Grambling wins annual Bayou Classic

Grambling State defeated Southern University 36-12 in the 38^th annual Bayou Classic Saturday in New Orleans, LA.

The Tigers (7-4, 6-3 SWAC) led 10-0 in the second quarter when D.J. Williams connected with Mario Louis for a 27-yard score.

Grambling State led 10-6 at halftime.

Southern (4-7, 4-5) came within five (17-12) when Dray Joseph threw a 5-yard strike to Michael Berry. The following 2-point try was unsuccessful.

Grambling put the game out of reach with 19 consecutive points which consisted of two touchdowns, a field goal and a safety.

The win clinches the Tigers a SWAC West Division title and a spot in the 2011 SWAC Championship game on December 10 in Birmingham, AL versus East division winner Alabama A&M.

The Tigers end the regular season on a six game win streak and have now won the last four Bayou Classics.

The Bayou Classic has been played under its moniker since 1974 and is the only black college football classic shown on network television.

Alabama State wins 88th Turkey Day Classic

Alabama State defeated Division II Tuskegee 30-21in the 88^th annual Turkey Day Classic Saturday in Montgomery.

The Hornets (8-3) led 17-0 with 2:22 left in the first quarter via two Greg Jenkins touchdowns and a 29-yard Bobby Wenzig field goal.

Tim Clark added another score for Alabama State in the second quarter with a 17-yard TD run to give them a 23-7 lead at halftime.

Tuskegee (4-6) mounted a comeback in the second half with a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown and a touchdown run by DeMario Pippen to pull the Golden Tigers within two, 23-21, with 12:41 remaining.

Clark ended any possible Tuskegee comeback with a 1-yard TD run with 1:20 left in the fourth, preserving the nine point win.

Alabama State outgained Tuskegee 455-270 in total offense despite having the ball for 24:19. Greg Jenkins passed for 167 yards for the Hornets before leaving the game with a broken hand injury.

The Turkey Day Classic has been played since 1924 however both teams first played each other in 1901, making this contest the oldest black college football classic.

Norfolk State ousted from FCS playoffs

Norfolk State lost to Old Dominion 35-18 Saturday in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

The Spartans (9-3, 7-1 MEAC) took an early 7-0 lead on a 98-yard touchdown pass from Chris Walley to Derrick Demps. It was their only lead of the game.

Old Dominion (10-2, 6-2 CAA) showed their dominance after the Spartans’ early score. The Monarchs scored 21 consecutive points to lead 21-7 at halftime.

Taylor Heinicke threw two more touchdown passes for ODU in the third quarter of 2 and 18 yards, respectively. Monarchs led 35-7 at that point.

Norfolk State scored in the final period to bring the deficit to 17 but they got no closer.

The Spartans were the only team from an HBCU conference in the FCS playoffs as first time champions of the MEAC.

Chris Walley ended the day with 363 yards passing on 28 of 43 completions, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Heinicke passed for 269 yards and five touchdowns for Old Dominion.

Texas Southern beats Southern on senior night

Riko Smalls’ three total TDs helped Texas Southern defeat Southern 29-15 Saturday night in Houston.

The Tigers led 15-0 in the second quarter and never trailed for the remainder of the game.

Jaguars’ quarterback J.P. Douglas connected with Jared Green on a 50-yard touchdown pass late in the quarter. Texas Southern led 15-8 at halftime.

The Tigers (4-5, 2-5 SWAC) increased their lead to 22-7 early in the third quarter on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Smalls to Artie Collins.

Southern (3-6, 3-4) came within seven of the TSU lead when Douglas threw to Michael Berry for 24 yards and did not get any closer.

Smalls later connected with Joe Anderson for a 13-yard touchdown pass in the quarter for the final score.

Smalls led the game in passing going for 26 of 39 for 365 yards and rushing with 71 yards.

Texas Southern played their final game at Houston ISD’s Delmar Stadium and move into a brand-new stadium slated for September 2012.

Douglas completed 16 of 35 for 207 yards and was sacked four times.

Alabama State maintains first place in SWAC East with win

Alabama State ruins homecoming for Arkansas-Pine Bluff with a 28-12 win Saturday afternoon.

