Bowie State Upsets No. 19 Winston-Salem State, 31-13

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Senior Robert Chesson scored two rushing touchdowns and junior Amir Hall rushed for one touchdown as Bowie State University (2-0) defeated #19 Winston-Salem State University (1-1) 31-13 on Saturday afternoon at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Chesson ended the contest as the games’ leading ground gainer with 95 yards on 19 carries. Hall completed 11-of-14 passes for 94 yards while junior Lansana Sesay (Bowie, Md.) had a team-high four receptions for 46 yards and senior Kerrick Pollock (Miami, Fla.) caught two passes for 35 yards.

Tops on defense for Bowie State were sophomores William Flowers, III (Baltimore, Md.) and Tommar Phillips (Lanham, Md.) along with senior Johnny Littlejohn (Silver Spring, Md.) with five tackles each.

Rod Tinsley led the Winston-Salem State offense with 100 passing yards, completing 16-of-29 (one interception). Tinley also led the Rams with 65 rushing yards on eight carries. The Rams were led on defense by Jarell Bright with a game-high 14 tackles.

“Our guys played with a lot of energy throughout the game and that’s what it’s going to take to win ball games in this conference”, said Bowie State head coach Damon Wilson.

Bowie State drew first blood at the 1:15 mark of the first quarter when Chesson rushed for a two-yard score. Sophomore Gene Carson (Accokeek, Md.) added the extra point for a 7-0 advantage.

Carson booted a 36-yard field goal with 3:01 left in the second quarter to give visiting Bowie State a 10-0 lead.

Chesson scored his second touchdown of the afternoon, this time from 19 yards out at the 11:49 mark of the third quarter to take a 17-0 advantage. Hall punched it in from three yards out with 4:33 left in the third to push the Bowie State lead to 24-0

Tinsley to Walton for a 5-yard score with six seconds left in the third quarter.

Bowie State junior Taylor Johnson (Washington, D.C.) scooped up a Winston-Salem State fumbled and rumbled 85 yards in the other direction, extending the Bulldogs lead to 31-7 with 6:48 remaining in the game.

Winston-Salem State’s Kerrion Moore scampered around the left side to score from five yards with 5:54 left on the Bowman Gray Stadium scoreboard, but the Rams trailed 31-13.

The Bulldogs early season travels continue next Saturday (Sept. 16) as Bowie State takes on the Falcons of Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh (N.C.). Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at SAU’s George Williams Complex.

Vanderbilt University Football Coach Wants to Create Opportunities for HBCUs

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Disparity in college athletics is nothing new. College football just has shinier and more glaring examples of it.

For every Texas locker-television-nameplate, there’s a program with facilities out-done by many powerhouse high schools.

That money divide, thanks to mainly to huge television deals, becomes even worse when the comparison showcases teams out of the SEC and Big 10 to historically black colleges and universities, like Grambling State whose facilities were so decrepit that athletes boycotted.

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“Mid-major schools have challenges in meeting their financial needs. I don’t think that is just something that is principally an issue for historically black colleges (and universities),” said Tennessee State athletic director, Teresa Phillips.

While Tennessee State is a HBCU, the program plays in the Ohio Valley Conference, a true mid-major conference.

Guarantee games, aka “money games,” is one way those programs fill that gap.

This is an important practice across the FCS, but for the 24 HBCUs in Division I football that are often among the poorest public athletic departments it’s even more so. In the 2015-2016 USA TODAY financial report, seven of the eight poorest public athletic departments in Division I were either HBCUs or majority black schools.

Now Vanderbilt has made it a mission to create more opportunities for HBCU programs. read more

Will Cheyney University Lose its Accreditation This Month?

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After years of financial trouble and heartbreaking enrollment decline, Cheyney University, one of the oldest Black institutions of higher education in America, is on the verge of fiscal ruin and in danger of losing its accreditation.

Cheyney’s problems have sparked rallies, protests and an outpouring of support and outrage from state senators, alumni and others.

