with a 2-8 record while Tuskegee stands at 8-2 on the year.
Q U I C K F A C T S
TUSKEGEE "Golden Tigers" (8-2, 5-1 SIAC) at ALABAMA STATE "Hornets" (2-8, 1-3 SWAC East): 1 p.m. at the Cramton Bowl (24,600) in Montgomery, Ala. EXPECTED CROWD: 20,000. SERIES RECORD: ASU leads 38-29-3. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Montgomery (ASU won 27-7). RADIO: ASU Sports Network (WVAS-FM 90.7 in Montgomery with Robb Taylor, John Knight and Rennie Jones). THE COACHES: TU's Rick Comegy (Millersville, 1976) is 30-14 in four years at the school and 48-39 in eight years overall; ASU's Ron Dickerson (Kansas St., 1971) is 7-14 in two years at ASU and 15-61 in seven years overall. NOTEWORTHY: This game is the oldest of the black college football classics, celebrating its 76th anniversary this year.
+SOUTHERN UNIV. "Jaguars" (9-1, 3-0 SWAC West) vs. GRAMBLING STATE "Tigers" (7-3, 2-1 SWAC West): 1 p.m. at the Louisiana Superdome (72,000) in New Orleans, La. EXPECTED CROWD: 70,000. SERIES RECORD: SU leads 24-23. LAST MEETING: 1998 in New Orleans (SU won 226-14). TELEVISION: Live nationally on NBC Sports. RADIO: SU Sports Network (KQXL-FM 106.5 in Baton Rouge, La. with James Verrett and Bob Bennett); GSU Sports Network (KGRM-FM 91.5 in Grambling, La. with Santoria Black and Ahmad Simmons). THE COACHES: SU's Pete Richardson (Dayton, 1968) is 65- 16 in seven years at SU and 106-30-1 in 12 years overall; GSU's Doug Williams (Grambling St., 1978) is 12-9 in two years at GSU and 15-17 in three years overall. NOTEWORTHY: This game is the annual State Farm Bayou Classic, which is being televised coast-to-coast on NBC Sports. The winner wins the Western Division's berth to the inaugural HealthSouth SWAC Football Championship game in Birmingham. GSU leads the Bayou Classic series between the two schools, 13-to-12, but SU owns a Bayou Classic record six- game winning streak.
+SWAC Western Division game
20 Nov
20 Nov
Jackson, MS(OTW)-Jackson State rolled u 647 yards in total offense as they crushed alcorn 58-6 Saturday. Jackson State has clinced the SWAC's Eastern division in the league championship game.
Mark Washington, the JSU quarterback, threw for 363 yards in the game. He threw for six touchdowns, all going to Sylvester Morris, who had 200 yards in pass receptions on the day.
Tiger runningback Destry Wright ran for 187 yards in the game.
Alcorn was limited to 15 yards on the ground in the game.
Normal, AL(OTW)-Arkansas-Pine Bluff (6-5) amassed 235 yards in the air, pulling off a 23-17 win at Alabama A&M (6-5) Saturday. Darryl Shelton passed for the entire 235 for UAPB. One of the passes was a 20-yard strike to Kevin Soward. D.D. Sheperd also scored on a one-yard run late in the fourth quarter to give the Lions the win.
A&M quarterback Darnell Macklin rushed for 87 yards and one touchdown in the game.
In other action Texas Southern beat Norfolk State 22-6 in a non-conference game.
19 Nov
Jackson State will look to extend it's winning streak over Alcorn to five games in this Capital City Classic In Jackson, Ms. Saturday. The Tigers go into the game against Alcorn ranked 11th in 13 statistical categories in the SWAC. The Tigers lead the lead in sacks with 48 so far. Jason Marshall (DT), Eric Chandler(DE), and Andre Reed have 11 sacks each. JSU split in Sylvester Morris has 56 catches for 931 yards and 10 touchdown catches.
Prairie View Captures Volleyball Title
Montgomery, AL(OTW)-Prairie View defeated Southern in two matches to win the 1999 SWAC Volleyball Championships Monday. PV won the first match 6-15, 15-3, 15-5, 15-8, and won the second match 15-6, 5-15, 15-6, and 15-10. Panterette Chanel Henderson was named the most valuable player of the tournament.
Alicia Pete took over the helm of the volleyball team when Jocelyn Adams resigned after the beginning of the season.
13 Nov
SWAC OUTLINES SCENARIOS FOR EARNING BERTHS
TO INAUGURAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
NEW ORLEANS -- With just three weekends left in the 1999 Southwestern Athletic Conference football regular-season, a total of five teams remain in contention for the league's inaugural championship game, which will be played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. on Saturday, December 11.
In the conference's Eastern Division, both Alcorn State and Jackson State are still in contention for the divisional berth. The ASU Braves hold records of 3-5 overall and 1-1 in league play while the JSU Tigers are 7-2 overall and 3-0 in the division. To make it to Birmingham, the Braves would have win both of their final two games, including this Saturday's contest at home against Alabama A&M as well as the November 20 match-up against Jackson State. The Tigers could earn the berth this weekend if Alabama A&M defeats Alcorn State or if it defeats the Braves next week.
In the SWAC Western Division, three teams are still hopeful of making the journey to Alabama, including Grambling State, Southern and Texas Southern. Texas Southern, which is 3-0 in the division and 5-4 overall, could wrap things up with a victory over Southern this weekend in Houston. Southern could earn the division's berth with wins over Texas Southern and then Grambling State on November 27, but the Jaguars will still remain in contention, even if they lose to GSU. Grambling must hope that Southern beats Texas Southern, that it wins the GSU-SU match-up in the Bayou Classic and that it can then win the three-team tiebreaker that would then exist between GSU, SU and TSU.
Listed below are the various scenarios which the conference has outlined for the teams which remain in contention for berths to the SWAC Football Championship Game:
SWAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
QUALIFICATION SCENARIOS
Jackson State has clinched the SWAC East.
WESTERN DIVISION:
If Southern (2-0) beats Texas Southern (2-0) on Nov. 13 and then Grambling State (2-1) on Nov. 27, Southern earns the division's berth.
If Southern (2-0) beats Texas Southern (3-0) on Nov. 13 but then loses to Grambling State (2-1) on Nov. 27, there'll be a three-way tie between GSU, SU and TSU, all at 3-1 in the division, and the three-way tiebreaker plans takes effect:
1) Head-to-head record in games between the teams involved in the tie; 2) Overall conference record (divisional games plus the three games designated as inter-divisional games prior to the season)*; 3) Total points scored in divisional play; 4) Coin flip by the commissioner The three-way tiebreaker plan scenarios:
> Overall conference records of the three teams, including inter-divisional games, would be: A) Grambling State: 3-1 div. plus 3-0 inter-divisional = 6-1 B) Southern Univ.: 3-1 div. plus 3-0 inter-divisional = 6-1 C) Texas Southern: 3-1 div. plus 1-2 inter-divisional = 4-3 TSU would be eliminated and the No.3 tiebreaker (total points scored in divisional games) would then be employed to break the tie between GSU and SU.
Western Division Summary: Grambling State, Southern and Texas Southern all remain in contention for the division's berth to the championship game. Southern and Texas Southern hold their own fate in their hands entering their game on Nov. 13. If TSU wins that game, they're in. If SU wins its last two games vs. TSU and GSU, Southern's in. If SU beats Texas Southern and GSU beats Southern, then's the three-way tiebreaker kicks into effect.
*The designated inter-divisional games for the Western Division contenders were as follows: A) Grambling State: Alabama A&M, Alabama State and Alcorn State B) Southern: Alabama State, Alcorn State and Jackson State C) Texas Southern: Alcorn State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State
13 Nov
Houston, TX(OTW)-Justin Mattingly kicked three field goals (39, 44, 32 yards) to help give Southern (9-1) a 23-14 win over Texas Southern Saturday. A TSU win would have given the Tigers the outright SWAC West title. TSU, however, played sloppily, with 210 yards in penalties and four lost fumbles. (the last fumble was recovered by Southern in the TSU end zone for a touchdown)
Tiger quarterback Trenton Zacherie threw two touchdown passes in the game.
New Haven, CT(OTW)-Destry Wright scored on a four-yard run in the fourth quarter to give Jackson State a 30-23 win over New Haven Saturday. The Tigers trailed 23-10 at the half. Wright ran for 191 yards and three touchdowns in the game.
Montgomery, AL(OTW)-Alabama State scored 35 first half points on their way to a 42-27 win over Prairie View Saturday. Hornet Damion Swain keyed the win with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and a 69-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Cedric Dupree. The ASU QB also ran for two first half TDs.
PV quarterback Joshua Barnes threw for two touchdown passes in the game.
Lorman, MS(OTW)-Kelly Fields ran for two touchdowns (34, 14 yards) and Kenyan Hambrick caught two more (36, 21 yards) as Alabama A&M beat Alcorn 35-26 Saturday. A&M scored 21 first quarter points.
Alcorn quarterback Damion Ford threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns (three to Marco Walder--39, 25, and five yards).
San Diego, CA(OTW)-Grambling (7-3) beat Winston-Salem State (7-3) 25-23 as Tiger quarterback Lionel Hayes threw for 372 yards. Grambling's Trey White ran for two touchdowns in the contest.
WSSU quarterback Tory Woodbury threw for 198 yards (one touchdown) and ran for 66 (one touchdown) for the losers.
Itta Bena, MS(OTW)-James Thornton scored on a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter, giving Morris Brown a 20-19 win over Mississippi Valley Saturday. MoBrown quarterback Stanley Hardy threw two touchdwon passes to Hilton Alexander (62, 42 yards) in the contest.
Delta Devil Corey Holmes rushed for 279 yards in the game.
In other action, Arkansas-Pine Bluff beat Lane 44-28.
Services For Nicks Houston, TX(OTW)-Funeral services for the late William J. "Billy" Nicks will be Tuesday, November 16 at 11:00 a.m. at the St. James Episcopal Church in Houston, Tx. Nicks, the winningest football coach in Prairie View history, compiled a record of 119-33-4 at the school. In 24 years of coaching, he amassed a record of 189-55-9, including a 70-22-5 slate at Morris Brown College. He is a member of the College Football, NAIA, Helms, Prairie View, Morris Brown, Atlanta University Center, and SWAC Hall of Fames. Nicks was 94 at the time of his death.
VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
ALABAMA A&M, GRAMBLING TAKE
TOP SEEDS INTO SWAC TOURNEY
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The Grambling State University Lady Tigers and the Alabama A&M University Lady Bulldogs are set to enter the 1999 Southwestern Athletic Conference volleyball tournament as the top seeds. The SWAC tournament is scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday, November 10-13, at the Joe L. Reed Acadome on the campus of Alabama State University. The tourney is free and open to the public.
Grambling State, 25-11 overall and 7-1 in the SWAC Western Division, is looking to return to its glory days of the past when it dominated volleyball in the league. After getting off to a lackluster start, GSU has put itself back on track and actually enters the tournament as the hottest team in the conference.
Yolanda Brown, a senior outside hitter and middle blocker, is one reason why the Lady Tigers are considered a favorite to win the SWAC title. After leading the conference in kills (3.31 pg) and ranking sixth in hitting percentage (.271), Brown has just been tabbed SWAC player of the year.
Alabama A&M, a newcomer to the SWAC, wasted no time in exerting its power among the league's "oldtimers." The Lady Bulldogs have the best record of any team in the SWAC at 22-6 overall and 7-0 in the Eastern Division.
AAMU head coach Betty Austin has an elite crop of experienced players to rely on. In fact, of the six players tabbed to the 1999 All-SWAC team, three are from AAMU, including senior hitter Talea Orr (.280 hitting pct., 2.73 kills pg), senior hitter and setter Shannon Perkins (8.70 assists pg) and senior hitter Shawn Medlock, who leads the league in hitting percentage at .347 while ranking second in kills with 3.00 per game.
Not to be denied, Prairie View A&M, which tied Grambling for the lead in the Western Division with a mark of 7-1 in league play and 12-15 overall, could make a serious run in the tourney. The Pantherettes lost out to GSU for the Western Division's number one seed using a head-to-head tiebreaker.
Southern University, which captured last year's SWAC tournament, struggled much of the season with a relatively young squad. The Lady Jaguars finished third in the Western Division with records of 14-18 overall and 4-4 in the conference.