Tim Clark opened the scoring for the Hornets with a 2-yard TD run on the game’s first drive.

Devin Dominguez threw a 51-yard TD pass to Nehemiah Henry to give Alabama State a 14-0 lead with 3:57 remaining. 

Both teams did not score in the second quarter and the ASU lead remained the same at halftime.

Clark added two more touchdowns in the second half with runs of seven and 71 yards to give the Hornets a commanding 28-3 third quarter lead.

Justin Billings scored on a 40-yard TD run and Chris Ewald made two field goals for the Golden Lions (4-5, 3-4).

Dominguez passed for 254 yards and one touchdown while Clark rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns for the Hornets.

Alabama State remains in first place in the SWAC Eastern Division with the 16-point win.

Benjamin Anderson led UAPB with 31 of 48 passing for 274 yards and two interceptions including one that ended a 15-play, 70 yard drive to the ASU 6 late in the first half.

Florida A&M beats NC A&T with game-ending INT

Florida A&M defeated North Carolina A&T 26-20 Saturday night in Tallahassee.

The Aggies led 20-7 midway through the second quarter behind two touchdown runs by Mike Mayhew. FAMU then scored 13 straight points including two Trevor Scott field goals to tie the game 20-20 at halftime.

Scott broke the halftime tie with a 40-yard field goal to give the Rattlers a 23-20 lead with 11:08 left to play in the third quarter. He then added another field goal in the fourth quarter to increase the lead to six (26-20) with 4:41 remaining.

Lewis Kindle led North Carolina A&T from their own 7-yard line to the FAMU 39 before John Williams intercepted his in the end zone as time expired, preserving the win for the Rattlers.

Florida A&M (6-3, 4-2 MEAC) has now won three straight games while NC A&T (4-5, 3-3) have lost three in a row.

Damien Fleming passed for 254 yards and two touchdowns for Florida A&M and Mike Mayhew rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns for the Aggies.

35 consecutive points help Bethune-Cookman upend Morgan State

Bethune-Cookman rallied to beat Morgan State 49-23 Saturday in Daytona Beach.

Jackie Wilson scored the opening touchdown with a 1-yard run to give the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead.

Morgan State (5-4, 4-2 MEAC) responded with 10 unanswered points to lead by 3 in the second quarter.

 Bethune-Cookman (6-3, 4-2) took the lead for good by scoring 35 straight points in a stretch of 22:43.

During that span, Johnathan Moment scored on runs of 28 and 3 yards, Jackie Wilson scored on four and 45 yards and Isidore Jackson scored the fifth touchdown on a 21-yard run to give the Wildcats a 42-10 fourth quarter lead.

Morgan State scored twice in the second half but the damage was already done.

The Wildcats’ defense also contributed to the win with nine tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions.

Isidore Jackson led all BCU rushers with 93 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

Travis Davidson rushed for 138 yards on 17 carries for Morgan State.

Norfolk State clinches MEAC football title

Norfolk State routed Savannah State 45-3 Saturday behind Chris Walley’s five total touchdowns.

Walley’s two first-quarter touchdown passes and a 17-yard touchdown run helped the Spartans to a 21-0 lead. Ryan Estep added a field goal as time expired in the second quarter to give Norfolk State a 24-0 lead at halftime.

Walley continued to torch the Tigers defense with two more touchdowns in the in the third quarter. Norfolk State led 38-3 at that point.

Nico Flores scored the final touchdown for the Spartans in the fourth quarter from four yards out much to the chagrin of Savannah State.

The win clinches the Spartans (8-2, 6-1 MEAC) a share of the MEAC title coupled with Morgan State’s 49-23 loss to Bethune-Cookman. It is the first conference football title since winning the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championship in 1984.

Savannah State (1-8, 1-5) was 0 for 12 on third down conversions and did not make a single trip into the red zone.

The Spartans outgained the Tigers 559-45 in total yards and were 20 yards shy of last year’s record setting performance versus Savannah State.

Walley passed for 271 yards on 20 of 25 completions and added 72 yards rushing on four carries.