FOR THE WEEK OF DEC.

18 - 24, 2012

FINAL 2012 BCSP FOOTBALL TOP TEN

1. WINSTON-SALEM STATE (14-1) - With a prolic offense and stingy defense, the Rams rolled into history with second straight undefeated regular season record (10-0), second straight CIAA and Super Region I titles en route to NCAA Div. II Championship Game. Suffered only loss in national title game, 35-7 to Valdosta State. Head coach Connell Maynor's Rams held down the BCSP top spot all season long and repeat as BCSP national champion. First battled to 24-21 OT loss to UAPB in league title game. Rick Comegy's troops had regular season losses to Miss. State (56-9), Tenn. State (38-12), Southern (28-21), and UAPB (34-24). 6. TUSKEGEE (10-2) - Willie Slater's Golden Tigers returned to SIAC dominance, winning the West title with 7-0 mark and thrashing East champ Fort Valley State in league's title game (55-24). Won 10 straight games after opening loss to Alabama A&M (7-6). Ended season with 28-13 loss to CIAA runner-up Elizabeth City State in Pioneer Bowl XIV. 7. HOWARD (7-4) - Made further improvement in Gary Harrell's second season, nishing behind MEAC champ Bethune-Cookman with 6-2 mark. Suffered losses to Rutgers (26-0), NC A&T (38-10), SC State (41-23) and Georgia State (69-26). 8. MILES (8-3) - Finished behind Tuskegee in SIAC West with 6-1 mark losing to TU 27-17. Reggie Rufn's Golden Bears lost to West Alabama in rst round of Div. II playoffs (41-7), the Golden Bears rst-ever playoff appearance. Also lost to North Alabama (31-30) to open the season. 9. ALABAMA STATE (7-4) - Tied Jackson State for SWAC East title with 7-2 mark but lost in head-to-head meeting, 37-34. Reggie Barlow's Hornets also lost close games to Bethune-Cookman (38-28), UAPB (24-21) and Tuskegee (27-25) 10. DELAWARE STATE (6-5) - In second year under Kermit Blount, Hornets improved from 1-7 in MEAC, 3-8 overall to 5-3, tied for third in league, 6-5 overall. Big loss to Delaware (38-14), but dropped close ones to Cincinnati (23-7), Florida A&M (24-22), NC Central (23-20, OT) and Howard (41-34).

MAYNOR

HBCU team to win 14 games and only second ever to reach D2 title game.

HISTORIC TITLE QUEST FALLS SHORT

2. TENNESSEE STATE (8-3) - Rod Reed's Blue Tigers lost three games in the Ohio Valley Conference but got big wins over MEAC champ Bethune-Cookman (21-14),
Joe Daniels Photo

BOTTLED UP: WSSU RB Maurice Lewis (3) and Rams' offense could not get untracked in Div. II title game vs. Valdosta State.

SWAC champion Arkansas-Pine Bluff (40-13) and SWAC runner-up Jackson State (38-12). TSU earns second place. 3. BETHUNE-COOKMAN (9-3) - Wildcats dominated MEAC (8-0) to win second title and FCS playoff berth in three years under head coach Brian Jenkins. 'Cats loss in rst round of FCS playoffs to Coastal Carolina (24-14). Also had losses to Tennessee State (21-14) and Miami (38-10). 4. ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF (10-2) - Head coach Monte Coleman's Golden Lions won SWAC West by ve games with 8-1 mark and beat East champ Jackson State, 24-21 in OT, in SWAC title game. Had losses to Alabama A&M (14-10) and Tenn. State (40-13). 5. JACKSON STATE (7-5) - Blue Tigers won SWAC East over Alabama State then

WSSU HOPES DASHED IN DIV. II TITLE GAME;

SCORES
DECEMBER 15 Div. II Championship Game Valdosta State 35, Winston-Salem State 7