The winner of the SWAC tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
10 Nov
SWAC Leaderboard
RUSHING (Min. 25.0 yards per game)
Player Team Cl G Att Net Yds/C TD Yds/G
-------------------------------------------------------------
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 10 292 1413 4.8 10 141.3
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 9 213 1233 5.8 8 137.0
LEWIS,Ryan..... SU SR 8 152 858 5.6 6 107.3
JOHNSON,Ron.... UAPB JR 9 133 793 6.0 3 88.1
RUBINS,Ray..... TSU SO 7 116 605 5.2 4 86.4
THOMAS,Rodney.. ALCST SR 7 99 522 5.3 4 74.6
BIAS,Larry..... ALAST SO 9 106 526 5.0 20 58.4
NUNN,Travis.... AAMU 7 72 372 5.2 2 53.1
KELLEY,DeMelvin PVAMU JR 8 94 385 4.1 0 48.1
STEED,Waymon... TSU SO 7 55 242 4.4 3 34.6
PASSING (Min. 10.0 attempts/game)
Player Team Cl G Att Cmp Int Yds Pct TD Effic Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
HAYES,Lionel... GSU SR 9 270 142 3 2217 .526 25 149.9 246.3
WASHINGTON,Mark JSU SR 9 205 101 6 1841 .493 21 152.7 204.6
WILLIAMS,Melvin MVSU SR 10 260 117 10 1692 .450 10 104.7 169.2
WILLIAMS,Troy.. SU SO 8 222 119 8 1330 .536 11 113.1 166.3
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 8 154 84 5 1285 .545 11 141.7 160.6
TAYLOR,Marcus.. ALCST SR 8 158 77 5 1237 .487 15 139.5 154.6
JACKSON,Antonio ALAST SR 8 207 102 4 1115 .493 8 103.4 139.4
WILLIAMS,Kevin. UAPB SR 9 150 75 9 919 .500 6 102.7 102.1
FORD,Damion.... ALCST SO 8 116 60 3 748 .517 9 126.3 93.5
FOSTER,Jamaal.. PVAMU SO 9 164 63 9 778 .384 3 73.3 86.4
RECEIVING (Min. 3.0 catches per game)
Player Team Cl G Rec Yds TD Rec/G Avg/C
-------------------------------------------------------------
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 9 53 985 15 5.9 18.6
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 9 46 773 10 5.1 16.8
WALDER,Marco... ALCST JR 8 39 485 8 4.9 12.4
HODGE,Damon.... ALAST JR 8 36 407 2 4.5 11.3
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 9 40 542 5 4.4 13.6
WATSON,Kenneth. ALAST JR 9 39 551 3 4.3 14.1
GILMORE,Ronald. ALCST FR 7 30 538 9 4.3 17.9
WILSON,Deontay. PVAMU SO 8 31 490 4 3.9 15.8
GALLIEN,Haywood SU SO 6 23 322 5 3.8 14.0
JOUBERT,Al'trev SU FR 8 29 317 1 3.6 10.9
TOTAL OFFENSE (Net for rush & pass; Min. 100.0 yards per game)
Player Team Cl G Plays Rush Pass Total Yds/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
HAYES,Lionel... GSU SR 9 345 -120 2217 2097 233.0
WASHINGTON,Mark JSU SR 9 255 -40 1841 1801 200.1
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 8 253 169 1285 1454 181.8
WILLIAMS,Troy.. SU SO 8 284 110 1330 1440 180.0
WILLIAMS,Melvin MVSU SR 10 332 43 1692 1735 173.5
JACKSON,Antonio ALAST SR 8 296 217 1115 1332 166.5
TAYLOR,Marcus.. ALCST SR 8 179 -13 1237 1224 153.0
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 10 295 1413 81 1494 149.4
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 9 213 1233 0 1233 137.0
FOSTER,Jamaal.. PVAMU SO 9 250 290 778 1068 118.7
SCORING (Min. 6.0 points per game) Extra Points FG
Player Team Cl G TD KM-KA RU PA MA-AT Saf Pts Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BIAS,Larry..... ALAST SO 9 20 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 120 13.3
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 9 15 0- 0 0 1 0- 0 0 92 10.2
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 9 12 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 72 8.0
GILMORE,Ronald. ALCST FR 7 9 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 54 7.7
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 10 11 0- 0 1 1 0- 0 0 70 7.0
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 9 10 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 60 6.7
LACOMBE,J.B.... TSU JR 9 0 19-17 0 0 21-13 0 56 6.2
REYNOLDS,Brian. JSU JR 9 0 38-34 0 0 9- 7 0 55 6.1
WALDER,Marco... ALCST JR 8 8 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 48 6.0
PUNTING (Min. 3.0 punts/game and 25.0 yards per punt)
Player Team Cl G Punts Yards Avg Long
----------------------------------------------------------
BECKFORD,David. ALAST FR 8 42 1744 41.5 64
WALL,Aaron..... UAPB FR 9 42 1722 41.0 59
BUSHART,Matt... SU SR 8 51 2080 40.8 66
McCOY,Ronnie... TSU JR 9 59 2312 39.2 56
HAIRSTON,Adrian GSU SR 9 52 2004 38.5 70
PAIGE,Kenny.... JSU SR 9 38 1424 37.5 50
SCHUGG,Travis.. AAMU SO 9 37 1326 35.8 52
GRIFFITH,Russ.. MVSU SO 10 69 2460 35.7 63
FRANKLIN,Jarrod PVAMU JR 9 61 2093 34.3 62
NEWMAN,Erik.... ALCST JR 6 23 727 31.6 61
INTERCEPTIONS (Min. 0.3 per game)
Player Team Cl G Int Yds TD Int/G
------------------------------------------------------
PERRY,Bobby.... PVAMU SO 8 4 15 0 0.5
CARR,Anthony... PVAMU JR 9 4 88 0 0.4
PEARSON,Kalvin. GSU SO 9 4 99 0 0.4
SPEARS,Calvin.. GSU SO 9 4 73 0 0.4
DARDEN,Brian... JSU SR 9 4 9 0 0.4
BROWN,Edreece.. SU SR 8 3 22 0 0.4
JASPER,Timothy. UAPB JR 8 3 27 0 0.4
OVERTON,Sean... SU JR 8 3 92 0 0.4
EVANS,Tyshun... SU JR 6 2 -1 0 0.3
GANT,Richard... SU SO 6 2 18 0 0.3
PUNT RETURNS (Min. 1.0 per game and 6 yds/return)
Player Team Cl G Ret Yds TD Avg Long
-----------------------------------------------------------
PERRY,Clifford. ALCST FR 7 11 174 1 15.8 72
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 9 29 451 1 15.6 81
JETT,Bobby..... UAPB SO 8 14 197 1 14.1 80
BAILEY,Frank... GSU SR 9 23 239 1 10.4 60
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 9 13 112 0 8.6 39
HILL,Eldrick... ALAST SR 9 10 85 0 8.5 14
EVANS,Tyshun... SU JR 6 13 98 0 7.5 36
PERRY,Bobby.... PVAMU SO 8 18 119 0 6.6 22
KICK RETURNS (Min. 1.0 per game and 17 yds/return)
Player Team Cl G Ret Yds TD Avg Long
-----------------------------------------------------------
BOWIE,Kerry.... SU SR 7 19 610 1 32.1 95
HARRIS,Courtney JSU SR 8 13 331 1 25.5 100
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 9 17 430 0 25.3 66
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 9 16 401 1 25.1 99
JETT,Bobby..... UAPB SO 8 16 390 1 24.4 99
SWAIN,Damian... ALAST JR 9 14 340 1 24.3 91
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 9 10 232 0 23.2 42
MOORE,Marcus... MVSU SR 9 13 296 0 22.8 52
BAILEY,Frank... GSU SR 9 16 330 0 20.6 37
HENLY,Theo..... TSU SR 8 9 172 0 19.1 45
TACKLES
Player Team Cl G Pos UA A Total Sacks
----------------------------------------------------------
TRAMEL,Jasmine. MVSU SR 10 DB 60 49 109 1.0
DANIELS,Chris.. ALAST JR 9 LB 47 44 91 0.0
MACK,Leonard... TSU SO 9 LB 52 33 85 3.0
HEAD,Tommie.... JSU JR 9 LB 47 32 79 3.0
PICKNEY,Michael AAMU SR 9 LB 40 28 68 1.5
FULLER,Quincy.. PVAMU SR 9 DB 37 30 67 0.0
CLARK,Howard... ALCST JR 8 LB 26 41 67 0.0
EDWARDS,Charlie UAPB SR 9 DE 32 34 66 4.0
WARNER,Channing SU SR 8 LB 29 36 65 4.0
WARE,Jamaal.... AAMU SO 9 LB 25 37 62 1.5
HUDSON,Eric.... ALAST JR 8 LB 36 23 59 0.0
GUIDRY,George.. GSU JR 9 LB 38 21 59 6.5
WICKER,Scott... GSU SO 8 LB 32 27 59 0.0
REESE,Edward... JSU JR 9 LB 24 33 57 1.0
WITHERS,Calvin. UAPB JR 9 FS 27 28 55 2.5
REED,Warren.... TSU SR 9 LB 31 23 54 1.0
DUKES,Terrance. GSU SO 9 LB 32 21 53 2.0
MILLER,Courtney PVAMU JR 9 LB 18 34 52 1.5
MILLER,Damarcus SU SR 8 DL 25 27 52 4.5
FASANO,Chris... PVAMU SR 9 DL 13 39 52 3.5
ALL PURPOSE (Min. 100.0 yards per game)
RUSHING PASSING PUNT RET KICK RET
Player Team Cl G Att Yds Rec Yds No Yds No Yds Net Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 9 213 1233 9 180 7 88 0 0 1501 166.8
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 10 292 1413 21 192 0 0 0 0 1605 160.5
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 9 17 142 5 127 29 451 17 430 1150 127.8
WILSON,Deontay. PVAMU SO 8 1 9 31 490 3 30 31 490 1019 127.4
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 9 3 13 40 542 14 60 16 401 1016 112.9
LEWIS,Ryan..... SU SR 8 152 858 7 43 0 0 0 0 901 112.6
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 9 0 0 53 985 0 0 0 0 985 109.4
JOHNSON,Ron.... UAPB JR 9 133 793 14 143 0 0 0 0 936 104.0
SWAC WESTERN DIV. CROWN ON LINE AS SU MEETS TSU
NEW ORLEANS -- At the start of the 1999 season, practically everyone predicted that Jackson State University and Southern University would meet in the inaugural Southwestern Athletic Conference Football Championship Game on December 11 in Birmingham, Ala.
That still could happen, but not if Texas Southern University can help it. Astrodome USA in Houston, Tex. will be rocking on Saturday, November 13 as two-time defending SWAC champion Southern faces a Texas Southern squad bent on thwarting the Jaguars' title hopes and catapulting itself in the championship game as the Western Division's representative. At 3-0 in the division, and 5-4 overall, all TSU needs is a win over Southern and the Tigers will have shocked the 10-member league.
"The Southern game is a big game because it's a championship game," stated Bill Thomas, Texas Southern's head coach. "We have to be ready to play. They're coming in here a little angry. We have to be ready."
In fact, both the SU Jaguars, who're 2-0 in the division and 8-1 overall, and the Tigers will probably have chips on their shoulders after last weekend's games. Southern saw its chances of an undefeated season go down the drain with a humiliating 65-18 lost at Florida A&M last weekend while Texas Southern saw a 24-24 tie with Jackson State evolve into a 41-24 defeat in Houston.
Besides the SU-TSU game, six other games are on tap, including a 1:30 p.m. SWAC Eastern Division clash between Alabama A&M (5-4, 2-1 SWAC Eastern Div.) and Alcorn State (3-5, 1-1 SWAC Eastern Div.) in Alcorn State, Miss.
The five-game non-conference schedule includes a 1 p.m. game between 7-2 Jackson State and New Haven in New Haven, Conn., a 1 p.m. game between 2-7 Prairie View A&M and 1-8 Alabama State in Montgomery, Ala., a 1:30 p.m. game between 5-5 Morris Brown and 3-7 Mississippi Valley State in Itta Bena, Miss., a 2 p.m. game between 2-7 Lane and 4-5 Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Pine Bluff, Ark. and a 4 p.m. (PST) game between 6-3 Grambling State and 7-2 Winston- Salem State.
Q U I C K F A C T S
*ALABAMA A&M "Bulldogs" (5-4, 2-1 SWAC East) vs. ALCORN STATE "Braves" (3-5, 1-1 SWAC East): 1:30 p.m. at Jack Spinks Stadium (21,000) in Alcorn State, Miss. EXPECTED CROWD: 10,000. SERIES RECORD: AAMU leads 6-2. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Huntsville, Ala. (AAMU won 21-12). RADIO: ASU Sports Network (WPRL-FM 91.7 in Alcorn State, Miss. with Charles Edmond, David Crosby and Emanuel Barnes); AAMU Sports Network (WJAB-FM 90.9 in Huntsville with Ike Rooks and Tommie Lockhart). THE COACHES: AAMU's Ron Cooper (Jacksonville St., 1982) is 10-10 in two years at AAMU and 32-43 in seven years overall; ASU's Johnny Thomas (Alcorn St., 1978) is 8-11 in his second year at ASU and overall. NOTEWORTHY: AAMU was idle last weekend as ASU lost at home to Miss. Valley, 30-26.
GRAMBLING STATE "Tigers" (6-3, 2-1 SWAC West) vs. WINSTON-SALEM "Rams" (7-2, 7-0 CIAA): 4 p.m. (PST) at Qualcomm Stadium (71,000) in San Diego, Calif. EXPECTED CROWD: 30,000. SERIES RECORD: GSU leads 1-0. LAST MEETING: 1998 in San Diego (GSU won 35-28). RADIO: GSU Sports Network (KGRM-FM 91.5 in Grambling, La. with Santoria Black and Ahmad Simmons). THE COACHES: Doug Williams (Grambling St., 1978) is 11-9 in two years at GSU and 14-17 in three years overall; WSSU's Kermit Blount (Winston-Salem St., 1980) is in his third year at WSSU and overall (record u/a). NOTEWORTHY: This game is the Gold Coast Classic. GSU beat Alabama St. on Nov. 6 (36-13) while WSSU topped Elizabeth City (21-6).
