FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 6 - 12, 2011

Rams playing for spot in NCAA Div. II championship game

WSSU rolls into national D2 semis

LUT WILLIAMS The undefeated CIAA champion WinstonSalem State Rams and second-year head coach Connell Maynor took another unprecedented step towards winning a NCAA Div. II national football title Saturday as they dominated New Haven 27-7 (see story) in a quarternal playoff game on their home eld in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Rams (13-0), the top seed and now champions of Super Region I, advance to this Saturday's national seminal game where they will host Wayne State (11-3), winners of Super Region 3, with a chance to earn a shot at the national championship on Dec. 17 in Florence, Alabama. Delta State (11-2) and Pittsburg State (11-1) play in the other seminal game in Pittsburg, Kansas. The win over New Haven was precedent- setting in several ways. The victory lands the Rams in the national seminals for the rst time since then WSSU head coach Bill Hayes' Rams won one playoff game in 1978 to reach the semis. Hayes is now the WSSU athletics director. In 1978, the Div. II playoffs had an eight-team eld. The win vs. New Haven also gives the CIAA its second win since 1993. WSSU's second round win over California (Pa.) a week earlier broke a nine-game losing streak for the conference that stretched back to Hampton and head coach Joe Taylor's win in the '93 playoffs. The CIAA is now 4-28 in the playoffs. It is also the rst time an HBCU has reached the seminal round since Billy Joe's 1986 Central State team and only the sixth time an HBCU has reached the semis since the Div. II playoffs started in 1973 (see STAT CORNER). A win Saturday vs. Wayne State would also put the Rams into the championship game for the rst time and would also be a rst for a CIAA team. The only HBCU to reach the championship game was Joe's 1983 Central State squad which lost the title to North Dakota State, 41-21. In Wayne State, the Rams are facing a Cinderella team that has won three games on the road to reach the semis. Paul Winters, in his eighth season, is the Warriors' head coach. The Warriors, in the playoffs for the rst time in the 94-year history of the program, were
BCSP Editor

FOOTBALL THIS WEEK SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 SWAC Championship Game XIII Grambling State vs. Alabama A&M in Birmingham, AL 1p NCAA DIV II PLAYOFFS - SEMIFINALS Wayne State vs. Winston-Salem State in W-Salem, NC

2:05p

FULFILLING DESTINY

IN IT TO WIN IN: WSSU seeks spot in NCAA Div. II championship game in semifinal matchup with Wayne State.

WSSU Sports Photo

WINSTON-SALEM STATE PLAYS TO REACH D2 FINALS; SWAC TITLE GAME IN B'HAM

MAYNOR: WSSU head coach and his 13-0 Rams need one win to make NCAA Div. II nals, two to win the championship and fulll his prediction of an undefeated season (15-0) and national title.

WSSU Sports Photo

FOOTBALL SCORES
NCAA DIV. II QUARTERFINALS W-Salem State 27, New Haven 7 PIONEER BOWL J.C. Smith 35, Miles 33

WSSU defense stymies New Haven.