“On the one hand, it’s tragic. On the flip side, this didn’t happen overnight,” said Johnny Taylor Jr., president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. “While there were all sorts of other factors, including a bad economy in 2008 and state and federal [agencies] that failed to help, this still reflects badly on Cheyney’s board of trustees and the university’s president.”

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Historic institution
Founded in 1837 by Richard Humphreys, a reformed slave trader, Cheyney represents more than just a place of learning, said Pennsylvania State Representative Stephen Kinsey, who recently joined students and others at a rally for the school.

“Cheyney represents the struggle of being Black in America, fighting to be recognized, speaking up to be supported, and a never-ending struggle to be treated equally,” Kinsey said.

A report issued by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights noted that, although HBCUs only make up t3 percent of today’s colleges and universities, more than 20 percent of African-American college graduates attend an HBCU.

“For years, these historic institutions have produced amazing leaders, that not only contribute to their respective fields, but who also pride themselves on their ‘lifting while they climb’ attitudes,” said U.S. Senator Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania.

Enrollment drop
Cheyney has faced a myriad of financial struggles as funding to the school decreased and tuition rose. Since 2010, enrollment dropped 50 percent from over 1,500 students to an estimated 746.

Since 2013, Cheyney has borrowed over $30.5 million to stay solvent and, if school officials can’t deliver a plan that satisfies the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the school could lose its accreditation this month.Image result for cheyney university

This would be particularly devastating, because the school’s accreditation is tied to its access to federal grant programs, including Pell grants. read more

Alabama State University Provides Shelter for Hurricane Irma Evacuees

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The Dunn-Oliver Acadome has been designated as a shelter for evacuees who are fleeing the deadly storms afflicting Florida and other parts of the country.

As the threat of Hurricane Irma drives millions of people from their homes in Florida and elsewhere, Alabama State University is opening its doors and hospitality to evacuees of this deadly storm.

ASU is working with the American Red Cross and the Alabama Emergency Management Agency to offer shelter to the storm’s evacuees. The Red Cross has begun the process and is expected to have the University’s shelter in place by 6 p.m. (CST) Image result for The Dunn-Oliver Acadome

Interim President Leon C. Wilson said that in the spirit of Alabama State University’s history of reaching out to help others throughout the decades, the University, under the supervision and direction of the American Red Cross, will offer shelter and solace for those affected by Hurricane Irma.

“We are allowing the Red Cross to use the ASU Dunn-Oliver Acadome Concourse as an official Hurricane Irma shelter where they may house those who need shelter and assistance from what may be this century’s most catastrophic storm,” Wilson said.

Wilson added “While the Red Cross and EMA personnel will be in charge of the process, the University community will be present to welcome the victims and assist in making ASU their home away from home.”

Contact: Hazel Scott and Kenneth Mullinax

Meet Howard University Stylish Buzz: Khara “KT” Mobley

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HBCUs are some of the most stylish campuses in the world. Howard University, specifically, is a campus where some students will “pop out” just because. Overall, the goal for many students is to simply showcase their personality through what they wear on a daily basis.

Check out this week’s Stylish Buzz:

Khara Mobley aka KT is a freshman Computer Science major from Memphis, TN.

“I truly feel like my style defines me.”

KT

KT began making waves in style far before he hit Howard’s campus. He exudes confidence, swag and even a regal nature through his style. KT says that his goal for putting together outfits is to give people a glimpse of his personality without saying a word. His fashion inspiration is made up of a range of everyday people and even celebrities. One celeb in particular is Young Thug; this artist has remained an influence because of his independent attitude, he truly does not care about opinions when it comes to his personal style. Just like Young Thug, KT is bold in the diversity of his style and he encourages anyone looking to change their style to forget about what others think and just do it!

KT’s Looks! 

Make sure you follow KT @KTtheGOAT so that you can stay updated on all of his upcoming looks!

Spelman College to Admit Transgender Students

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Spelman College announced it’s Admissions and Enrollment Policy Update, which allows transgender students to enroll into the university.  It also allows female students who change genders to remain enrolled and to graduate.