JACKSON STATE "Tigers" (7-2, 3-0 SWAC East) at NEW HAVEN "Chargers" (u/a): 1 p.m. at Robert B. Dodds Stadium (3,500) in West Haven, Conn. EXPECTED CROWD: 2,500. SERIES RECORD: First Meeting. RADIO: JSU Sports Network (Southern Urban Network in Jackson, Miss. with Bob Carpenter, Willie Richardson and Rob Jay). THE COACHES: JSU's Robert Hughes (JSU, 1967) is 7-2 in his first year at JSU and overall; UNH's Darren Rizzi (bio n/a) is the leader for the Chargers. NOTEWORTHY: JSU is coming off a big 41-24 win at Texas Southern while UNH lost 41-27 to South Florida.
LANE COLLEGE "Dragons" (2-7) at ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF "Golden Lions" (4-5, 1-3 SWAC West): 2 p.m. at Pumphrey Stadium (8,000) in Pine Bluff, Ark. EXPECTED CROWD: 2,500. SERIES RECORD: UAPB leads 16-2-2. LAST MEETING: 1997 (UAPB won 55-10). RADIO: UAPB Sports Network (KZYP- FM 99.3 in Pine Bluff with Kirk Clayborn, Ray King and Floyd Donald). THE COACHES: LC's Len Anderson (bio n/a) is 6-13 in two years at Lane and overall; UAPB's Lee Hardman (UAPB, 1972) is 45-30 in seven years at the school and overall; . NOTEWORTHY: UAPB defeated Prairie View, 30-6, on Nov. 6 while LC lost to Tuskegee, 36-28.
MORRIS BROWN "Wolverines" (5-5) at MISS. VALLEY STATE "Delta Devils" (3-7, 1-3 SWAC East): 1:30 p.m. at Magnolia Stadium (10,000) in Itta Bena, Miss. EXPECTED CROWD: 5,000. SERIES RECORD: MVSU leads 3-0. LAST MEETING: 1996 in Itta Bena, Miss. (MVSU won 13-3). RADIO: MVSU Sports Network (WVSD-FM 91.7 in Itta Bena with Sam Brown and Lee Hall). THE COACHES: MBC's Joe Crosby (N. Carolina A&T, 1977) is 17-26 in four years at MBC and 30-32-2 in six years overall; MVSU's LaTraia Jones (Wyoming, 1979) is 3-7 in his first year at MVSU and overall. NOTEWORTHY: After an 0-7 start, MVSU has won three straight games, including a 30-26 win at Alcorn St. on Nov. 6. MBC lost 47-24 to Kentucky State.
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M "Panthers" (2-7, 0-4 SWAC West) vs. ALABAMA STATE "Hornets" (1-8, 1-3 SWAC East): 1 p.m. at the Cramton Bowl (24,600) in Montgomery, Ala. EXPECTED CROWD: 6,000. SERIES RECORD: ASU leads 16-1. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Prairie View, Tex. (ASU won 30-20). RADIO: PVAMU Sports Network (KPVU-FM 91.3 in Prairie View with Charles Porter and Charles McClelland Jr.); ASU Sports Network (WVAS-FM 90.7 in Montgomery with Robb Taylor, John Knight and Rennie Jones). THE COACHES: PVAMU's Clifton Gilliard (Prairie View, 1960) is 2-7 in his first year at PVAMU and overall; ASU's Ron Dickerson (Kansas St., 1971) is 6-14 in two years at ASU and 14-61 in seven years overall. NOTEWORTHY: Both teams are guaranteed of a last place finish in their respective SWAC divisions. PVAMU suffered a 30-6 lost to Ark.-Pine Bluff on Nov. 6 while ASU lost 36-13 to Grambling.
+SOUTHERN UNIV. "Jaguars" (8-1, 2-0 SWAC East) at TEXAS SOUTHERN "Tigers" (5-4, 3-0 SWAC West): 7 p.m. at Astrodome USA (59,969) in Houston, Tex. EXPECTED CROWD: 30,000. SERIES RECORD: SU leads 29-15-1. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Baton Rouge, La (SU won 20-14). RADIO: SU Sports Network (KQXL-FM 106.5 in Baton Rouge, La. with James Verrett and Bob Bennett); TSU Sports Network (KTSU-FM 90.9 in Houston with Leonard Moon and Devin Wade). THE COACHES: SU's Pete Richardson (Dayton, 1968) is 64-16 in seven years at SU and 105-30-1 in 12 years overall; TSU's Bill Thomas (Tennessee St., 1970) is 28-15 in six seasons at TSU and 64-53-3 in 11 years overall. NOTEWORTHY: A TSU win would make the Tigers the Western Division winner and give TSU a berth in the inaugural SWAC championship game on Dec. 11. Last weekend both teams were losers, SU losing to at Florida A&M (65-18) while TSU lost big at home to Jackson State (41-24).
*SWAC Eastern Division game
+SWAC Western Division game
6 Nov
Lorman, MS(OTW)-Corey Holmes rushed for 237 yards and three touchdowns as Mississippi Valley (3-7) edged Alcorn (3-5) 30-26 Saturday. Alcorn had only four yards rushing in the contest.
The Delta Devils scored 24 unanswered points in the first half to take a 24-6 halftime lead. Holmes scored two first half TDs on runs of two and 22 yards.
Alcorn quarterback Marcus Taylor threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns (two to Marco Walder.)
6 Nov
Montgomery, AL(OTW)-Lionel Hayes threw for 301 yards and two. touchdownsas Grambling (6-3, 3-1) snuffed out Alabama State 36-13 Saturday night. The win kept Grambling alive in the SWAC West title chase, and assured head coach Doug Williams his first winning season at the school. One of Hayes' TD passes went to Scotty Anderson, who had 115 yards in receptions on the evening.
Prairie View, TX(OTW)-Arkansas-Pine Bluff piled up 438 yards in total offense, defeating Prairie View 30-6 Saturday night. Lion Ron Johnson rushed for 145 yards for the winners.
In other SWAC action, Jackson State beat Texas Southern 41-24.
5 Nov
LEGENDARY WALTER PAYTON TO BE MEMORIALIZED AT JACKSON STATE AND AT OTHER SWAC SCHOOLS
JACKSON, Miss. - Walter Payton, the NFL's all-time rushing leader, will be remembered during a memorial service at his college alma mater, Jackson State University, on Monday, November 8. The memorial service is scheduled for 12 noon at the University Park Auditorium on JSU's campus. The public is invited.
In lieu of flowers, JSU officials request that donations be made to the Walter Payton Scholarship Fund and earmarked for JSU athletics. Donations to the fund should be sent to: Jackson State University, Development Foundation, P.O. Box 17144, Jackson, MS 39217.
Additionally, the JSU athletics department is requesting that motorists drive with their headlights on in tribute to Payton through Monday, November 8. The university's flag will be flying at half staff through November 8. All of the member schools of the Southwestern Athletic Conference which are hosting football games on Saturday, November 6 and Saturday, November 13 have been asked to pause for a moment of silence in remembrance of Payton prior to kick off of those games.
Payton, a 1974 graduate of Jackson State, died on Monday, November 1 at his home near Chicago, Ill. after suffering from a rare form of liver disease. He was 45.
During his collegiate years at JSU from 1971-74, Payton was one the most electrifying ballcarriers in the nation. He finished his college career with 584 carries for 3,563 yards and 66 touchdowns. He ranks No.4 on the Southwestern Athletic Conference's all-time rushing chart.
In 1973, Payton led the nation in scoring with 160 points. Until recently, he held nine JSU school records.
Payton's best single-game performance occurred in a 1972 game against Lane College. In that contest, he garnered 279 yards rushing, seven touchdowns and 48 points, all school single-game records. The Tigers beat Lane, 72-0.
Payton went on to become the fourth pick in the first round of the 1975 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, culminating his career as the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards and 125 career touchdowns. He's been inducted in the SWAC, NFL, Mississippi and JSU Sports Halls of Fame.
"Walter was a very special athlete....a great football player," stated Robert Braddy, JSU's interim athletics director. "He's the greatest athlete to come through Jackson State University's doors. He left a legacy here. We are certainly going to miss him."
5 Nov
WEEK #9 FOOTBALL PREVIEW
NON-CONFERENCE GAMES TAKE CENTER STATE ON NOV. 6
NEW ORLEANS -- In a weekend with just two conference games, big non-conference confrontations promise to steal the limelight on Saturday, November 6.
In an inter-divisional clash between Jackson State University of the SWAC Eastern Division and Texas Southern University of the Western Division, fans will see the TSU Tigers host J-State in what will be one of their biggest tests of the year. TSU stands at 5-3 on the year and 3-0 in Western Division while JSU is 6-2 and 3-0 in the Western Division. Last year, JSU topped TSU in Jackson, 57-32, and two years ago, J-State registered a 55-49 victory in Houston.
At 7 p.m. (EDT) in Tallahassee, Fla., the Southern University Jaguars will put their undefeated 8-0 record on the line as they play a Florida A&M team which stands at 6-2 on the year. The Jaguars are ranked No.3 in Division I-AA and No.2 in the SBN black college rankings while FAMU is ranked No.3 in the SBN poll. Last year in Baton Rouge, the Rattlers registered a dramatic 50-48 win on SU's home turf.
The lone conference games slated for November 6 are a 1 p.m. game between SWAC Eastern Division rivals Alcorn State University (3-4, 1-0 SWAC East) and Mississippi Valley State University (2-7, 0-3 SWAC East) as well as a 2 p.m. clash between Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-5, 0-3 SWAC West) and Prairie View A&M (2-6, 0-3 SWAC West) in Prairie View, Tex. The ASU Braves were idle on October 30 as the MVSU Delta Devils won for the second time this year in a 14-12 victory at Prairie View A&M. UAPB lost a 41-0 game at Jackson State.
The other game on tap for November 6 is a 7 p.m. non-conference date between 5-3 Grambling State and 1-7 Alabama State in Montgomery, Ala. While GSU lost to Texas Southern on October 30, Alabama State suffered a 15-10 defeat to rival Alabama A&M in Birmingham.
(more)
1999 SWAC FOOTBALL WEEK #9 PREVIEW
- Page 2 -
Q U I C K F A C T S
+ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF "Golden Lions" (3-5, 0-3 SWAC West) at PRAIRIE VIEW A&M "Panthers" (2-6, 0-3 SWAC West): 2 p.m. at Blackshear Field (6,000) in Prairie View, Tex. EXPECTED CROWD: 2,500. SERIES RECORD: PVAMU leads 35-15-4. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Little Rock, Ark. (UAPB won 30-0). RADIO: UAPB Sports Network (KZYP-FM 99.3 in Pine Bluff with Kirk Clayborne, Ray King and Floyd Donald); PVAMU Sports Network (KPVU-FM 91.3 in Prairie View with Charles Porter and Charles McClelland Jr.). THE COACHES: Lee Hardman (UAPB, 1972) is 44-30 in seven years at the school and overall; PVAMU's Clifton Gilliard (Prairie View, 1960) is 2-6 in his first year at PVAMU and overall. NOTEWORTHY: Both teams are coming off losses, UAPB a 41-0 loser at Jackson State and PVAMU a 14-12 loser at home to Miss. Valley State.
GRAMBLING STATE "Tigers" (5-3, 2-1 SWAC West) vs. ALABAMA STATE "Hornets" (1-7, 1-3 SWAC East): 2 p.m. at the Cramton Bowl (24,600) in Montgomery, Ala. EXPECTED CROWD: 8,000. SERIES RECORD: GSU leads 13-7. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Grambling, La (GSU won 31-6). RADIO: GSU Sports Network (KGRM-FM 91.5 in Grambling with Santoria Black and Ahmad Simmons); ASU Sports Network (WVAS-FM 90.7 in Montgomery with Robb Taylor, John Knight and Rennie Jones). THE COACHES: Doug Williams (Grambling, 1978) is 10-9 in two years at GSU and 13-17 in three years overall; ASU's Ron Dickerson (Kansas St., 1971) is 6-13 in two years at ASU and 14-60 in seven years overall. NOTEWORTHY: GSU lost a heartbreaking 21-20 decision at home to Texas Southern on Oct. 30, TSU scoring a 30-yard game-winning field goal with just one second left to play. ASU, meanwhile, lost at rival Alabama A&M 15-10 in Birmingham, the AAMU Bulldogs scoring the game-winner with just 48 seconds left with a 12-yard TD pass.