Cooper runs for 132 yards, TD

GAME RECAPS
NCAA Div. II - Quarternals Winston-Salem State 27, New Haven 7 Undefeated CIAA champion Winston-Salem State used a prolic offense and quick, stingy defense in knocking off New Haven 27-7 in a national quarternal game played at BowmanGray Stadium in Winston-Salem Saturday afternoon. WSSU (13-0) got two long touchdown receptions from quarterback Kameron Smith (19-26-1, 274 yards) to wideout Jameze Massey, running back Nicholas Cooper rambled for 132 yards and one TD and the defense stymied a New Haven offense that came in averaging 43.0 points, getting three interceptions and a fumble and holding the Chargers (11-2) to just one rst-quarter score. Massey opened the scoring for the Rams hauling in a 48-yard pass from quarterback Smith at the end of a 8-play, 68-yard drive on their rst possession. UNH answered on the ensuing possession going 57 yards in ve plays and scoring on QB Ryan Osieckis 36-yard scoring pass. After the UNH PAT, the Chargers led 7-6 but it was the last time they would change the scoreboard. Coopers 12-yard run and the ensuing PAT early in the second quarter gave the Rams a 13-7 lead they would not relinquish. The score came after UNH fumbled a punt deep in its own territory at the end of the rst period. After a scoreless third quarter, WSSU hit paydirt early in the fourth quarter on a brilliant 33-yard touchdown reception by Massey. Pinned against the sideline in the end zone, Massey hauled in Smiths pinpoint pass while sliding out of bounds. After Alejandro Suarezs PAT, the Rams led 20-7. They would later add a one-yard touchdown run from Cedric Hickman in the nal half-minute. That score came after Cooper broke loose on a 72-yard run down to the UNH-1 on a toss sweep that iced the game. Masssey nished with six receptions for 138 yards and the two scores. Cooper amassed his 132 rushing yards on just 14 carries. Linebacker Carlos Fields led the WSSU defense with seven tackles, ve solos, and also got one of their three picks. Defensive end Akeem Ward had 1.5 sacks among ve tackles. Pioneer Bowl CIAA representative Johnson C. Smith survived a furious last-quarter comeback to knock off SIAC champ Miles and win Pioneer Bowl XIII in Columbus, Ga. The Golden Bulls (6-5) led 10-7 at the break and behind two second-half rushing touchdowns from QB Keahn Wallace and a Denzel Hartley 23-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter, built that lead to 28-13. But Miles scored 20 points from that point, the last touchdown coming on a David Thomas to Antonio Pitts 21-yard scoring pass with :02 seconds left to narrow the gap to 35-33. Running back Jordan Lewis dropped a two-point conversion pass that would have tied the game. JCSU recovered the ensuing onside kick. Thomas ran for 103 yards and completed 16 of 27 passes for 267 yards, one touchdown and one intercepton, to lead Miles (7-5). Pitts had ve receptions for 101 yards and TD catches of 52 and 21 yards. Wallace, named the game's MVP, rushed for three touchdowns and completed 8 of 17 passes for 59 yards for JCSU. Dedric Anderson ran for 104 yards including a 24-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.

seeded sixth in Super Region 3 and won at St. Cloud State (48-38), at Nebraska Kearney (38-26) and last week defeated Minnesota Duluth (31-25), the defending Div. II national champions, to get to the Final Four. The balanced Warrior offense averages 36.3 points per game and is led by 6-3, 217-pound redshirt-junior quarterback Mickey Mohner (166-296-6) who has thrown for 2,584 yards and 24 TDs. Two WSU running backs have topped the 1,000-yard mark Toney Davis (5-10, 212) who has rushed for 1,340 yards and 20 TDs and Josh Renel (5-9, 191) who has amassed 1,262 yards and run for 14 scores. Renel also returns punts and kickoffs. Davis ran for 331 yards on 38 carries and scored ve TDs in the rst round win over St. Cloud State. Mohner's favorite target is Troy Burrell (5-9, 191) who has 82 receptions for 1,545 yards and 15 TDs on the year. Free safety Jeremy Jones is the Warriors leading tackler and leads the team with nine interceptions. He had three picks in the win over Nebraska Kearney. Sophomore linebacker Ed Vivarette (6-0, 224) leads the Warriors with 7.5 sacks. The Warriors average 204 rushing yards and 189.9 passing yards per game and give up 23.4 points per game. Buoyed by a diverse ve-man receiving crew, WSSU quarterback Kameron Smith has been consistent and efcient in the two playoff games throwing for 267 yards (20 of 33) and two touchdowns against California and 274 yards (19

of 26) and two TDs vs. New Haven. Smith threw an interception in each game. Running back Nicholas Cooper has topped the 100-yard mark in both playoff games getting 118 yards and three TDs vs. California and 132 yards and one TD vs. New Haven. He is averaging 7.6 yards per carry. The opportunistic Rams' defense has been led defensive back Alton Keaton, defensive end Akeem Ward and linebacker Carlos Fields. The unit got two sacks and three interceptions vs. Cal and 3 sacks and another three picks vs. New Haven. The only other game left on the 2011 black college football schedule is Saturday's 12 noon SWAC Football Championship Game where Alabama A&M and Grambling will meet to decide the league's champion for the fourth time. The game will be carried live on ESPNU. Grambling (7-4, 6-3 SWAC) enters the championship on a six-game winning streak. Grambling's last appearance was in 2008, when the Tigers defeated Jackson State to claim the school's fth victory all-time in the SWAC championship game. GSU is 5-1 all-time in the contest. Alabama A&M (8-3, 7-2 SWAC) is the champion of the Eastern Division for the fth time in school history. The Bulldogs earned the division berth via a three-way tie-breaker with Alabama State and Jackson State. The Bulldogs also won at Grambling for the rst time in school history, 20-14, in the fourth week of the season. Alabama A&M last appeared in the title game in 2009, losing to Prairie View A&M. The Bulldogs won their only title in 2006 over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Prior to those two appearances, A&M has played Grambling three other times (2000, 2002, and 2005) with the GSU winning all three championship game matchups.

SWAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME XIII

ALABAMA A&M BULLDOGS (8-3)

CHAMPION - EAST DIVISION SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
TEAM RECORD 2011 Overall: 8-3 2011 SWAC: 7-2 2011 BCSP Ranking: 5th All-Time vs. GSU 5-16 Last Time vs. GSU: 20-14 W, '11 SWAC Championship Games: 1-3 Last title: 2006 COACH'S RECORD Alma Mater: Wichita State ('94) Vs. GSU: 3-9 At AA&M: 72-44, .620 (10th year) Career Record: 90-57, .612 (13) 2011 RESULTS AA&M 8-3 20 .... Hampton in Chicago .... 21 L 6 .........@ Southern ....... 21 L 21 ..........Tuskegee........... 6 W 20 ..@ Grambling State .14 W 28 ....Ark.-Pine Bluff ...27 W 27 ... Miss. Valley St....14 W 27 ...Texas Southern ..21 W 20 ..Alabama State in B'ham .19 W 28 ... @ Alcorn State ...14 W 6 ...... Jackson State .... 24 L 17 ......@ Prairie View ....15 W

vs.

GRAMBLING STATE TIGERS (7-4)

CHAMPION - WEST DIVISION SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Head Coach

ANTHONY JONES

2011 RESULTS GSU 7-4 21 ... Alcorn State in Shr'port .... 14 W 7 ........ @ La.-Monroe ........35 L 17 ....@ Alabama State .....31 L 14 ...... Alabama A&M ........20 L 23 ...Prairie View in Dallas ....31 L 44 ....Concordia-Selma ..... 0 W 30 ... Miiss. Valley State ... 24 W 27 ... @ Ark.-Pine Bluff ... 20 W 26 .... @ Jackson State .... 23 W 29 ..... Texas Southern ..... 25 W 36 .. Southern in New Orleans .. 12 W

TEAM RECORD 2011 Overall: 7-4 2011 SWAC: 6-3 2011 BCSP Ranking: 6th All-Time vs. AA&M: 16-5 Last Time vs. AA&M: 14-20 L, '11 SWAC Championship Games: 5-1 Last Title: 2008 COACH'S RECORD Alma Mater: Grambling ('94) Vs. AA&M: 7-3 At GSU: 59-22, .728 (8th year) Career Record: 62-30, .673 (9)

DOUG WILLIAMS

Head Coach

S A T U R D A Y , D E C E M B E R 10 , 2 0 1 1 - B I R M I N G H A M , A L . - L E G I O N F I E L D - 1

P.M.

BCSP Notes
Jackson State University has renewed Rick Comegy's contract as the Tigers head football coach through 2013. JSU Athletics Director Dr. Vivian L. Fuller made the announcement at an 11 a.m. press conference Wednesday, Nov. 30, in the Sports Hall of Fame Room of the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. "Coach Comegy and his staff have an excellent track record of onthe-eld success at Jackson State," said Fuller. "Moving forward under his leadership, I expect the JSU Tigers to be champions in sports, in the classroom and in the Jackson community." Having just completed his sixth season with the Tigers, Comegy looks forward to his two-year extension. "I want to thank Dr. Meyers and Dr. Fuller for having condence in me and my coaches. I'm thankful that they believe in us to continue what we're building here at JSU," said Comegy. "I love my job, I love my kids and I love JSU."