Dear Spelman Community:

As we begin a new academic year, Spelman celebrates anew its unique capacity to provide high-quality education to high-achieving Black women. Our mission calls for us to graduate Spelman students who are global citizens, agents of meaningful social change and leaders in their field.

This academic year is particularly momentous. Spelman College is launching a new strategic plan that will guide the College for the next five years. In the weeks ahead, I will share highlights of our new vision. With the launch of our new plan, the College has taken stock of the competitive environment for institutions of higher education and also has given careful consideration to many of its policies, including its admissions and enrollment policies. Like same-sex colleges all over the country, Spelman is taking into account evolving definitions of gender identity in a changing world and taking steps to ensure that our policies and plans reflect those changes in a manner that is consistent with our mission and the law.

Our intent is always to be thoughtful and informed as we conduct our decision-making. To that end, during the 2016-2017 academic year, I assembled a task force comprised of faculty, staff, students, alumnae and trustees to consider the admissions and enrollment policies at Spelman as they apply to an evolving understanding and knowledge of gender. After a year of research, benchmarking against other single-sex women’s colleges, extensive listening sessions with students, faculty, staff and alumnae and surveys to the Spelman community, the task force made a set of recommendations to the president of the College and the Spelman College Board of Trustees.

As a result of this extensive study, I, as president, along with the Spelman leadership team, and the Board, concur on the following admissions and enrollment policy: Spelman College, a Historically Black College whose mission is to serve high-achieving Black women, will consider for admission women students including students who consistently live and self-identify as women, regardless of their gender assignment at birth. Spelman does not admit male students, including students who self-identify and live consistently as men, regardless of gender assignment at birth. If a woman is admitted and transitions to male while a student at Spelman, the College will permit that student to continue to matriculate at and graduate from Spelman.

In adopting this admissions policy, Spelman continues its fervent belief in the power of the Spelman Sisterhood. Students who choose Spelman come to our campus prepared to participate in a women’s college that is academically and intellectually rigorous, and affirms its core mission as the education and development of high-achieving Black women.

The admissions policy outlined above goes into effect for students enrolling for the 2018-2019 academic year. I have asked an implementation committee to convene this year to consider the impact on the campus resulting from the new policy.

I realize you may have many questions about this policy. Along with this letter, we have posted to our website a “Frequently Asked Questions” for your reference. As always, I, and members of the senior administrative staff–Provost, Sharon Davies; VP of Enrollment, Ingrid Hayes; VP of Student Affairs, Dr. Darnita Killian; VP of College Relations, Dr. Jane Smith; Secretary of the College, Dr. Terri Reed; and Dean of Students, Dr. Fran’Cee Brown-McClure — are available to answer questions that you might have. You can also email inquiries to taskforcefeedback@spelman.edu.

In sisterhood,

Mary S. Campbell
President, Spelman College

Don’t Waste Our Time, Postpone the National HBCU Week Conference, Says Pretty Much Everyone 

Rep. Alma Adams, representing the 12th District of North Carolina, has joined the chorus calling on President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to postpone the 2017 National HBCU Week Conference, planned for Sept. 17–19.

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An an open letter to Trump, Adams wrote, in part:

“In light of recent events, I have reached the unfortunate conclusion that this year’s 2017 National HBCU Week Conference should be postponed.”

“Earlier this month, my colleagues and I asked the administration for an update on their progress regarding HBCUs. In February, the president signed an executive order outlining greater investments and additional resources for HBCUs. It has become painstakingly clear that these promises are not being kept.”

“In this current environment, and with zero progress made on any of their priorities, it would be highly unproductive to ask HBCU presidents to come back to Washington. I call on the president and Secretary DeVos to postpone this year’s conference until a serious effort has been made to advance issues important to HBCUs and their students.”

Mounting Pressure

Adams isn’t the only one. Politico reported yesterday that “pressure is mounting on the White House” to delay the National HBCU Week Conference. Leaders of historically black colleges, the Congressional Black Caucus, and UNCF have also called for a postponement, but Politico says the White House has no plans to do so.