WSSU wire-to-wire BCSP No. 1

LUT WILLIAMS Though they took a thrashing in the NCAA Div. II Championship Football Game Saturday (see related story), the 2012 Winston-Salem State Rams have plenty to be proud of. They not only nished with their second straight 10-0 unblemished regular season mark, won their second straight CIAA Championship game and won their second straight Super Region I title, they went a step further. By winning in the Dec. 8 Div. II seminals over West Texas A&M, the Rams surpassed last year's 13-1 record, improving to 14-0, and earned only the second berth for a black college team in the Div. II Championship game. That means in the last two seasons, Connell Maynor's Rams have crafted the top two winning seasons in black college football history. For all those reasons, the 14-1 WSSU Rams are 2012 wire-to-wire and back-to-back winners of the BCSP national title. Tennessee State laid its claim to a top nish by effectively beating champions in both the MEAC and SWAC East and West Divisions early in the season. Rod Reed's Tigers (8-3) won their rst seven games before losing three of their nal four in the tough Ohio Valley Conference. Despite that late-season slide, the Tigers have a legitimate claim to the No. 2 spot. Behind TSU, at spots No. 3 thru 5 are teams that won conference titles in the MEAC and SWAC. MEAC champion Bethune-Cookman (93) gets the nod at No. 3. Third-year head coach Brian Jenkins won his second MEAC title and automatic FCS playoff berth with a perfect 8-0 record. The Wildcats fell to Coastal Carolina in the rst round of the playoffs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff ran away with the SWAC West title and got heroic plays to knock off East Division champ Jackson State in overtime in the league championship game. Monte Coleman gets his rst SWAC title in ve years at the helm and the rst SWAC crown for the Golden Lions since 1966. UAPB nishes at No. 4. Rick Comegy and the JSU Tigers (7-5) are at No. 5. The Tigers outdueled Alabama State for the East Div. title and came within a couple minutes of knocking off UAPB in the championship game. Tuskegee (10-2) had a great run thru the SIAC, winning 10 straight league games includBCSP Editor

NCAA FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RECAP

Div. II - National Championship Game

MASSEY: WSSU senior wide receiver Jameze Massey (82) tries to elude Valdosta State defensive back Lance Holder (8) on one of his nine catches for game-high 168 yards in the NCAA Div. II national championship game Saturday. Massey scored the Rams' only TD on a 29-yard pass reception as they lost to the Blazers, 35-7.
All Photos by Charles Watkins