Comegy gets two-year extension at JSU

Comegy

STAT CORNER
WHO ARE THE BEST PERFORMERS IN BLACK COLLEGE SPORTS

Comegy, 59, completed his six years at Jackson State with a 41-26 record and ended this last season with a 9-2 record. His teams won a SWAC championship in 2007 and returned for SWAC championship play in 2008. Comegys coaching experience spans more than three decades. Before joining Jackson State, he served as head football coach at Tuskegee, coached for nine years at Central State, three at Millersville University, seven at Colgate and two at Cheyney. The Pennsylvania native is a 1976 graduate of Millersville University of Lancaster, Pa., where he was a three-year letterman and an all-conference defensive back. With the opportunity to play for the Philadelphia Bells of the WFL, he left school for a year but returned in 1975 as a part-time student and coach, and earned a bachelor's degree in sociology. Comegy will earn a salary of $191,580, which is a 3 percent increase over his previous salary

2 0 1 0 - 1 1 B L A C K C O L L E G E B A S K E T B A L L (Men's Standings and Weekly Honors thru 11/28)

BLACK COLLEGE TEAMS IN NCAA DIV. II FOOTBALL SEMIFINALS

YEAR (IN FIELD) TEAM HEAD COACH

CIAA
N. DIVISION

CENTRAL INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION CONF W L ALL W L

MEAC

MID EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CONF ALL W L W L

SIAC

SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CONF W L ALL W L

SWAC
Alabama A&M Southern Prairie View A&M Ark. Pine Bluff Alabama State Texas Southern Jackson State Miss. Valley St. Grambling State Alcorn State

SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CONF W L ALL W L

2011 (24) 1986 (8) 1983 (8) 1979 (8) 1978 (8) 1973 (8)

WINSTON-SALEM STATE CENTRAL STATE CENTRAL STATE ALABAMA A&M WINSTON-SALEM STATE GRAMBLING

Connell Maynor Billy Joe Billy Joe Ray Greene Bill Hayes Eddie Robinson

Virginia Union Bowie State Eliz. City State Lincoln Chowan Virginia State
S. DIVISION

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 3 5 5 4 1 5 4 3 3 3 2

3 1 2 4 4 7 0 1 1 3 4 3

Winston-Salem State Shaw Livingstone J. C. Smith St. Augustines Fayetteville State

BLACK COLLEGE TEAMS IN NCAA DIV. II FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

1983 (8) CENTRAL STATE Billy Joe

CIAA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK PLAYER - Antonio Reddic, 6-4. So., G, CHOWAN - Averaged 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 blocks in two wins. Had 23 points, 10 boards vs. Apprentice. ROOKIE - Jordan Jones, 6-5, Fr., F, ST. AUGUSTINE'S - Averaged 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in two games. NEWCOMER - Phillip Wood, 6-2, Jr., G, JC SMITH - Sank two free throws with 3 seconds left in win over BelmontAbbey. Finished with career-high 31 points. COACH - Shawn Walker, ECSU - Led Vikings to 2-1 record with wins over Norfolk State and Mount Olive.

Norfolk State NC Central Delaware State Bethune-Cookman Hampton Savannah State Coppin State Morgan State South Carolina State N. Carolina A&T Howard Md.-Eastern Shore Florida A&M

2 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1

6 5 4 3 4 3 3 0 4 4 2 2 1

2 3 3 5 4 6 4 8 5 5 5 8 7

Paine LeMoyne-Owen Benedict Miles Albany State Fort Valley State Clark Atlanta Clain Morehouse Stillman Kentucky State Tuskegee Lane

3 3 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 0

0 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 2 3 3 2 2

4 3 3 2 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 0 0

1 1 1 1 2 2 5 4 4 3 3 2 4

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

3 5 6 4 5 6 7 7 6 6

MEAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK PLAYER - Dominique Sutton, 6-5, Sr., F, NC CENTRAL - Averaged 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in two wins. Had 17 points, 11 boards in win over NC A&T. ROOKIE - Taariq Cephas, 5-9, Fr., G, COPPIN STATE - Had 24 points, 3 assists, 2 steals and a rebound in win over West Virginia Tech. DEFENSE - Kendall Gray, 6-10, Fr., C, DEL STATE - Averaged 5.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two wins. Had 15 points, 9 boards vs. E. Kentucky, six blocks and six rebounds vs. UMES.

SIAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK PLAYER Shawn Allen, 6-3, Jr., G, MOREHOUSE - Averaged 21.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in three games. Had career-high 27 points vs. Stillman. Also averaged 3 steals and 2 assists. NEWCOMER Brandon Darrett, 6-7, Fr., F, KENTUCKY STATE - Averaged 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1 steal in two games.

SWAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK PLAYER NA. NEWCOMER NA

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Vol. XVIII, No. 19