JACKSON STATE "Tigers" (6-2, 3-0 SWAC East) at TEXAS SOUTHERN "Tigers" (5-3, 3-0 SWAC West): 8 p.m. at Robertson Stadium (35,500) in Houston, Tex. EXPECTED CROWD: 25,000. SERIES RECORD: JSU leads 30-15-1. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Jackson, Miss. (JSU won 57-32). RADIO: JSU Sports Network (Southern Urban Network in Jackson, Miss. with Bob Carpenter, Willie Richardson and Rob Jay);TSU Sports Network (KTSU-FM 90.9 in Houston with Leonard Moon and Devin Wade). THE COACHES: JSU's Robert Hughes (JSU, 1967) is 6-2 in his first year at JSU and overall; TSU's Bill Thomas (Tennessee St., 1970) is 28-14 in six seasons at TSU and 64-52-3 in 11 years overall. NOTEWORTHY: JSU registered an easy 41-0 win at home over Ark.-Pine Bluff on Oct. 30 as TSU managed a 21-20 last second victory at Grambling. The last time these two teams met in Houston, quarterback Mark Washington, then JSU's backup QB, came off the bench in the second quarter with his team trailing 28-7 and proceeded to pass for 432 yards and five touchdowns, pacing JSU to a 55-49 victory.
*MISS. VALLEY STATE "Delta Devils" (2-7, 0-3 SWAC East) vs. ALCORN STATE "Braves" (3-4, 1-0 SWAC East): 1 p.m. at Jack Spinks Stadium (21,000) in Alcorn State, Miss. EXPECTED CROWD: 15,000. SERIES RECORD: ASU leads 32-11-1. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Itta Bena, Miss. (ASU won 22-19). RADIO: MVSU Sports Network (WVSD-FM 91.7 in Itta Bena with Sam Brown and Lee Hall); ASU Sports Network (WPRL-FM 91.7 in Alcorn State, Miss. with Charles Edmonds, David Crosby and Emanuel Barnes). THE COACHES: MVSU's LaTraia Jones is 2-7 in his first year at MVSU and overall; ASU's Johnny Thomas (Alcorn St., 1978) is 3-4 in his second year at ASU and overall. NOTEWORTHY: ASU was
(more)
1999 SWAC FOOTBALL WEEK #9 PREVIEW
- Page 3 -
idle on Oct. 30 as MVSU pulled off a 14-12 come-from-behind victory at Prairie View, scoring the game- winner on a 17-yard TD pass from Melvin Williams to John Wilson with just 35 seconds remaining.
SOUTHERN UNIV. "Jaguars" (8-0, 2-0 SWAC East) at FLORIDA A&M "Rattlers" (6-2, 6-0 MEAC): 7 p.m. at Bragg Memorial Stadium (25,500) in Tallahassee, Fla. EXPECTED CROWD: 25,500. SERIES RECORD: FAMU leads 30-23-1 LAST MEETING: 1998 in Baton Rouge, La (FAMU won 50-48. RADIO: SU Sports Network (KQXL-FM 106.5 in Baton Rouge, La. with James Verrett and Bob Bennett); FAMU Sports Network (WHBX-FM in Tallahassee with Keith Miles and Michael Thomas). THE COACHES: SU's Pete Richardson (Dayton, 1968) is 64-15 in seven years at SU and 105-29-1 in 12 years overall; FAMU's Billy Joe (Villanova, 1963) is 50-18 in six years at FAMU and 201-80-4 in 26 years overall. NOTEWORTHY: FAMU beat MEAC foe Delaware State 48-19 on Oct. 30 while SU enjoyed its first weekend off. SU entered the weekend ranked No.3 in Div. I-AA and No.2 in the SBN black college poll. FAMU was No.3 in the SBN poll.
*SWAC Eastern Division game
+SWAC Western Division game
1 Nov
Prairie View, TX(OTW)-The Jackson State men and Grambling women have won the 1999 SWAC Cross Country Championships.
David Rop, a senior, won the men's meet with a time of 25:43, better than two minutes ahead of the rest of the field. Rop was named MVP. Teammate Victor Tanui finished second.
It was JSU's fourth consecutive championship.
Grambling won the women's title with 67 points.
Faedra James of Alabama State won individual honors with a time of 19:42. Grambling's Christina Brown finished third with a time of 20:32.
It was GSU fifth consecutive championship.
CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
What: SWAC Cross Country Championships
When: Monday, November 1, 1999
Where: Prairie View A&M Univ., Prairie View, Tex.
Time: Women start at 10 a.m.; Men 30 min. after women
Admission: Open and free to the general public
GSU, JSU LOOK TO RETAIN SWAC CROSS COUNTRY TITLES
PRAIRIE VIEW, Tex. -- When the Southwestern Athletic Conference's annual cross country championships return here for the first time since 1989, host Prairie View A&M University hopes it can put a screeching halt to the defending champions' bids to add another trophy to their respective showcases.
A year ago in Alcorn State, Miss., the Jackson State University Tigers cruised to their third straight men's SWAC title while the JSU Lady Tigers managed to garner a piece of the pie for the first time in 14 years, finishing in a deadlock with the Lady Tigers of Grambling State University, whose share of the crown marked their fourth straight league championship.
At 10 a.m. Monday, November 1, the last SWAC cross championships of the millennium will be staged on Prairie View A&M's campus with the women taking off on their 5,000-meter run. The men's 8,000-meter run will follow after the conclusion of the women's race.
For the host school, winning a SWAC cross country championship has been an arduous task. The last time a PVAMU team captured the crown was in 1990, when the women's team won the title for a fourth straight season. The PVAMU men's team hasn't won the title since doing so 30 years ago, back in 1969.
"Hosting the 1999 SWAC cross country championships means a lot more that most people realize," said longtime Panther head coach Hoover J. Wright. "If you go back in history, you'll see that the first conference cross country meet was hosted at Prairie View -- and we won it. Since then, we've been running the meet at other locations and Prairie View has come up short. We have great ambitions as this year's host. Hopefully, it'll work in our favor."
Last season, no team was a match for a powerful Jackson State team which cruised to its third straight championship and 12th overall, more than any other SWAC school. Despite a looming NCAA investigation and the introduction of a new coaching staff, the Tigers still figure to be one of the meet's favorites.
Back for JSU are its three leaders from a year ago, including the meet's top two finishers in David Rop and Victor Tanui. Rop, a 5-7 senior, was the most valuable performer last year after finishing first with a time of 24:22. Tanui, a 5-3 graduate student this season, came in second in 1998 with a time of 25:24. Teammate Tony Mutsume, a 6-3 senior, was clocked at 27:38, good enough for seventh place.
As a team, JSU amassed a meet best 50 points. Following the Tigers were Grambling State, 70, Prairie View A&M, 85, Alabama State, 100, Southern, 127, Alcorn State, 134, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 159, Miss. Valley State, 177, and Texas Southern, 219. New SWAC member Alabama A&M wasn't eligible to compete in SWAC championships last season.
"Last year we finished third but this year we have most of those people returning and we picked up a few new runners who're as good as the ones we lost," said PVAMU's Wright. "We hope to improve upon last year's third place finish."
In the women's division, Grambling State head coach Bertram Lovell is confident that his Lady Tigers can make it five in a row. To do so, however, his squad will have to find its way back to the top without its star runner, the now-graduated Ebony Anderson, who finished third last season with a time of 20:03. Back for GSU, however, are its next five best performers.
Heading up the GSU lineup are 5-5 junior Christiana Brown, who finished fourth last season with a time of 20:13, 5-3 sophomore Shauntica Crawford, who finished ninth at 20:55, 5-4 junior Kesia Guillory, who came in 20th at 21:59, 6-1 sophomore Victoria Broussard, who finished 23rd at 22:15, and 5-7 sophomore Erica Durousseau, whose 27:30 time gave her a 46th place ranking.
"As champions, we won't just lay down and die," said Lovell. "Brown has been running well for us but Crawford has been kind of hurt, although she ran well as a freshman last year. Overall, our chances look excellent for us repeating.
"It won't be an easy meet, however," added Lovell. "This will be the most competitive meet we've had in a while. Plus, the course is flat, so anything can happen."
Like GSU, the Jackson State Lady Tigers will look for a title repeat without their top performer from last year, Natasha Beaumont, who was the most outstanding performer after finishing first with a time of 19:31. However, pacing JSU will be its four other runners from last season.
Patricia Robinson, a 5-2 sophomore, came in eighth for JSU in 1998, finishing with a time of 20:42. Julia Sawney, a 5-4 sophomore, finished 10th last year at 21:08. Michele Meraz, a 5-1 senior, was clocked at 22:05 in 1998, good enough for 21st. And 5-3 junior Litisha Williams finished 30th with a clocking of 23:30.
GSU and JSU garnered 59 points apiece in 1998, creating the first cross country championship tie in SWAC history. Following them were Alcorn State, 61 points, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 100, Southern, 124, Alabama State, 155, Prairie View A&M, 157, Texas Southern, 194, and Mississippi Valley State, 194. Alabama A&M couldn't compete.
30 Oct
Grambling, LA(OTW)-J.B. Lacombe kicked a 30-yard field goal with one second in the game, giving Texas Southern a 21-20 win over Grambling Saturday. Lacombe kicked field goals of 30, 35, 37, and 53 yards in the game. TSU is now 5-3 overall, and 3-0 in SWAC action.
Grambling is 5-3 and 2-1 in league action.
GSU QB Lionel Hayes threw three TD passes in the game, all to Scotty Anderson (16, 49, 18 yards). Neither team scored a rushing touchdown in the contest.
Jackson, MS(OTW)-Jackson State limited Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 75 yards in total offense, winning 41-0 Saturday. JSU's Destry Wright rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns as six different Tiger players scored in the game.
The win solidifed JSU's (6-2, 3-0) hold on the SWAC Eastern Diviision lead.
Birmingham, AL(OTW)-Tony Bellamy threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jackson with under a minute left in the game, giving Alabama A&M a 15-10 win over Alabama State in the Magic City Classic.
Curtis Donnell scored A&M's (4-4, 1-1) other TD on a 10-yard run in the second quarter.
Alabama State did not score an offensive TD in the game. Their only score came on a 37-yard fumble recovery run for a TD, by Marquaay Smith in the first quarter. That score gave them a brief 7-0 lead.
In other SWAC action, Mississippi Valley edged Prairie View 14-12.