Valdosta State jumps up early, downs Winston-Salem State 35-7 in NCAA Div. II Championship Game
FLORENCE, AL Winston-Salem State's hopes of becoming the rst black college team to win the NCAA Div. II football championship and its dreams of a perfect season came to crushing end here Saturday afternoon. Valdosta State (12-2) got off to a great start returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and leading 21-0 at the break and played steadily throughout to come away with a 35-7 win before 7,527 mostly WSSU fans. It is the Blazers' third Div. II championship SMITH: WSSU QB threw for 269 yards but after taking titles in 2004 and 2007. While VSU rushed for 207 tough yards threw two picks and fumbled at the VSU 1. and had no turnovers, the CIAA champion Rams (14-1) amassed 412 yards but turned the ball over six times including a key early third-quarter fumble by starting quarterback Kameron Smith at the VSU goal line. Smith's fumble came after the Rams had cut the lead to 21-7 at the 9:25 mark of the third period on a 29-yard pass from Smith to Jameze Massey. The Rams got the ball back at the VSU 45 after a 3-and-out and drove deep into VSU territory. Facing a 2nd-andgoal at the VSU 4, Smith kept the ball up the middle, was hit and fumbled into the end zone. VSU linebacker Chris Pope recovered for a touchback effectively ending WSSU's chances of getting back in the game. "It was a slant call and the guy (the defensive back) defensed it," said WSSU head coach Connell Maynor. "Instead looking to the other side or throwing it away, Kam decided to run it. That's ne except you're got to hold onto the ball. We had the momentum and had a chance to punch it in for that second touchdown and we didn't get it in. That was a big turnover there and that was the ballgame." VSU then took the ball on a time-consuming 17-play, 80-yard drive that took 7 1/2 minutes and carried into the fourth quarter. The Blazers scored on Quin Roberson's 17-yard pass from Cochran to go up again by three touchdowns, 28-7 with 13:08 to play. Massey would later mishandle a punt deep in his own territory setting up VSU at the WSSU 6. Cochran ran it in on third down for the nal margin. Maynor, with his team smarting from the loss, put the game and the season in perspective. "We're playing in the biggest game in our division the national championship game so I told our guys 'keep your head up'. You have no reason to have your head down and crying because we lost that football game. There's 26 people in Connecticut that lost kids and parents and daughters and mothers. They have a reason to have their heads down and be crying. We don't. We're just playing a football game. "This is entertainment. That's real life. That's bigger than what we're doing right here." Freshman running back Cedric O'Neal led VSU with 143 yards on 24 carries. His tough running coupled with Cochran's (18 of 25, 109 yards) deft passing led to an over 11-minute difference in time of possession for the Blazers (35:54 to 24:06). Those exploits helped keep the Rams' high-scoring offense from getting in gear. Massey was the Rams' chief weapon, hauling in nine passes for 168 yards and the team's only score. Running back Maurice Lewis was held to 65 yards on 16 carries. Smith nished 16 of 37 for 269 yards but threw two picks. Defensive lineman Donnie Owens had 12 tackles, four solos, while linebacker Carlos Fields had 10 with eight solos to lead the Rams' defensive effort. Malcolm Rowe had eight stops and Daniel Mungin seven. "Man, it sucks." said a disappointed Massey. "Nobody wants to lose a national championship. I fought hard, my team fought hard. We just didn't come up with the win. I think this (a national championship game appearance) will push our juniors and next year's team to come back and try and win it. I'm hoping and praying that it happens for them. HBCUs need it." The Blazers broke on top right away as Matt Pierce took the opening kickoff 96 yards up the middle, untouched for a touchdown. On its rst possession, WSSU picked up one rst down and
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Bowl. Howard (7-4), in its second year under Gary Harrell, posted an excellent 6-2 league mark to claim second place in a crowded race behind Bethune-Cookman. The Bison hold down the seventh spot. Miles (8-3) was the chief competitor to Tuskegee in the SIAC West losing to the eventual champs 27-17 in a season-ending showdown. Head coach Reggie Rufn led the Golden Bears to the Div. II playoffs for the rst time in school history where they fell to West Alabama. Miles nishes eighth. WSSU Sports Photo Reggie Barlow's Hornets of Alabama State RAMS' CHARGE!: Head coach Connell Maynor (with cap) leads the Winston-Salem Stale Rams (7-4) tied Jackson State for the SWAC East title onto the eld for historic NCAA Div. II Champion- but surrendered the crown because of a head-toship Game vs. Valdosta State Saturday in Florence, head loss. ASU nishes in the ninth spot. Ala. The Rams' undefeated regular season, CIAA Delaware State (6-5) rounds out the Top Ten. and Super Region I titles, run to the championship The Hornets, under head coach Kermit Blount, game and 14-1 record earn them the 2012 nal No. nished at 5-3 in the MEAC knotted with North 1 ranking in the BCSP Top Ten. Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T for ing the league championship game after losing its third place. NC A&T (7-4), NCCU (6-5), Elizabeth City opener to Alabama A&M. Willie Slater's Golden Tigers nished on a down note, losing to CIAA State (8-4), Fort Valley State (8-4) and Alabama runner-up Elizabeth City State in the Pioneer A&M (7-4) complete a BCSP Top 15.

TITLE GAME PLAYS: (L. to R.) WSSU RB Maurice Lewis (3) tries to elude VSU LB Chris Pope (34). Lewis led the Rams' rushing attack with 65 yards on 16 carries. (Center) WSSU defensive end Justin Wilkerson (92) closes in on Valdosta State QB Cayden Cochran (11). (Right) WSSU LB Carlos Fields (44) corrals VSU WR Quin Roberson (4). Fields nished with ten tackles, 8 solos while Wilkerson had four, two solos.

Rams fall in D2 Championship Game

From 1st Column

punted. The Blazers came back to drive 63 yards in eight plays and scored on a 24-yard run by O'Neal. Before ve minutes were gone in the game, the Blazers were up 14-0. WSSU turned the ball over on its next two possessions. First, Lewis fumbled at his own 46 with VSU recovering. The Rams held however forcing a VSU punt. On its next possession, on 3rd-and-10 at the VSU 49, Smith's pass was picked off by VSU's Terry Davis. Again the WSSU defense held. Early in the second quarter, VSU again went on a long drive, interspersing runs with anker screens to go 72 yards in 13 plays. Cochran capped the drive with a 1-yard keeper. Daniel Anderson's third PAT gave VSU a 21-0 lead 5:40 before the end of the half. WSSU would mount its most promising drive before the half, penetrating to the VSU 4 before being turned away on downs. Smith was sacked on 2nd down to push them back to the 12. Two passes into the end zone fell incomplete as the half ended.