Adams’s office says NAFEO and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund have also joined her.

In a letter to Trump dated Aug. 1, Adams inquired about the progress of the White House HBCU Initiative, according to her office. That letter has not received a response.

Adams says she would like to see this administration move forward with the promises it made to HBCU leaders. The administration hasn’t yet addressed any of the requests for support that HBCU presidents presented to Trump during the February meeting. For these reasons, Adams feels that it would be unproductive to ask HBCU leaders to return to Washington for another photo-op.

A good first step would include the White House hiring an executive director for the Initiative and appointing the president’s HBCU Board of Advisors. Trump hasn’t yet hired an executive director—the last four administrations had hired one by July of their inaugural year.

Adams would also like to see support for legislation that has been introduced in Congress that seeks to close the funding gaps for HBCUs. She currently has a bill, the HBCU Capital Financing Act, which would provide necessary funds to schools to make capital improvements on their campuses.

Adams Keeps the Focus on Students

There also seems to be some pettiness involved. “Yesterday it was brought to our attention that a White House aide described Rep. Adams’s HBCU Braintrust, which she is hosting during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, as a ‘competing’ conference designed to undermine the administration’s event. He was quoted in Politico saying, ‘They’re doing an event to compete against the White House because they don’t want President Trump to have a victory,’” Hailey Berringer, Adams’s press secretary, said in an e-mail.

But Adams is taking the high road by keeping the focus on students.

“Let’s make sure that we keep the focus on HBCUs and the students they serve. Perhaps this is just another miscommunication within the administration,” a spokesperson for Rep. Adams said in an e-mail.

“I am fairly certain that someone in the White House is aware that almost 50 members of Congress are participating in the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, which will take place for the 47th time this September in Washington. This will mark the third year that Rep. Adams has partnered with many influential nonprofit, corporate, and government leaders to advance the interests of HBCUs and the students they serve.”

According to Politico, even Johnny Taylor, president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, has called for the National HBCU Week Conference to be postponed. Taylor had arranged the meeting in February between HBCU presidents and Trump that was widely denounced as a photo-op.

Politico quotes him now as saying in a letter that “concerns related to recent national events” would make the HBCU conference “counterproductive.”

This article was originally published by  via Black Enterprise

Education Publication Dubs FAMU No.1 HBCU

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TALLAHASSEE, FL – One of the nation’s most respected diversity ranking news organizations, “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education,” has published its annual list of the top bachelor’s and doctoral degree granting institutions in the nation.

Florida A&M University (FAMU) was ranked by the publication as the No.1 historically Black college or university (HBCU) for producing African-American bachelor’s degree and the No. 4 overall institution in the nation for producing African-American bachelor’s degrees.

The University was also ranked the No. 2 institution in the nation among all universities for producing the most African-American professional doctoral degrees. “Diverse” also lists FAMU as the overall No. 19  institution for granting professional doctoral degrees for minorities among all of the nation’s universities.

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The rankings were developed from data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

In 2016 and 2017, FAMU received top rankings from publications and organizations around the country. more

Bennett College Releases Full-ride Scholarship

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GREENSBORO — Bennett College has a new tool to attract top students: a full-ride scholarship.

The Illustrious Belle Award covers the full cost of attendance for top first-year students. The private women’s college awarded two of these new scholarships this semester.

This new scholarship comes as Bennett looks for ways to increase enrollment and shore up its finances so it can hold onto its accreditation. In December, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges put Bennett on probation for unspecified financial issues after the college ran deficits for two prior years.

Earlier this year, President Phyllis Worthy Dawkins ordered Bennett administrators to find out why Bennett was losing prospective students to other colleges.

The big reason was money, said Gisele Abron, the college’s registrar and interim associate vice president for enrollment management. Some students interested in Bennett ended up going to another school that dangled more scholarship dollars.

“We put pen to paper and started looking at what we could do to attract those high-performing students,” Abron said.