18 Oct
SWAC Leaderboard
RUSHING (Min. 25.0 yards per game)
Player Team Cl G Att Net Yds/C TD Yds/G
-------------------------------------------------------------
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 6 128 820 6.4 6 136.7
LEWIS,Ryan..... SU SR 7 136 702 5.2 4 100.3
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 7 178 699 3.9 5 99.9
JOHNSON,Ron.... UAPB JR 6 90 536 6.0 3 89.3
THOMAS,Rodney.. ALCST SR 6 95 519 5.5 4 86.5
BIAS,Larry..... ALAST SO 7 71 342 4.8 4 48.9
STEED,Waymon... TSU SO 5 47 235 5.0 3 47.0
JONES,Albert... ALCST FR 5 47 204 4.3 1 40.8
KELLEY,DeMelvin PVAMU JR 5 56 191 3.4 0 38.2
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 7 39 261 6.7 3 37.3
PASSING (Min. 10.0 attempts/game)
Player Team Cl G Att Cmp Int Yds Pct TD Effic Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
HAYES,Lionel... GSU SR 6 177 94 2 1489 .531 18 155.1 248.2
WASHINGTON,Mark JSU SR 6 142 74 4 1351 .521 16 163.6 225.2
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 6 128 70 4 1095 .547 9 143.5 182.5
WILLIAMS,Troy.. SU SO 7 199 107 7 1203 .538 11 115.8 171.9
JACKSON,Antonio ALAST SR 7 187 93 4 1097 .497 8 108.8 156.7
WILLIAMS,Melvin MVSU JR 7 181 81 8 1091 .448 5 95.7 155.9
WILLIAMS,Kevin. UAPB SR 6 113 63 5 784 .558 5 119.8 130.7
TAYLOR,Marcus.. ALCST SR 6 89 44 2 733 .494 11 154.9 122.2
FOSTER,Jamaal.. PVAMU SO 6 108 45 4 566 .417 2 84.4 94.3
FORD,Damion.... ALCST SO 6 88 47 2 537 .534 9 133.9 89.5
RECEIVING (Min. 3.0 catches per game)
Player Team Cl G Rec Yds TD Rec/G Avg/C
-------------------------------------------------------------
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 6 38 729 10 6.3 19.2
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 6 30 528 8 5.0 17.6
HODGE,Damon.... ALAST JR 6 30 324 2 5.0 10.8
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 7 34 439 5 4.9 12.9
SOWARD,Kevin... UAPB SR 6 26 303 2 4.3 11.7
WILSON,Deontay. PVAMU SO 5 21 334 4 4.2 15.9
WALDER,Marco... ALCST JR 6 25 375 6 4.2 15.0
WATSON,Kenneth. ALAST JR 7 29 416 3 4.1 14.3
THOMAS,Marquez. ALAST JR 6 24 377 4 4.0 15.7
JOUBERT,Al'trev SU FR 7 28 312 1 4.0 11.1
TOTAL OFFENSE (Net for rush & pass; Min. 100.0 yards per game
Player Team Cl G Plays Rush Pass Total Yds/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
HAYES,Lionel... GSU SR 6 227 -99 1489 1390 231.7
WASHINGTON,Mark JSU SR 6 177 -36 1351 1315 219.2
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 6 214 154 1095 1249 208.2
JACKSON,Antonio ALAST SR 7 265 202 1097 1299 185.6
WILLIAMS,Troy.. SU SO 7 252 73 1203 1276 182.3
WILLIAMS,Melvin MVSU JR 7 229 -6 1091 1085 155.0
WILLIAMS,Kevin. UAPB SR 6 176 119 784 903 150.5
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 6 128 820 0 820 136.7
TAYLOR,Marcus.. ALCST SR 6 106 4 733 737 122.8
FOSTER,Jamaal.. PVAMU SO 6 157 112 566 678 113.0
SCORING (Min. 6.0 points per game) Extra Points FG
Player Team Cl G TD KM-KA RU PA MA-AT Saf Pts Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 6 10 0- 0 0 1 0- 0 0 62 10.3
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 6 9 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 54 9.0
GILMORE,Ronald. ALCST FR 5 7 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 42 8.4
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 6 8 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 48 8.0
REYNOLDS,Brian. JSU JR 6 0 26-24 0 0 5- 4 0 36 6.0
WALDER,Marco... ALCST JR 6 6 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 36 6.0
PUNTING (Min. 3.0 punts/game and 25.0 yards per punt)
Player Team Cl G Punts Yards Avg Long
----------------------------------------------------------
BECKFORD,David. ALAST FR 6 32 1325 41.4 56
WALL,Aaron..... UAPB FR 6 29 1191 41.1 56
BUSHART,Matt... SU SR 7 46 1879 40.8 66
HAIRSTON,Adrian GSU SR 6 33 1337 40.5 61
McCOY,Ronnie... TSU JR 6 37 1436 38.8 56
PAIGE,Kenny.... JSU SR 6 24 928 38.7 49
GRIFFITH,Russ.. MVSU SO 7 58 2105 36.3 63
SCHUGG,Travis.. AAMU SO 7 26 898 34.5 52
FRANKLIN,Jarrod PVAMU JR 6 45 1540 34.2 60
NEWMAN,Erik.... ALCST JR 6 23 727 31.6 61
INTERCEPTIONS (Min. 0.3 per game)
Player Team Cl G Int Yds TD Int/G
------------------------------------------------------
DARDEN,Brian... JSU SR 6 4 9 0 0.7
SPEARS,Calvin.. GSU SO 6 3 63 0 0.5
PEARSON,Kalvin. GSU SO 6 3 43 0 0.5
CARR,Anthony... PVAMU JR 6 3 80 0 0.5
BROWN,Edreece.. SU SR 7 3 22 0 0.4
PERRY,Bobby.... PVAMU SO 5 2 13 0 0.4
GANT,Richard... SU SO 6 2 18 0 0.3
DAVIS,ZeAndre.. TSU SR 6 2 76 2 0.3
ANDERSON,Rashar JSU SR 6 2 0 0 0.3
JASPER,Timothy. UAPB JR 6 2 29 0 0.3
PUNT RETURNS (Min. 1.0 per game and 6 yds/return)
Player Team Cl G Ret Yds TD Avg Long
-----------------------------------------------------------
PERRY,Clifford. ALCST FR 5 7 153 1 21.9 72
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 6 15 271 1 18.1 81
BAILEY,Frank... GSU SR 6 12 132 1 11.0 60
JETT,Bobby..... UAPB SO 5 11 90 0 8.2 20
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 7 9 71 0 7.9 30
THIGPEN,Torrey. JSU JR 6 15 111 0 7.4 22
MOORE,Marcus... MVSU SR 7 12 86 0 7.2 15
PERRY,Bobby.... PVAMU SO 5 12 86 0 7.2 22
KICK RETURNS (Min. 1.0 per game and 17 yds/return)
Player Team Cl G Ret Yds TD Avg Long
-----------------------------------------------------------
BOWIE,Kerry.... SU SR 6 16 530 1 33.1 95
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 6 8 257 0 32.1 66
HARRIS,Courtney JSU SR 5 5 143 0 28.6 69
SWAIN,Damian... ALAST JR 7 12 322 1 26.8 91
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 7 9 203 0 22.6 42
THIGPEN,Torrey. JSU JR 6 15 317 0 21.1 44
BAILEY,Frank... GSU SR 6 13 270 0 20.8 37
JETT,Bobby..... UAPB SO 5 10 205 0 20.5 38
MOORE,Marcus... MVSU SR 7 12 244 0 20.3 38
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 7 13 264 0 20.3 33
TACKLES
Player Team Cl G Pos UA A Total Sacks
----------------------------------------------------------
TRAMEL,Jasmine. MVSU SR 7 DB 45 39 84 1.0
DANIELS,Chris.. ALAST JR 7 LB 28 36 64 0.0
HEAD,Tommie.... JSU JR 6 LB 35 26 61 3.0
MACK,Leonard... TSU SO 6 LB 37 21 58 3.0
HUDSON,Eric.... ALAST JR 7 LB 31 22 53 0.0
WARNER,Channing SU SR 7 LB 25 28 53 4.0
MILLER,Damarcus SU SR 7 DL 25 25 50 4.5
SMITH,Shannon.. SU JR 7 LB 22 27 49 2.0
BROWN,Edreece.. SU SR 7 DB 33 16 49 0.0
PICKNEY,Michael AAMU SR 7 LB 28 20 48 0.5
CLARK,Howard... ALCST JR 6 LB 20 27 47 0.0
WICKER,Scott... GSU SO 6 LB 23 23 46 0.0
GUIDRY,George.. GSU JR 6 LB 28 17 45 5.5
WARE,Jamaal.... AAMU SO 7 LB 20 23 43 1.5
REESE,Edward... JSU JR 6 LB 17 25 42 1.0
FULLER,Quincy.. PVAMU SR 6 DB 24 17 41 0.0
GATLIN,Monte... JSU JR 6 LB 9 30 39 1.0
DUKES,Terrance. GSU SO 6 LB 24 15 39 1.5
PARKER,Freddie. ALAST SO 7 SS 22 15 37 0.0
CARTER,Thomas.. ALAST SR 7 LB 21 16 37 0.0
ALL PURPOSE (Min. 100.0 yards per game)
RUSHING PASSING PUNT RET KICK RET
Player Team Cl G Att Yds Rec Yds No Yds No Yds Net Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 6 128 820 8 141 0 0 0 0 961 160.2
WILSON,Deontay. PVAMU SO 5 1 9 21 334 3 30 20 274 647 129.4
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 6 9 133 3 111 15 271 8 257 772 128.7
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 7 178 699 17 189 0 0 0 0 888 126.9
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 6 0 0 38 729 0 0 0 0 729 121.5
THIGPEN,Torrey. JSU JR 6 7 14 13 234 15 111 15 317 676 112.7
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 7 1 14 34 439 14 60 13 264 777 111.0
LEWIS,Ryan..... SU SR 7 136 702 6 40 0 0 0 0 742 106.0
JOHNSON,Ron.... UAPB JR 6 90 536 9 85 0 0 0 0 621 103.5
16 Oct
Jackson, MS(OTW)-Southern used two touchdown passes by Troy Williams to knock off Jackson State 26-14 in an early SWAC showdown Saturday. Defense on both teams were strong.
Jackson State quarterback Mark Washington was limited to 160 yards in the game. Jackon State's Destry Wright rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown for the losers (4-2).
Normal, AL(OTW)-Alabama A&M rolled up 408 yards on the ground as they routed previously unbeaten Tuskegee 54-0 Saturday.
A&M scored 40 second-half points. Kelly Fields rushed for two TD for the winners.
Pine Bluff, AR(OTW)-Arkansas-Pine Bluff rushed for 356 yards as a team, in a 35-21 win over Alabama State Saturday.
Lion Ron Johnson rushed for 212 yards on the ground.
Alabama State quarterback Antonio Jackson threw for a TD in the game.
In other action Saturday, Texas Southern edged Alcorn 23-21.
12 Oct
RUSHING (Min. 25.0 yards per game)
Player Team Cl G Att Net Yds/C TD Yds/G
-------------------------------------------------------------
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 5 103 726 7.0 5 145.2
LEWIS,Ryan..... SU SR 6 119 654 5.5 4 109.0
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 6 154 637 4.1 5 106.2
THOMAS,Rodney.. ALCST SR 5 84 503 6.0 4 100.6
JOHNSON,Ron.... UAPB JR 5 66 322 4.9 1 64.4
STEED,Waymon... TSU SO 5 47 235 5.0 3 47.0
JONES,Albert... ALCST FR 4 43 185 4.3 1 46.3
BIAS,Larry..... ALAST SO 6 56 255 4.6 3 42.5
KELLEY,DeMelvin PVAMU JR 5 56 191 3.4 0 38.2
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 6 34 225 6.6 2 37.5
PASSING (Min. 10.0 attempts/game)
Player Team Cl G Att Cmp Int Yds Pct TD Effic Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
HAYES,Lionel... GSU SR 6 177 94 2 1489 .531 18 155.1 248.2
WASHINGTON,Mark JSU SR 5 121 64 4 1191 .529 16 172.6 238.2
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 6 128 70 4 1095 .547 9 143.5 182.5
WILLIAMS,Troy.. SU SO 6 169 96 4 1068 .568 9 122.7 178.0
WILLIAMS,Melvin MVSU JR 6 162 72 7 1038 .444 4 97.8 173.0
JACKSON,Antonio ALAST SR 6 166 83 4 998 .500 7 109.6 166.3
WILLIAMS,Kevin. UAPB SR 5 103 56 5 697 .544 5 117.5 139.4
TAYLOR,Marcus.. ALCST SR 5 79 38 1 678 .481 10 159.4 135.6
FORD,Damion.... ALCST SO 5 75 44 2 510 .587 8 145.7 102.0
FOSTER,Jamaal.. PVAMU SO 6 108 45 4 566 .417 2 84.4 94.3
RECEIVING (Min. 3.0 catches per game)
Player Team Cl G Rec Yds TD Rec/G Avg/C
-------------------------------------------------------------
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 6 38 729 10 6.3 19.2
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 6 33 437 5 5.5 13.2
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 5 26 493 8 5.2 19.0
HODGE,Damon.... ALAST JR 6 30 324 2 5.0 10.8
WALDER,Marco... ALCST JR 5 23 340 5 4.6 14.8
SOWARD,Kevin... UAPB SR 5 23 278 2 4.6 12.1
WILSON,Deontay. PVAMU SO 5 21 334 4 4.2 15.9
WATSON,Kenneth. ALAST JR 6 25 370 2 4.2 14.8
JOUBERT,Al'trev SU FR 6 25 265 0 4.2 10.6
THOMAS,Marquez. ALAST JR 6 24 377 4 4.0 15.7
TOTAL OFFENSE (Net for rush & pass; Min. 100.0 yards per game)
Player Team Cl G Plays Rush Pass Total Yds/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON,Mark JSU SR 5 146 39 1191 1230 246.0
HAYES,Lionel... GSU SR 6 227 -99 1489 1390 231.7
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 6 214 154 1095 1249 208.2
JACKSON,Antonio ALAST SR 6 235 172 998 1170 195.0
WILLIAMS,Troy.. SU SO 6 216 81 1068 1149 191.5
WILLIAMS,Melvin MVSU JR 6 201 -5 1038 1033 172.2
WILLIAMS,Kevin. UAPB SR 5 161 124 697 821 164.2
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 5 103 726 0 726 145.2
TAYLOR,Marcus.. ALCST SR 5 92 11 678 689 137.8
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 6 157 637 81 718 119.7
SCORING (Min. 6.0 points per game) Extra Points FG
Player Team Cl G TD KM-KA RU PA MA-AT Saf Pts Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 6 10 0- 0 0 1 0- 0 0 62 10.3
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 5 8 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 48 9.6
GILMORE,Ronald. ALCST FR 4 6 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 36 9.0
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 5 7 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 42 8.4
