Archive for September, 2009

Florida A&M continued its dominance of Tennessee State in the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic on Saturday, rolling to a 31-12 victory before a crowd of nearly 52,000 at the Georgia Dome.

It was the eighth straight win in the series for the Rattlers (4-0), who were led by QB Curtis Pulley’s 315 passing yards and two second-half TD passes. Those passes helped FAMU pull away from the Tigers (1-3), who had a 12-10 halftime lead behind TD runs from Preston Brown and Calvin McNairl.

The game capped a long weekend of activities associated with the Classic, which appeared to have another large turnout despite heavy rain in a city already recovering from flooding earlier in the week. For the complete recap of the game, check out the game story by clicking here.

Also, check out photos from the game and from the Allstate HBCU Step Showdown.

WEEKEND SCORES

CIAA

Bowie State 31, Shaw 24 (2 OT)

Elizabeth City 29, St. Augustine’s 27

Johnson C. Smith 24, St. Paul’s 20

Lincoln, Pa. 10, …

Continue reading FAMU wins again in Atlanta Football Classic »

It’s that time of year again for the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic at the Georgia Dome.

Florida A&M and Tennessee State square off Saturday at 3 p.m. in a contest which highlights a weekend of parades, step shows, tailgating and good ‘ol reminscing. The scene at the Dome tomorrow will likely rival that of an Atlanta Falcons home game.

So with thousands coming north from Florida and south from Tennessee to the ATL for the game, there’s one burning question that remains – is this the year Tennessee State finally breaks the drought?

I’m sure Big Blue fans hope that’s the case, but signs seem to be pointing in another direction. The Tigers roll south with a 1-2 record while the Rattlers head north at 3-0. The Rattlers also feature the nation’s top punt returner in LeRoy Vann, the subject of a recent feature in the AJC.

And oh yeah, the Rattlers have won the last seven games in the matchup. Well, maybe this might not be the year after all ….

So, what do you think? Will …

Continue reading FAMU, Tennessee St. prepare for Dome showdown »

Tuskegee outlasted Clark Atlanta 31-21 Saturday in an SIAC matchup that featured big plays from both teams.

The Golden Tigers (3-1, 3-1 in SIAC) had a 70-yard pass and a 60-yard run among their four touchdowns while Clark Atlanta (3-1, 3-1) had scoring passes of 18 and 20 yards and a forced fumble that led to another touchdown in the loss. Both teams saw their starting QBs (Jeremy Williams of Tuskegee and Mark Wright of Clark Atlanta) leave the game with injuries, but both backups (Tuskegee’s Joshua Harris and Clark Atlanta’s T.J. Smith) were solid in reserve.

In the end, it was the 60-yard TD run from Tuskegee’s Tony Forney in the fourth quarter that helped the Golden Tigers win for the 13th time in the last 14 games of the series.

TSU falls to Southern, prepares for Atlanta Football Classic

Tennessee State lost a late fourth-quarter lead to Southern and fell 21-17 to the Jaguars in Baton Rouge.

With the loss, the Tigers fall to 1-2 heading into Saturday’s Atlanta Football …

Continue reading Black College football news and notes »

They’ve got an unbeaten record and the reigning Division II national player of the week. The Clark Atlanta Panthers are making some noise in the SIAC this season, and they can make their loudest statement of the season Saturday when they face perennial conference power Tuskegee in Alabama.

The Panthers (3-0, 3-0 SIAC) opened the season with a 30-24 double overtime victory at Fort Valley and received a win by forfeit after Stillman was forced to cancel the home contest between the teams Sept. 5. Clark Atlanta blanked Lane 33-0 in its home opener last week behind a four-touchdown performance from QB Mark Wright, who was named national player of the week by the Heritage Sports Radio Network for the effort.

The Panthers face their toughest test of the season Saturday on the road against the Golden Tigers, who had won 17 straight SIAC games before a 23-16 loss to Miles Sept. 12. Tuskegee has dominated the series against Clark Atlanta, winning 12 of the last 13 (including a 42-20 …

Continue reading Clark Atlanta making big noise in SIAC »

Week three of the Black College football season is in the books and there are some interesting trends that are starting to develop.

It appears that South Carolina State and Florida A&M are the class of the MEAC. The Bulldogs followed their win over Grambling last week with a 24-3 thumping of Bethune-Cookman. The Rattlers improved to 2-0 with a 24-point win at Winston-Salem State.

In the SWAC, Grambling bounced back from its loss to S.C. State by defeating Northwestern State 38-17 while Alabama A&M, which won at Tennessee State in its opener, added another win by defeating Hampton 31-24

Albany State remained perfect in the SIAC with an easy victory over Stillman while Atlanta University Center schools Clark Atlanta and Morehouse recorded victories. In the CIAA, Shaw improved to 3-0 with an eight-point win over Concordia.

So, what are your thoughts following this weekend’s games? Let everyone know what you think.

WEEKEND SCORES

THURSDAY

Florida A&M 34, Winston-Salem State 10 

Continue reading Black College football trends beginning to develop »

Saying that the institution is ‘a perfect fit’ for the conference, MEAC officials announced Thursday that North Carolina Central University will become the conference’s 13th member in July 2010.

NCCU was an original member of the MEAC, which has been in existence since 1969, and remained in the fold for 10 years. From 1979-2007, NCCU competed in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) as a member of Division II.

“I an elated to have such an outstanding academic institution as North Carolina Central to return to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference,” MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas said in a release on the conference’s website. “NCCU is a perfect fit for the MEAC.”

NCCU will join Bethune-Cookman, Coppin State, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Hampton, Howard, Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State and Winston-Salem State in the MEAC next year. Thomas added that the confernece has a long-range plan of adding a …

Continue reading North Carolina Central to join MEAC »

South Carolina State used a national stage to show that it is one of the best teams in Black College football – if not the best.

The Bulldogs continued the MEAC’s dominance in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Sunday by holding off Grambling State 34-31 in a nationally-televised game from the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Malcolm Long passed for two touchdowns and Travil Jamison rushed for two more to lead South Carolina State (1-0) to the MEAC’s fourth win in the five-year history of the Challenge.

Grambling State (0-1), last year’s Black College national champion, fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and rallied to pull within 34-31 in the fourth quarter on a TD pass from Greg Dillon to Damian Jefferson. The Tigers had another chance after stopping the Bulldogs on a fourth-and-three with less than two minutes, but Dillon was intercepted deep in SCSU territory, Grambling’s fourth turnover of the game, to end the threat.

For the complete recap of the game, visit the AJC’s scoreboard by

Continue reading S.C. State prevails in Black College showdown »

Stillman College was forced to cancel Saturday’s home game against Clark Atlanta because of swine flu.

According to the Associated Press, Tigers coach L.C. Cole said about 37 of his players had become sick and school officials felt compelled to cancel the game. Stillman ultimately had to forfeit the contest, giving Clark Atlanta a victory, once it was determined that both schools were unable to reschedule for another date.

Stillman’s next game is scheduled for Sept. 12 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. against Albany State.

MCNAIR TO BE HONORED SATURDAY

Former Alcorn State and Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair will be honored during a tribute prior to the Alcorn State-Southern Miss game in Hattiesburg, Miss.

McNair, who was murdered in Nashville in July, won the Walter Payton Award as the top player in Division I-AA and finished third in the Heisman voting following his senior season at Alcorn. McNair played 13 seasons in the NFL and was named Co-MVP in 2003 as a member of the …

Continue reading Black College football news and notes »