Bennett already had three full scholarships, but two are limited to students from Georgia or certain South Carolina counties. Just one of these full scholarships has no geographic restriction, but Bennett can award only one each year.

So Bennett did two things: It created the Illustrious Belle Award and it increased the amounts of existing scholarships. more by John Newsom

More Promises Broken as Trump Downsizes Annual HBCU Conference and Cuts Reserve Funding

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The White House announced Friday it’s switching up the format of an upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and representatives of historically black colleges. The move comes as his administration continues to face deep criticism over its polarizing views on race relations in the U.S.

While the White House statement did not detail what modifications were being made, it did hint that the administration was looking to downsize Trump’s meeting with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HCBUs). Trump found early success in reaching out to these schools, which were at times critical of his predecessor, but the Republican leader’s attacks on their funding, controversial comments following last month’s deadly white nationalist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia and his poor approval rating among black communities in general have strained this relationship.

“Responding to suggestions and feedback from many key stakeholders, the White House initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will modify its planned conference to best meet the current needs of HBCUs, their students and the broader HBCU community, ” the administration said.

President Trump with members of his team – Kellyanne Conway & Omarosa Manigault – and HBCU Leaders earlier this year, February 27, meeting in the Oval Office.

“This more intimate HBCU week will feature a series of strategic meetings for students and leaders to share their perspectives on the opportunities and challenges facing the HBCU community. The events will also focus on how the Administration can best work and support HBCU schools and students,” it added.

Just over a month after coming to office earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order designed to boost federal funds for HCBUs. The move was seen as an opportunity for the Trump administration to win support of an influential black organization that often criticized his predecessor, President Barack Obama, for not sufficiently addressing the community’s needs, despite him being the first black U.S. president. Trump’s support, however, was short-lived.

The administration did not increase funds and actually cut Pel grant reserves and other crucial investment HBCUs had asked for, according to The Washington Post. In May, Trump signed a federal budget that controversially included language at the end suggesting he questioned the constitutionality of funding black colleges in the first place. more

Tigers Spoil Stadium Opening with 17-10 Victory Over Georgia State

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ATLANTA — Dajour Nesbeth intercepted a pass with a minute remaining in the game to give Tennessee State a victory over Georgia State in Atlanta on Thursday. The Tigers earned a 17-10 win to pick up the first collegiate football win in Georgia State Stadium (formerly Turner Field).

The win was also the first win as an FCS team over an FBS opponent. TSU defeated Louisville in 1981 and in 1984 as an NCAA DI-A Independent squad. The Tigers transitioned from an NCAA DI-A team to an NCAA DI-AA team in the early 80s.

The defense stood tall the entire game, holding GSU to 81 yards in the first half. The Tigers kept the pressure on forcing four turnovers, recording three sacks and stopping GSU on two fourth down attempts.

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Tuskegee Beats Alabama State In First Labor Day Classic

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Senior safety Jonah McCutcheon returned a 46-yard interception for a touchdown with 10:57 left in the fourth quarter and Tuskegee pulled away from Alabama State for a 14-6 victory in Montgomery at ASU Stadium.

A sellout crowd of 25,442 witnessed the Golden Tigers improved to 2-0 over the Hornets in its fairly new stadium that opened in 2012.

Both teams struggled offensively and played through a scoreless first quarter until TU Quarterback Jamarcus Ezell completed a 55-yard pass to Peyton Ramzy with 1:28 left in the first half to take a 7-0 lead. That score marked the 11th time out of the last 13 games against ASU that the Golden Tigers have scored first.

Ezell finished the evening going 7-of-17 for 139 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Ramzy hauled in 66 yards on a pair of catches on the night.

Defensively, preseason All-American Osband Thompson led the Golden Tigers with 14 tackles, two QB hurries, and one forced fumble. Thompson had 10 of those stops at halftime. McCutcheon and Kevin Dawson each had seven tackles while Darnell Hill and Kenderrius Whitehead totaled six tackles apiece. Terance Leatherwood notched TU’s lone sack on the evening.