REYNOLDS,Brian. JSU JR 5 0 24-22 0 0 4- 4 0 34 6.8
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 6 6 0- 0 1 1 0- 0 0 40 6.7
WALDER,Marco... ALCST JR 5 5 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 30 6.0
PUNTING (Min. 3.0 punts/game and 25.0 yards per punt)
Player Team Cl G Punts Yards Avg Long
----------------------------------------------------------
BECKFORD,David. ALAST FR 5 27 1102 40.8 56
HAIRSTON,Adrian GSU SR 6 33 1337 40.5 61
McCOY,Ronnie... TSU JR 5 32 1272 39.8 56
BUSHART,Matt... SU SR 6 40 1582 39.5 66
PAIGE,Kenny.... JSU SR 5 17 650 38.2 49
GRIFFITH,Russ.. MVSU SO 6 52 1958 37.7 63
WALL,Aaron..... UAPB FR 5 27 996 36.9 48
SCHUGG,Travis.. AAMU SO 6 25 862 34.5 52
FRANKLIN,Jarrod PVAMU JR 6 45 1540 34.2 60
NEWMAN,Erik.... ALCST JR 5 17 540 31.8 61
INTERCEPTIONS (Min. 0.3 per game)
Player Team Cl G Int Yds TD Int/G
------------------------------------------------------
CARR,Anthony... PVAMU JR 6 3 80 0 0.5
PEARSON,Kalvin. GSU SO 6 3 43 0 0.5
SPEARS,Calvin.. GSU SO 6 3 63 0 0.5
BROWN,Edreece.. SU SR 6 3 22 0 0.5
EVANS,Tyshun... SU JR 5 2 -1 0 0.4
HENDERSON,Darn. SU SR 5 2 0 0 0.4
GANT,Richard... SU SO 5 2 18 0 0.4
DAVIS,ZeAndre.. TSU SR 5 2 76 2 0.4
PERRY,Bobby.... PVAMU SO 5 2 13 0 0.4
CANNON,Severn.. AAMU JR 5 2 45 1 0.4
PUNT RETURNS (Min. 1.0 per game and 6 yds/return)
Player Team Cl G Ret Yds TD Avg Long
-----------------------------------------------------------
PERRY,Clifford. ALCST FR 4 7 153 1 21.9 72
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 5 13 248 1 19.1 81
BAILEY,Frank... GSU SR 6 12 132 1 11.0 60
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 6 6 58 0 9.7 30
THIGPEN,Torrey. JSU JR 5 11 87 0 7.9 22
EVANS,Tyshun... SU JR 5 13 98 0 7.5 36
PERRY,Bobby.... PVAMU SO 5 12 86 0 7.2 22
JETT,Bobby..... UAPB SO 4 7 48 0 6.9 18
MOORE,Marcus... MVSU SR 6 11 72 0 6.5 15
KICK RETURNS (Min. 1.0 per game and 17 yds/return)
Player Team Cl G Ret Yds TD Avg Long
-----------------------------------------------------------
BOWIE,Kerry.... SU SR 5 14 462 1 33.0 95
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 5 7 230 0 32.9 66
SWAIN,Damian... ALAST JR 6 10 245 1 24.5 91
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 6 9 203 0 22.6 42
THIGPEN,Torrey. JSU JR 5 13 271 0 20.8 44
JETT,Bobby..... UAPB SO 4 9 187 0 20.8 38
BAILEY,Frank... GSU SR 6 13 270 0 20.8 37
WILLIAMS,Ken... ALAST FR 6 11 226 0 20.5 39
MOORE,Marcus... MVSU SR 6 11 219 0 19.9 38
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 6 12 231 0 19.3 27
TACKLES
Player Team Cl G Pos UA A Total Sacks
----------------------------------------------------------
TRAMEL,Jasmine. MVSU SR 6 DB 38 31 69 1.0
DANIELS,Chris.. ALAST JR 6 LB 26 29 55 0.0
MACK,Leonard... TSU SO 5 LB 37 17 54 3.0
HEAD,Tommie.... JSU JR 5 LB 30 23 53 3.0
HUDSON,Eric.... ALAST JR 6 LB 29 22 51 0.0
WARNER,Channing SU SR 6 LB 24 27 51 3.0
WICKER,Scott... GSU SO 6 LB 23 23 46 0.0
GUIDRY,George.. GSU JR 6 LB 28 17 45 5.5
MILLER,Damarcus SU SR 6 DL 22 21 43 3.5
FULLER,Quincy.. PVAMU SR 6 DB 24 17 41 0.0
PICKNEY,Michael AAMU SR 6 LB 23 17 40 0.5
BROWN,Edreece.. SU SR 6 DB 31 9 40 0.0
DUKES,Terrance. GSU SO 6 LB 24 15 39 1.5
WARE,Jamaal.... AAMU SO 6 LB 18 20 38 0.5
PARKER,Freddie. ALAST SO 6 SS 22 15 37 0.0
SCOTT,Antonio.. PVAMU SR 6 DL 16 20 36 1.0
SMITH,Marquaay. ALAST SO 6 LB 26 10 36 2.0
WILLIAMS,Marlon GSU JR 6 DB 21 14 35 0.0
CARR,Anthony... PVAMU JR 6 DB 22 13 35 0.0
SMITH,Shannon.. SU JR 6 LB 16 18 34 2.0
ALL PURPOSE (Min. 100.0 yards per game)
RUSHING PASSING PUNT RET KICK RET
Player Team Cl G Att Yds Rec Yds No Yds No Yds Net Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 5 103 726 8 141 0 0 0 0 867 173.4
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 6 154 637 13 165 0 0 0 0 802 133.7
WILSON,Deontay. PVAMU SO 5 1 9 21 334 3 30 20 274 647 129.4
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 5 5 55 2 102 13 248 7 230 635 127.0
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 6 1 14 33 437 14 60 12 231 742 123.7
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 6 0 0 38 729 0 0 0 0 729 121.5
LEWIS,Ryan..... SU SR 6 119 654 6 40 0 0 0 0 694 115.7
THIGPEN,Torrey. JSU JR 5 5 12 11 205 11 87 13 271 575 115.0
THOMAS,Rodney.. ALCST SR 5 84 503 6 33 0 0 0 0 536 107.2
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 6 34 225 13 116 6 58 9 203 602 100.3
&k0S&l6D 11 Oct
PRESEASON SWAC FAVORITES GET READY TO TANGLE
NEW ORLEANS -- After six weeks of action, the preseason Southwestern Athletic Conference favorites will finally get a chance to tangle in a huge non-conference clash that many feel will be a preview of the conference's inaugural championship game on December 11, 1999 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.
Jackson State University, the preseason number one pick in the league's Eastern Division, will host two-time defending champion and preseason number one pick Southern University of the Western Division. Kickoff of the Street and Smith's Productions televised contest is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss. JSU enters the game with records of 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the SWAC Eastern Division. Southern is undefeated at 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the Western Division.
"This is a big game for both teams," stated Pete Richardson, the SU Jaguars' head coach. "The J- State coaches will have their players ready to play and focused. Hopefully, we will improve. This is always a tough match-up, but we hope to come out and match their intensity."
Both the Jaguars and the Tigers have been the dominate teams of late in the SWAC, each winning three SWAC championships in the 1990s. SU claimed league crowns in 1993, 1997 and 1998. JSU won SWAC titles in 1990, 1995 and 1996. Over the last four years, neither JSU nor SU have finished lower than second in the final league standings.
The other games scheduled for Saturday are a 1:30 p.m. clash between the 5-0 Tuskegee Golden Tigers and the 3-3 Alabama A&M Bulldogs in Huntsville, Ala., a 1:30 p.m. contest between the 0-6 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils and the 3-2 Albany State Golden Rams, a 7 p.m. game between the 1-5 Alabama State Hornets and the 2-3 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions in Pine Bluff, Ark. and a 7 p.m. date between the 3-2 Alcorn State Braves and the 3-2 Texas Southern Tigers in Houston, Tex.
- - - - - - - - - - Q U I C K F A C T S - - - - - - - - - -
ALABAMA STATE "Hornets" (1-5, 1-2 SWAC East) at ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF "Golden Lions" (2-3, 0-2 SWAC West): 7 p.m. at Pumphrey Stadium (8,000) in Pine Bluff, Ark. EXPECTED CROWD: 4,000. SERIES RECORD: UAPB leads 2-0. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Montgomery, Ala. (UAPB won 28-14). RADIO: ASU Sports Network (WVAS-FM 90.7 in Montgomery with Robb Taylor, John Knight and Rennie Jones); UAPB Sports Network (KZBL-FM 99.3 in Pine Bluff, Ark. with Kirk Clayborn). THE COACHES: ASU's Ron Dickerson (Kansas St., 1971) is 6-11 in two years at ASU and 14-58 in seven years overall; UAPB's Lee Hardman is 43-28 in his seven years at UAPB and overall. NOTEWORTHY: Both teams lost last weekend, ASU 44-17 at Jackson State and UAPB 20-7 at home against Texas Southern.
ALCORN STATE "Braves" (3-2, 1-0 SWAC East) vs. TEXAS SOUTHERN "Tigers" (3-2, 2-0 SWAC West): 7 p.m. at Robertson Stadium (22,000) in Houston, Tex. EXPECTED CROWD: 10,000. SERIES RECORD: ASU leads 22-10-3. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Alcorn State, Miss. (ASU won 21-14). RADIO: ASU Sports Network (WPRL-FM 91.7 in Alcorn State, Miss. with Charles Edmond and Emanuel Barnes); TSU Sports Network (KTSU- FM 90.9 in Houston, Tex. with Leonard Moon and Devin Wade). THE COACHES: ASU's Johnny Thomas (Alcorn, 1978) is 8-8 in two years at ASU and overall; TSU's Bill Thomas (Tennessee St., 1970) is 26-13 in his sixth year at TSU and 62-51-3 in 11 years overall. NOTEWORTHY: Both teams won big on Oct. 9, ASU shellacking Prairie View 61-0 at home while TSU upended Ark.-Pine Bluff on the road, 20-7.
MISS. VALLEY STATE"Delta Devils" (0-6, 0-3 SWAC West) at ALBANY STATE "Golden Rams" (3-2, u/a SIAC): 1:30 p.m. at Hugh Mills Stadium (11,500) in Albany, Ga. EXPECTED CROWD: 3,000. SERIES RECORD: ASU leads 1-0. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Itta Bena, Miss. (ASU won 37-9). RADIO: MVSU Sports Network (WVSD-FM 91.7 in Itta Bena, Miss. with Lee Hall and Dwayne Turner). THE COACHES: MVSU's LaTraia Jones (Wyoming, 1979) is 0-6 in his first year at MVSU and overall; Albany's Hampton Smith is 153-88-4 in 24 years at ASU and overall. NOTEWORTHY: MVSU is off to at least an 0-6 start for the second straight year. Last year, MVSU lost eight straight games before picking up a 38-6 win over Prairie View in week nine.
SOUTHERN UNIV. "Jaguars" (6-0, 2-0 SWAC West) vs. JACKSON STATE "Tigers" (4-1, 2-0 SWAC East): 6:30 p.m. at the Miss. Veterans Memorial Stadium (62,512) in Jackson, Miss. EXPECTED CROWD: 60,000. SERIES RECORD: SU leads 21-20. LAST MEETING: 1998 (SU won 33-28). TELEVISION: Live telecast by Street & Smith's Productions. RADIO: SU Sports Network (KQXL-FM 106.5 in Baton Rouge, La. with James Verrett and Bob Bennett); JSU Sports Network (Southern Urban Network in Jackson, Miss. with Bob Carpenter, Willie Richardson and Rob Jay). THE COACHES: SU's Pete Richardson (Dayton, 1968) is 62-15 in seven years at SU and 103-29-1 in 12 years overall; JSU's Robert Hughes (Jackson, St., 1967) is 4-1 in his first year at JSU and overall. NOTEWORTHY: JSU and SU were the preseason picks to make it to the inaugural SWAC Football Championship Game on Dec. 11. Last weekend, JSU beat Alabama St., 44-17, while SU beat Alabama A&M, 29- 12.
TUSKEGEE UNIV. "Golden Tigers" (5-0, u/a SIAC) at ALABAMA A&M "Bulldogs" (3-3, 1-0 SWAC East): 1:30 p.m. in Louis Crews Stadium (21,000) in Huntsville, Ala. EXPECTED CROWD: 21,000. SERIES RECORD: AAMU leads 21-17-3. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Tuskegee, Ala. (TU won 14-7). RADIO: AAMU Sports Network (WJAB-FM 90.9 in Huntsville with Ike Rooks and Tommie Lockhart). THE COACHES: TU's coach is Rick Comegy (Pennsylvania, 1976); AAMU's Ron Cooper (Jacksonville St., 1982) is 8-9 in two years at AAMU and 30-42 in seven years overall. NOTEWORTHY: TU upped its record to 5-0 with a 9-6 win over Morehouse on Oct. 9 while AAMU lost at Southern, 29-12.
-30- 9 Oct
Lorman, MS(OTW)-Alcorn scored 54 first half points as they blitzed Prairie View 61-0 Saturday. Braves' quarterbacks Marcus Taylor and Damion Ford combined for 342 yards passing in the game. Ford threw for four TDs in the first half, one to Yancy Wright (24 yards) and another to Marco Walder to help get the rout started.
Alcorn (3-2) held Prairie View to 30 yards rushing in the game.
Grambling, LA(OTW)-Lionel Hayes threw five touchdown passes, leading Grambling to a 42-19 rout of Mississippi Valley Saturday.
Hayes threw for 394 yards in the contest. Three of his TD passes were to Scotty Anderson. Grambling led 28-3 at the half and never looked back.
Valley's Corey Holmes rushed for 182 yards, ran for a TD, and threw for another in a losing effort.
There were 304 yards in penalties in the game.
Baton Rouge, LA(OTW)-Ryan Lewis rushed for 144 yards, including a 71-yard TD, as Southern beat Alabama A&M 29-12 Saturday. SU quarterback Troy Williams threw for 230 yards and two TDs in the contest.
Travoris Nunn rushed for 116 yards for A&M.
Jackson, MS(OTW)-Mark Washington threw four touchdown passes to Sly Morris (11, 21, 6, 65 yards), and Destry Wright rushed for 217 yards and two TD's as Jackson State ran over Alabama State 44-17 Saturday.