Punter Dalton Hall came up huge for the Golden Tigers. The Hartsville, South Carolina native punted 10 times for 392 yards landing three inside the 20-yard line. He also finished with a long of 48.

ASU’s only score came with 1:26 left in the game when Kobie Jones connected with Alex Johnson for a 3-yd touchdown pass.

The Golden Tigers will face Albany State in Phenix City next Saturday for the annual Labor Day Classic. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. EDT.

Grambling State Couldn’t Recover In The Tigers’ 43-14 Loss To Tulane

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NEW ORLEANS, La. — Martez Carter scored a pair of second-half touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough as Grambling State fell behind early and couldn’t recover in the Tigers’ 43-14 loss to Tulane on Saturday night at Yulman Stadium.

“At the end of the day, I thought they played better up front than we did,” Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs said. “We could never get anything going and we were always starting behind the chains. We didn’t execute like we needed to. They were the better team tonight. I thought they did an extremely great job running the football, but also mixing in man and zone screens. My hats off to them, they’re a good team.”

Tulane (1-0) scored on its first two drives to begin the game and quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead.

After the Tigers were forced to punt on their first possession, the Green Wave marched 56 yards in five plays and took 2:45 off the clock as Jonathan Banks scored on a seven-yard touchdown scamper down the right side to give Tulane a 7-0 lead.

Grambling State (0-1) went three-and-out on its second possession and Tulane capitalized on good field position as the Green Wave went 51 yards in five plays, capped by Banks’ 30-yard touchdown pass to Terren Encalade, giving Tulane a 14-0 advantage with 7:06 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Green Wave added to the lead in the second quarter as the Tigers defense held Tulane to a field goal. A Coby Neenan 21-yard field goal with 5:15 left in the first half, capped 12-play, 61-yard drive, giving the Green Wave a 17-0 lead.

Tulane put the game away with 3:16 remaining in the second quarter as Banks connected with Dontrell Hillard for a 62-yard touchdown as the Green Wave extended the advantage to 24-0.

The Green Wave began the third quarter with excellent starting position as Sherman Badie returned the opening kickoff 52 yards to the GSU 46. Tulane punched in its fourth touchdown of the night six plays later as Darnell Mooney caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Banks, giving the Green Wave a 31-0 lead with 12:06 left in the quarter.

Grambling State answered on the ensuing drive to get its first points of the season.

The Tigers took advantage of a penalty and converted on fourth-and-10 as Martez Carter, who had 11 rushing touchdowns last season, scored on a five-yard run, capping a 15-play, 82-yard drive, as Grambling State cut the deficit to 31-7 with 5:25 left in the third quarter.

The Green Wave answered on its next drive as Encalade rushed 58 yards down the right sideline to extend the lead to 37-7 with 14:49 remaining. But those points were quickly erased as Carter found the end zone for the second time as he rushed 51 yards past the Tulane defense to trim the margin to 37-14 with 14:27 left.

Tulane capped the scoring with 8:13 remaining as Darius Bradwell scored on a 27-yard run, which capped a 10-play, 77-yard drive to give the Green Wave a 43-14 lead.

Norfolk State Falls Short to Virginia State 14-10 in Labor Day Classic

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NORFOLK, Va. – Trenton Cannon rushed for 145 yards and Virginia State quarterback Cordelral Cook ran for two short touchdowns to lead the Trojans to a 14-10 win over Norfolk State on Saturday night at the ABNB Labor Day Classic at Dick Price Stadium.

In the teams’ first clash in five years, VSU (1-0) beat NSU (0-1) on the field for the first time since 2005.

Cook scored on a 2-yard run with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter to give the Trojans a 14-10 lead. The VSU defense made that lead stand up, holding the Spartans without a point on three fourth-quarter drives, all of which reached Trojan territory.

The Spartans punted on their first possession of the fourth, then reached the Trojan 35 on their next possession. Juwan Carter’s 4th-and-5 pass to Marcus Taylor fell incomplete to turn the ball over on downs back to VSU with 2:54 left to play.

The Trojans tried to run out the clock, but NSU used its final three timeouts to force VSU to punt. NSU took over at its own 37 with 1:12 left and Carter completed passes of 11 yards to Isaiah Winstead and 18 yards to Taylor to march NSU down to the Trojan 34. But on 3rd-and-10, Carter’s pass was intercepted by Kurtis Brooks to seal the win for the Trojans.

VSU scored on the first drive of the game. Cook capped an 11-play, 55-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run at the 10:41 mark of the first quarter. But the Spartans scored the next 10 points. NSU safety Bobby Price’s interception in VSU territory set up a 28-yard field goal by Josh Nardone with 3:46 left in the first quarter.

The Spartans then took the lead thanks to their special teams and defense in the second quarter. Punter Taylor Goettie’s 32-yard punt pinned the Trojans at their own 1-yard line as a steady rain began falling. One play later, Cook fumbled a snap in the end zone and NSU defensive end Nigel Chavis fell on it for a touchdown to give the Spartans a 10-7 lead, which they took into halftime.

For the night, VSU outgained the Spartans 275-214, including a 190-98 edge on the ground. Carter led NSU with 39 yards rushing on four carries and 67 yards on 7-of-19 passing. Tripp Harrington, who started the game and split time with Carter, was 6-of-12 for 49 yards and also rushed for 17 yards.

Taylor led all players with seven receptions for 84 yards. Defensively, Price (game-high 10) and nose guard Deshaywn Middleton (nine) both posted career highs in tackles.

The Spartans are home again next Saturday when they welcome William & Mary to Dick Price Stadium for a 6 p.m. game at Dick Price Stadium.

Bowie State Bulldogs Beat Seton Hill 48-7 in Season Opener

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GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Bowie State University football team opened the 2017 season with a 48-7 road victory at Seton Hill University on Saturday afternoon at Offutt Field.

The victory broke a two-game series skid for the Bulldogs (1-0) who had lost the previous two matchups with Griffins heading into Saturday.

Junior Amir Hall threw for 361 yards and five touchdowns on 23-of-26 passing. Hall, the 2016 CIAA Offensive Player of the Year also accounted for 50 rushing yards, second best on the team.

Junior co-captain Derrick Tate tallied a team-best five solo tackles (six total) while junior teammate John Johnson, IV (Washington, D.C.) and redshirt sophomore Tommar Phillips (Lanham, Md.) added five total tackles each for Bowie State.

Redshirt senior Robert Chesson (Annapolis, Md.) rushed for 77 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries to carry most of the load for the Bulldogs, while junior transfer Lansana Sesay (Bowie, Md.) caught seven passes for a game-high 148 yards in his Bulldogs debut.

As a team, Bowie State amassed 599 total yards of offense (382 passing and 217 rushing) and the Bulldogs defense held Seton Hill to just 151 yards of total (39 passing and 112 rushing). The one glaring negative statistic for Bowie State was penalties as the Bulldogs were penalized 17 times for 175 yards.

“We’re very happy to start the season 1-0 but extremely disappointed in the number of penalties we had today”, said Bowie State head coach Damon Wilson. When asked what was the most impressive part about the teams play, Wilson said “Our overall effort was outstanding!”

Seton Hill scored the first points of the season as Evan Byrd rumbled 66-yards for the touchdown. Santiago Henao added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead at the 13:55 mark of the first quarter.

Bowie State responded when Hall connected with Clark from 16 yards out with 6:45 to go in the opening quarter. Sophomore Gene Carson (Accokeek, Md.) added the extra point to tie the game at 7-all. The Hall and Clark duo teamed up again at the 3:55 mark, this time for a 62-yard pass, catch and score. Carson’s extra point gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 advantage.

The Bulldogs pushed its lead to 21-7, this time on the legs of Hall, as he rushed down the sideline for a 15-yard score with 8:13 remaining in the second quarter. Hall goes deep again, connecting with Sesay for a 57-yard touchdown, pushing the Bulldogs lead to 28-7 over Seton Hill.