JSU will face Southern next Saturday.
In another score, Texas Southern beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 20-7 in Little Rock Saturday.
8 Oct
Jackson, MS(OTW)-James Carson former head football coach at Jackson State, passed away early Thursday morning. Carson was 59-years-old. He had stepped down as coach of the team this year due to an illness. In six years, he compiled a 54-25-1 record as a head coach. Carson was a native of Clarksdale, Miss, and a 1963 graduate of Jackson State. In 1989, he was inducted into the Jackson State Hall of Fame.
6 Oct
New Orleans, LA(OTW)-The SWAC Basketball Media Day will be held Thursday, Oct. 28, in Biloxi, MS. The session will last from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. central time. The SWAC men and women's basketball coaches will attend along with featured players. The event will have three separate sessions where players and coaches can be interviewed. Also, SWAC Commissioner Rudy Washington will speak along with Biloxi organizing committee--the SWAC Tourney will be in Biloxi in March.
3 Oct
RUSHING (Min. 25.0 yards per game)
Player Team Cl G Att Net Yds/C TD Yds/G
-------------------------------------------------------------
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 4 84 509 6.1 3 127.3
THOMAS,Rodney.. ALCST SR 4 82 508 6.2 4 127.0
LEWIS,Ryan..... SU SR 5 104 510 4.9 3 102.0
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 5 123 455 3.7 4 91.0
JOHNSON,Ron.... UAPB JR 4 55 307 5.6 1 76.8
STEED,Waymon... TSU SO 4 47 235 5.0 3 58.8
JONES,Albert... ALCST FR 3 33 154 4.7 1 51.3
KELLEY,DeMelvin PVAMU JR 4 53 180 3.4 0 45.0
BIAS,Larry..... ALAST SO 5 47 223 4.7 2 44.6
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 5 26 202 7.8 1 40.4
PASSING (Min. 10.0 attempts/game)
Player Team Cl G Att Cmp Int Yds Pct TD Effic Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON,Mark JSU SR 4 113 59 4 1110 .522 13 165.6 277.5
HAYES,Lionel... GSU SR 5 138 72 2 1095 .522 13 147.0 219.0
WILLIAMS,Melvin MVSU JR 5 153 69 7 1042 .451 4 101.8 208.4
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 5 117 63 4 1023 .538 8 143.0 204.6
WILLIAMS,Troy.. SU SO 5 141 77 4 838 .546 7 115.2 167.6
JACKSON,Antonio ALAST SR 5 128 65 4 791 .508 6 111.9 158.2
WILLIAMS,Kevin. UAPB SR 4 74 42 2 520 .568 5 132.7 130.0
TAYLOR,Marcus.. ALCST SR 4 60 29 1 497 .483 8 158.6 124.3
FOSTER,Jamaal.. PVAMU SO 5 93 38 4 490 .409 2 83.6 98.0
FORD,Damion.... ALCST SO 4 53 31 1 349 .585 4 134.9 87.3
RECEIVING (Min. 3.0 catches per game)
Player Team Cl G Rec Yds TD Rec/G Avg/C
-------------------------------------------------------------
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 5 29 496 7 5.8 17.1
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 5 28 391 4 5.6 14.0
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 4 22 390 4 5.5 17.7
SOWARD,Kevin... UAPB SR 4 21 257 2 5.3 12.2
HODGE,Damon.... ALAST JR 5 25 285 2 5.0 11.4
WINSTON,Aquariu MVSU SO 5 21 374 2 4.2 17.8
WILSON,Deontay. PVAMU SO 5 21 334 4 4.2 15.9
THOMAS,Marquez. ALAST JR 5 21 309 4 4.2 14.7
JOUBERT,Al'trev SU FR 5 21 242 0 4.2 11.5
GILMORE,Ronald. ALCST FR 3 12 228 4 4.0 19.0
TOTAL OFFENSE (Net for rush & pass; Min. 100.0 yards per game)
Player Team Cl G Plays Rush Pass Total Yds/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON,Mark JSU SR 4 136 49 1110 1159 289.8
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 5 196 164 1023 1187 237.4
WILLIAMS,Melvin MVSU JR 5 192 -5 1042 1037 207.4
HAYES,Lionel... GSU SR 5 186 -82 1095 1013 202.6
JACKSON,Antonio ALAST SR 5 187 171 791 962 192.4
WILLIAMS,Troy.. SU SO 5 179 76 838 914 182.8
WILLIAMS,Kevin. UAPB SR 4 115 107 520 627 156.8
TAYLOR,Marcus.. ALCST SR 4 72 19 497 516 129.0
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 4 84 509 0 509 127.3
THOMAS,Rodney.. ALCST SR 4 82 508 0 508 127.0
SCORING (Min. 6.0 points per game) Extra Points FG
Player Team Cl G TD KM-KA RU PA MA-AT Saf Pts Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ANDERSON,Scotty GSU JR 5 7 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 42 8.4
GILMORE,Ronald. ALCST FR 3 4 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 24 8.0
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 4 5 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 30 7.5
REYNOLDS,Brian. JSU JR 4 0 19-19 0 0 3- 3 0 28 7.0
BELLAMY,Tony... AAMU JR 5 5 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 30 6.0
HOLBERT,Marcus. ALCST SO 3 3 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 18 6.0
MORRIS,Sylveste JSU SR 4 4 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 24 6.0
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 5 5 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 30 6.0
THOMAS,Rodney.. ALCST SR 4 4 0- 0 0 0 0- 0 0 24 6.0
PUNTING (Min. 3.0 punts/game and 25.0 yards per punt)
Player Team Cl G Punts Yards Avg Long
----------------------------------------------------------
WALL,Aaron..... UAPB FR 4 19 772 40.6 48
HAIRSTON,Adrian GSU SR 5 28 1136 40.6 61
BECKFORD,David. ALAST FR 4 21 838 39.9 53
BUSHART,Matt... SU SR 5 36 1435 39.9 66
McCOY,Ronnie... TSU JR 4 29 1148 39.6 56
PAIGE,Kenny.... JSU SR 4 14 550 39.3 49
GRIFFITH,Russ.. MVSU SO 5 43 1618 37.6 63
SCHUGG,Travis.. AAMU SO 5 22 746 33.9 52
FRANKLIN,Jarrod PVAMU JR 5 36 1214 33.7 60
NEWMAN,Erik.... ALCST JR 4 12 397 33.1 61
INTERCEPTIONS (Min. 0.3 per game)
Player Team Cl G Int Yds TD Int/G
------------------------------------------------------
SPEARS,Calvin.. GSU SO 5 3 63 0 0.6
CARR,Anthony... PVAMU JR 5 3 80 0 0.6
BROWN,Edreece.. SU SR 5 3 22 0 0.6
CANNON,Severn.. AAMU JR 4 2 45 1 0.5
EVANS,Tyshun... SU JR 4 2 -1 0 0.5
ANDERSON,Rashar JSU SR 4 2 0 0 0.5
DARDEN,Brian... JSU SR 4 2 13 0 0.5
PERRY,Bobby.... PVAMU SO 4 2 13 0 0.5
JASPER,Timothy. UAPB JR 4 2 29 0 0.5
HENDERSON,Darn. SU SR 5 2 0 0 0.4
PUNT RETURNS (Min. 1.0 per game and 6 yds/return)
Player Team Cl G Ret Yds TD Avg Long
-----------------------------------------------------------
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 4 8 190 1 23.8 81
PERRY,Clifford. ALCST FR 3 3 32 0 10.7 33
EVANS,Tyshun... SU JR 4 11 106 0 9.6 36
JETT,Bobby..... UAPB SO 3 4 36 0 9.0 18
THIGPEN,Torrey. JSU JR 4 9 60 0 6.7 15
MOORE,Marcus... MVSU SR 5 10 61 0 6.1 15
KICK RETURNS (Min. 1.0 per game and 17 yds/return)
Player Team Cl G Ret Yds TD Avg Long
-----------------------------------------------------------
BOWIE,Kerry.... SU SR 4 10 403 1 40.3 95
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 4 6 197 0 32.8 66
SWAIN,Damian... ALAST JR 5 5 157 1 31.4 91
JETT,Bobby..... UAPB SO 3 7 156 0 22.3 38
WILLIAMS,Ken... ALAST FR 5 9 197 0 21.9 39
THIGPEN,Torrey. JSU JR 4 11 236 0 21.5 44
FIELDS,Kelly... AAMU SR 5 8 161 0 20.1 35
MOORE,Marcus... MVSU SR 5 11 219 0 19.9 38
BAILEY,Frank... GSU SR 5 8 151 0 18.9 26
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 5 9 169 0 18.8 27
TACKLES
Player Team Cl G Pos UA A Total Sacks
----------------------------------------------------------
TRAMEL,Jasmine. MVSU SR 4 DB 29 25 54 1.0
DANIELS,Chris.. ALAST JR 5 LB 23 21 44 0.0
WARNER,Channing SU SR 5 LB 22 21 43 3.0
HUDSON,Eric.... ALAST JR 5 LB 25 17 42 0.0
HEAD,Tommie.... JSU JR 4 LB 24 17 41 2.0
MACK,Leonard... TSU SO 4 LB 23 15 38 0.0
GUIDRY,George.. GSU JR 5 LB 23 15 38 5.5
WICKER,Scott... GSU SO 5 LB 15 22 37 0.0
WARE,Jamaal.... AAMU SO 5 LB 16 19 35 0.5
FULLER,Quincy.. PVAMU SR 5 DB 23 12 35 0.0
PICKNEY,Michael AAMU SR 5 LB 18 16 34 0.5
SMITH,Marquaay. ALAST SO 5 LB 25 9 34 2.0
DUKES,Terrance. GSU SO 5 LB 23 10 33 1.5
PARKER,Freddie. ALAST SO 5 SS 19 14 33 0.0
BROWN,Edreece.. SU SR 5 DB 23 7 30 0.0
WILLIAMS,Marlon GSU JR 5 DB 18 12 30 0.0
SMITH,Shannon.. SU JR 5 LB 14 16 30 2.0
MILLER,Damarcus SU SR 5 DL 19 11 30 2.5
JACKSON,Dernath AAMU JR 5 DB 17 11 28 0.0
WITHERS,Calvin. UAPB JR 4 FS 17 11 28 1.5
ALL PURPOSE (Min. 100.0 yards per game)
RUSHING PASSING PUNT RET KICK RET
Player Team Cl G Att Yds Rec Yds No Yds No Yds Net Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WRIGHT,Destry.. JSU SR 4 84 509 8 141 0 0 0 0 650 162.5
THOMAS,Rodney.. ALCST SR 4 82 508 6 33 0 0 0 0 541 135.3
WILSON,Deontay. PVAMU SO 5 1 9 21 334 3 30 20 274 647 129.4
THIGPEN,Torrey. JSU JR 4 5 12 11 205 9 60 11 236 513 128.3
JAMISON,Joseph. TSU SR 4 3 19 2 102 8 190 6 197 508 127.0
HOLMES,Corey... MVSU JR 5 123 455 12 173 0 0 0 0 628 125.6
HAMBRICK,Kenyon AAMU SO 5 0 0 28 391 14 60 9 169 620 124.0
LEWIS,Ryan..... SU SR 5 104 510 5 43 0 0 0 0 553 110.6
SWAC Preview
SU SEEKS REVENGE WITH BULLDOGS COMING TO TOWN
NEW ORLEANS -- With the Alabama A&M University Bulldogs next up on their schedule, the Southern University Jaguars are undefeated with a perfect 5-0 record.
Sounds familiar?
A year ago, the scenario was identical as the Jaguars traveled to Huntsville, Ala. to take on Alabama A&M, which had just months earlier become an affiliate member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. In one of the biggest upsets of the year, the Bulldogs shocked Southern, winning 33-27 and giving notice that they'd be viable competitors in the SWAC.
Slated for 6:30 p.m. at A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday's game will not only be a big non-conference confrontation between the SWAC Western Division's Jaguars and the Bulldogs of the Eastern Division, but it'll also be Southern's homecoming.
Are the Jaguars revenge-minded? SU head coach Pete Richardson said not necessarily so.
"It's not so much a revenge factor as it is that we want to continue to improve each week," stated Richardson. " Alabama A&M has a solid football team. They're well-coached. Ron Cooper will have his team ready to play and we just have to come out and match their intensity."
Cooper, Alabama A&M's head coach, said, "Coach Richardson has another good football team. They're undefeated and coming off a big win over Hampton. We beat them last year, so I know they'll be ready for us. But we'll be ready too. This is a team we're looking forward to playing."
In addition to the AAMU-SU confrontation, a pair of conference games are among the five games on tap for October 9. In the Eastern Division, 1-4 Alabama State (1-1 SWAC) will tangle with 3-1 Jackson State (1-0 SWAC) at 6:30 p.m. in Jackson Miss. In the Western Division, 2-2 Texas Southern (1-0 SWAC) will take on 2-2 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-1 SWAC) at 7 p.m. in Little Rock, Ark.