Bowie State accumulated 339 yards in total offense in the first half compared to 140 yards for Seton Hill. Penalties were a sore spot for the Bulldogs in the first 30 minutes as Bowie State was flagged 10 times for 95 yards.

Bowie State added six more points early in the third quarter (11:56) when Hall found redshirt senior Kerrick Pollock (Miami, Fla.) wide open in the back corner of the Griffins end zone, extending the Bulldogs lead to 34-7.

Chesson punched it in from 1-yard out and Carson converted the extra point at the 7:29 mark of the third quarter, to give Bowie State a comfortable 41-7 cushion. Redshirt junior Adam Gillis, Jr. scored his first points of the new year, strolling in for a 9-yard rushing touchdown, padding the Bulldogs at 48-7 at the 2:49 mark.

Other top statistical players for Bowie State include redshirt sophomore Geordan Clark (White Plains, Md.) with 85 reception yards and Pollock added 68 reception yards. Redshirt junior Brandon Abrams (Bowie, Md.) finished with 55 rushing yards.

Seton Hill’s Byrd was his teams’ top offensive player with 67 rushing yards. Noah Davis and Fadan Allen were the Griffins’ leading tacklers with seven apiece.

The Bulldogs will hit the road next week when they head to the defending CIAA Champions of Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University to battle the Rams in Bowman-Gray Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. and will be carried live on the ESPN3 app. Winston-Salem State defeated #19 UNC Pembroke 34-31 on Thursday (8/31) afternoon.

Alabama A&M Bulldogs Falls 38-7 To UAB

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BIRMINGHAM — It wasn’t quite the outcome the Bulldogs were looking for, but they proved to be competitive Saturday despite a 38-7 loss to UAB.

It was the season opener for both teams and the first game in two seasons for UAB, which had its program dropped after the 2014 season.

“The result was obviously not what we wanted,” said Alabama A&M Head Coach James Spady. “But we are going to build … and this game will help us going forward.”

Nonetheless, Alabama A&M went toe-to-toe with the C-USA Blazers for the better of three quarters before UAB pulled away.

The Bulldogs and Blazers each were basically even in passing yards (A&M had 138 yards, UAB had 165) and time of possession (A&M — 29:44; UAB — 30:16) but the Blazers outrushed A&M 259-45 in the game.

“I felt we had a pretty good first half performance,” Spady said. “I thought things were pretty even there in the first half (UAB lead 10-7 at halftime).

“Some things happened to us in the second half that led to a little breakdown here and there, however it wasn’t a complete breakdown. Our guys still fought and were competitive.”

The Blazers scored on their first possession of the game, moving downfield on a 14-play, 76-yard drive.

But, after that, the A&M defense adjusted to UAB and kept them out of the end zone again until about 6:37 left in the third quarter.

Since this was UAB’s first game in three years, the Bulldogs didn’t have any film or scouting reports so, basically, they were going into the game blind.

“I want to give (UAB) Coach (Bill) Clark and his guys credit,” Spady said. “That was a better game than I thought they would be and I’m really proud of our guys for competing.”

The Bulldogs got on the board early in the second half when freshman quarterback Aqeel Glass connected with Roderick Randolph on a 46-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass. Nick Carden kicked the point-after and the game was tied 7-7 with 2:24 left in the first half.

However, UAB answered back with a field goal about a minute later for the 10-7 halftime lead.

Glass and Damion May split quarterback duties in the game. Glass was 7 of 17 for 101 yards. He had an interception and the TD pass to Randolph. May was 6-for-12 for 37 yards.

“I played the two guys I planned to play all along,” Spady said. “Aqeel started, which I said would happen, and Damion played, which I also said would happen.”

The Bulldogs continue their nonconference schedule next weekend with a trip to Vanderbilt on Saturday. Kickoff is 3 p.m.

Spady said the Bulldogs will be ready for the date in the Music City.

“We’re playing an SEC opponent,” he said. “Our guys will have no trouble getting motivated — not only because it’s another football game but it’s the chance to play an SEC opponent that made a bowl game last year.”