The other non-conference games scheduled for Saturday include a 1:30 p.m. game between 1-4 Prairie View A&M and 2-2 Alcorn State in Alcorn State, Miss. and a 3 p.m. game between 0-5 Mississippi Valley State and 3-2 Grambling State in Grambling, La.
- - - - - - - - - - QUICK FACTS - - - - - - - - - -
ALABAMA A&M "Bulldogs" (3-2, 1-0 SWAC East) at SOUTHERN UNIV. "Jaguars" (5-0, 2-0 SWAC West): 6:30 p.m. at A.W. Mumford Stadium (24,000) in Baton Rouge, La. EXPECTED CROWD: 24,000. SERIES RECORD: Tied at 1-1. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Huntsville, Ala. (AAMU won 33-27). RADIO: AAMU Sports Network (WJAB-FM 90.9 in Huntsville, Ala. with Ike Rooks and Tommie Lockhart); SU Sports Network (KQXL-FM 106.5 in Baton Rouge with James Verret and Robert Bennett). THE COACHES: AAMU's Ron Cooper (Jacksonville St., 1982) is 8-8 in two years at AAMU and 30-41 in seven years overall; SU's Pete Richardson (Dayton, 1968) is 61-15 in seven years at SU and 102-29-1 in 12 years overall. NOTEWORTHY: SU stayed undefeated with a huge 21-6 win over previously unbeaten Hampton in the Coca-Cola Circle Classic last weekend as AAMU lost to Tennessee State in Huntsville, 36-15.
*ALABAMA STATE "Hornets" (1-4, 1-1 SWAC East) at JACKSON STATE "Tigers" (3-1, 1-0 SWAC East): 6:30 p.m. at Miss. Veterans Memorial Stadium (62,512) in Jackson, Miss. EXPECTED CROWD: 18,000. SERIES RECORD: JSU leads 24-2-1. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Mobile, Ala. (JSU won 41-35). RADIO: ALA Sports Network (WVAS-FM 90.7 in Montgomery, Ala. with Robb Taylor, John Knight and Rennie Jones); JSU Sports Network (Southern Urban Network in Jackson, Miss. with Bob Carpenter, Willie Richardson and Rob Jay). THE COACHES: ASU's Ron Dickerson (Kansas St., 1971) is 6-10 in two years at ASU and 14-57 in seven years overall; JSU's Robert Hughes (Jackson St., 1967) is 3-1 in his first year at JSU and overall. NOTEWORTHY: JSU was idle last weekend as ASU won for the first time this season with a 35-27 victory over Miss. Valley State.
MISS. VALLEY STATE "Delta Devils" (0-5, 0-3 SWAC East) at GRAMBLING STATE "Tigers" (3-2, 1-0 SWAC West): 3 p.m. at Eddie G. Robinson Stadium (19,600) in Grambling, La. EXPECTED CROWD: 10,000. SERIES RECORD: GSU leads 5-34-1. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Itta Bena, Miss. (GSU won 13-21). RADIO: MVSU Sports Network (WVSD-FM 91.7 in Itta Bena, Miss. with Lee Hall and Dwayne Tanner); GSU Sports Network (KGRM-FM 91.5 in Grambling, La. with Santoria Black and Ahmad Simmons). THE COACHES: MVSU's LaTraia Jones (Wyoming, 1979) is 0-5 in his first year at MVSU and overall; GSU's Doug Williams (Grambling, 1978) is 8-8 in two years at GSU and 11-16 overall. NOTEWORTHY: MVSU lost for the fifth time in as many games this season with a 35-27 defeat to previously winless Alabama State while GSU broke a two-game skid with a 47-19 win over Prairie View A&M.
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M "Panthers" (1-4, 0-3 SWAC West) at ALCORN STATE "Braves" (2-2, 1-0 SWAC East): 1:30 p.m. at Jack Spinks Stadium (22,500) in Alcorn State, Miss. EXPECTED CROWD: 10,000. SERIES RECORD: Alcorn leads 37-13. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Prairie View, Tex. (Alcorn won 45-36). RADIO: PVAMU Sports Network (KPVU-FM 91.3 in Prairie View, Tex. with Charles Porter and Charles McClelland Jr.); ASU Sports Network (WPRL-FM 91.7 in Alcorn State, Miss. with Charles Edmond, David Crosby and Emanuel Barnes). THE COACHES: PVAMU's Clifton Gilliard (Prairie View, 1960) is 1-4 in his first year at PVAMU and overall; ASU's johnny Thomas (Alcorn State, 1978) is 7-8 in two years at ASU and overall. NOTEWORTHY: ASU beat Morehouse 41-27 last weekend while PV lost to Grambling, 47-19.
+TEXAS SOUTHERN "Tigers" (2-2, 1-0 SWAC West) at ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF "Golden Lions" (2-2, 0-1 SWAC West): 7 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium (60,000) in Little Rock, Ark. EXPECTED CROWD: 15,000. SERIES RECORD: TSU leads 16-8-1. LAST MEETING: 1998 in Houston, Tex. (UAPB won 29-22). RADIO: TSU Sports Network (KTSU-FM 90.9 in Houston Tex. with Leonard Moon and Devin Wade); UAPB Sports Network (KZBL-FM 99.3 in Pine Bluff with Kirk Clayborn). THE COACHES: TSU's Bill Thomas (Tennessee St., 1970) is 25-13 in six seasons at TSU and 61-51-3 in 11 years overall; UAPB's Lee Hardman (UAPB, 1972) is 43-27 in seven years at UAPB and overall. NOTEWORTHY: Both TSU and UAPB were idle last weekend.
*SWAC Eastern Division game; *SWAC Western Division game.
2 Oct
Heritage Bowl Preview??
Indianapolis, IN(OTW)-Southern linebacker Robert Chapman scored on a 35-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, and Lee Smith added a two-yard TD run, as Southern stopped Hampton 21-6 Saturday. The game was statistically even, but the Jaguars used a 14 point second quarter to help carry them to victory.
The Pirates were held without a touchdown in the contest.
Dallas, TX(OTW) Grambling quarterback Lionel Hayes threw for 193 yards, two touchdowns, and ran for another, as Grambling ran over Prairie View 47-19. Hayes' two TD strikes were of 36 and 22 yards to Scotty Anderson.
Prairie View actually jumped off to a 10-0 lead, but a GSU 19-point second quarter put them up for good.
Normal, AL(OTW)-Tennessee State used two big plays to help them defeat Alabama A&M 35-16 Saturday.
pat Jenkins returned a punt for 82 yards for a touchdown in the first half, and Avion Black returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD in the second half to aid the TSU win.
Tiger quarterback Leon Murray threw for a score and ran for another one for the winners.
A&M quarterback Tony Bellamy threw for 273 yards and a TD.
Itta Bena, MS(OTW)-Alabama State quarterback Antonio Jackson threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns, as the Hornets whipped Mississippi Valley 35-27 Saturday. Both of his TD passes went to Marquez Thomas (five and twenty yards).
Mississippi Valley's Corey Holmes rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
SWAC-One-On-One
THIS WEEK'S GUEST:
RUNNING BACK RODNEY THOMAS OF ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY
FOREWORD
One of the great pressures on college athletes is trying to balance the enormous time it takes to be successful on the field while also performing admirably in the classroom. Running back and inspiring physician Rodney Thomas of Alcorn State has been successful in both arenas. He's working on his Master's degree, he's one of the top-rated running backs in the SWAC and he's just received a big national academic honor. Here, he's interviewed by Lonza Hardy Jr., the associate commissioner of the SWAC.
SWAC: You're one of those student-athletes who has managed to keep their priorities in order by performing well both on and off the field. What's been your game plan for balancing athletics and academics?
Thomas: Coming into college, you have to remember what you came to college for. I have three sisters. My oldest sister graduated from Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe) and one of my other sisters attended Prairie View, although she didn't finish. That motivated me to attend college and to do the best I can.
SWAC: One of the big academic honors you have just received is your selection as Burger King Scholar Athlete of the Week. What does it mean to you to receive such a high national honor?
Thomas: It's an exclamation point to my goal of being the best student-athlete possible. It shows the work I've put into being an athlete and being a good student at the same time.
SWAC: You received your undergraduate degree from Alcorn State last spring and now you're working on a Master's degree. As you walked across the stage, do you remember the feeling you had at that moment?
Thomas: I felt real good about myself on accomplishing a major goal I had -- to attend college and get my degree. Seeing the smiles on the faces of my parents and grandparents made me feel good.
SWAC: What other academic honors have you received during your college years?
Thomas: At Alcorn's athletics banquets, they give awards by class for the highest academic average. I got the football team's junior class award for having the highest average.
SWAC: Not only have you been doing well in the classroom, but you've excelled well in athletics also. Have you been pleased with your performances?
Thomas: Individually, I've been putting in my all and doing the best I can. As a team, we need to step it up a little more. We need to play more as a team. The offensive unit needs to get more behind the defense.
SWAC: In what game this season did you have your best performance?
Thomas: Against Alabama State, I had more touches than in any other game. I had 189 yards in that game. Totally, we did all we could to get the (38-27) win.
SWAC: What about the top game in your college career?
Thomas: That was against Morehouse last season. I set the school single-game rushing record with 240 yards. Also, against Southern at home last year, I had 145 yards. I reached the 1,000-yard mark for the season in that game.
SWAC: Entering this season, what were your goals?
Thomas: I wanted to set the SWAC season rushing record, which meant that I would have to have over 1,700 yards rushing. Secondly, I wanted to played to the best of my ability every game, win the SWAC championship and the Heritage Bowl along with the black college championship.
SWAC: Are those goals still reachable?
Thomas: I think I'm a little behind in my individual goals. But you never know how a season will turn out. Two big games and you're back on track.
SWAC: You seem like a highly-motivated individual. What's the source of that eagerness to succeed?
Thomas: It's my parents. It goes back to junior high school when I was into gymnastics. I received the gymnast of the year award. My dad told me that was good but he challenged me to do well in class as well.
SWAC: Tell me a little more about your gymnastics background?
Thomas: In middle school, I was invited to go out for the U.S. National Team but because of finances of getting a personal coach, I didn't. My high school didn't have a gymnastics program.
SWAC: Being one of four children and the only male, did your parents have any reservations about you playing football?
Thomas: They were enthusiastic about me going into any sport. I also played baseball in high school and was very successful at it. I was invited for a tryout with the San Francisco Giants but I didn't accept the invitation.
SWAC: You must have been a pretty good baseball player.
Thomas: I was second team All-America as a catcher. I also made all-district and honorable mention all-state.
SWAC: What honors did you receive in football?
Thomas: My only honors in football were all-district and second team Greater Houston.
SWAC: Baseball. Football. Gymnastics. Which do you love most at heart?
Thomas: I'd choose football. You've have to love this game to go through all the poundings and physical work you have to put into it.
SWAC: Is there a future in football for Rodney Thomas after college?
Thomas: Right now, I hope to have a chance to play at the next level. I'm doing all I can to showcase my talents in order to get that opportunity.
SWAC: Speaking of "the next level," what player reminds you most of you?
Thomas: Curtis Martin and Terrell Davis. Martin is an extremely hard runner. Terrell has the power and the ability to escape defenders.
SWAC: Have your parents watched you play in college?
Thomas: They attend the majority of my home games and some away games, depending on how far away those games are.
SWAC: Does that put more pressure on you?
Thomas: No, it doesn't. It's more of a challenge for me to do my best. I don't want to let them down. I try to put my best productivity on the field when they're there watching me.
SWAC: When your football career is over, what are your future plans?
Thomas: I plan to attend medical school. My Master's in biology education will be a building block. If something goes wrong and I don't go to medical school, I could then fall back on that and go into teaching.
WEEK #5 FOOTBALL PREVIEW
JAGUARS TO PUT UNDEFEATED MARK ON LINE VS. HU
NEW ORLEANS -- As big college football games go, there's none bigger than next weekend's clash between undefeated Southern University and Hampton University in Indianapolis, Ind. The 4 p.m. (EDT) Circle City Classic will be televised live by Black Entertainment Television.
The Hampton Pirates are 4-0 following their 27-7 victory over Grambling State in the New York Urban League Classic in East Rutherford, N.J. The Pirates entered that game ranked number one in the Sheridan Broadcasting Network's black college rankings.
The Southern Jaguars are 4-0 following their 36-13 victory over Alabama State in the Gulf Coast Classic in Mobile, Ala. The Jaguars entered that game ranked number three in the SBN poll.
Pete Richardson, Southern's head coach, said fans of both institutions have been anticipating this game since it was originally scheduled. "Its a game a lot people have been looking forward to for a long time," said Richardson. "It'll be a big challenge for us. They have an experienced team. The game will probably be won or lost on the offensive and defensive lines."
What's been the key to his team's 4-0 start?
"The main thing is we're improving every week," noted Richardson. "We lost 23 seniors off last year's team, so we're inexperienced offensively. But we're improving."
While many people are calling Southern and Hampton leading contenders for the black college national championship, Richardson isn't paying much attention to such talk. At least, not yet.
"We have a long way to go and a lot of things could happen between now and then," said Richardson. "It'll boil down to who c