BCSP Notes

Southern tabs Odum as new grid coach

Southern University athletics director Dr. William Broussard recommended Dawson Odums, who led Southern to a 4-5 record after being named interim head coach in September, as the Jags new football coach at an afternoon Southern System Board of Supervisors meeting last week. Broussard's recommendation was approved unanimously by the Board members present. Odums' previous title of defensive coordinator changed to interim head

coach two games into Southern's 2012 season after the dismissal of head coach Stump Mitchell. Odums, a N. C. Central graduate, arrived at Southern in 2011 as the defensive line coach after a three-year stint at N.C. A&T. Before going to N.C. A&T, Odums spent four seasons at Division II Clark ODUMS Atlanta becoming interim head coach there in 2004. He has also served as an assistant at Bethune-Cookman, Georgia Southern and Gardner-Webb.

2 0 1 2 B L A C K C O L L E G E B A S K E T B A L L (Men's Results, Standings and Weekly Honors)

FINAL NORTH DIVISION

CIAA

CENTRAL INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION CONF W L

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

SOUTH DIVISION

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ALL W L

MEAC
FINAL

MID EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CONF ALL W L W L

FINAL

SIAC

SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

CONF

7 6 5 4 4 1 7 7 5 6 4 4

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

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

CIAA PLAYERS OF THE YEAR PLAYER & NEWCOMER Percy Woods, 5-10, Sr., G, ST. AUG'S - Averaged 20.3 points in three games on 63.4% shooting, 80% from 3-point range, 73% from the line. Had career-high 30 points in win over Carver, game-high 19 in loss to Lynn. ROOKIE Kortez Smith, 5-7, Fr., PG, CHOWAN - Was one of ve Hawks in double gures in loss to Frances Marion. COACH John Hill, LINCOLN - Had 2-0 week as Lions improved to 7-1, best start since 1993-94 season.

Norfolk State North Carolina Central Delaware State Florida A&M Hampton Savannah State SC State Bethune-Cookman NC A&T State Howard Md. E. Shore Morgan State Coppin State

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

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

6 7 5 5 5 6 4 7 1 7 5 6 4 6 5 8 4 7 3 8 0 10 3 4 2 9

EAST DIVISION

Benedict Paine Fort Valley State Morehouse Clain Albany State Clark Atlanta
WEST DIVISION

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ALL

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

SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE DIV W L

4 2 2 2 2 1 1

3 2 3 5 6 5 6 3 3 4 3 6 6

MEAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK PLAYER Michael Murray, 6-5, Jr., G, COPPIN STATE - Posted back-to-back double-doubles in 1-1 week. Had 19 pts., 13 rebs. vs. UMBC, 11 pts., 10 boards vs. Wagner. Avgd. 15 pts., 11.5 rebs. for week. ROOKIE Rashid Gaston, 6-8, Fr., F, NSU - Avgd. 11.5 points, 7 rebounds 1.5 steals in two non-conference games. Had 12 pts., 8 rebs. vs. Illinois, 11 pts., 6 boards vs. NC State. DEFENSE Austin Witter, 6-8, Sr., F, NC A&T - Had 13 rebounds, 8 blocks and 1 steal in win over NJIT. In 1-1 week, totalled 15 boards, 10 blocks, 3 steals.

Stillman Miles Kentucky State Lane LeMoyne-Owen Tuskegee

0 0 0 0 0 0

4 3 2 1 2 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ALL W L

INDEPENDENTS
Central State Tennessee State W. Va. State Cheyney Lincoln (Mo.) Univ. of DC
NAIA - Gulf Coast Conference Xavier Southern - New Orleans Philander Smith Talladega Fisk Dillard (La.) Edward Waters Tougaloo NAIA - Red River Conference Texas College Wiley Langston Jarvis Christian Houston-Tillotson Paul Quinn INDEPENDENTS Voorhees Morris Allen

5 4 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0

6 5 6 8 8 8 9 9 6 8

7 5 4 3 2 1

5 6 6 4 9 8
2 1 4 3 6 7 7 8 2 4 7 9 10 1 7 4 11

SIAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK PLAYER Jerel Stephenson, 6-5, Jr., F, PAINE - In rst game UNC-Wilmington transfer scored 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, handed out three assists in win over West Georgia. NEWCOMER Dwayne Bingham, 6-8, Fr., F, CAU - Ark.-Monticello transfer had 18 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals in triple OT win vs. Carver Bible College.

SWAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK PLAYER Kelsey Howard, 6-4, So., G, JSU - Tallied game-high 32 points Monday as Tigers won rst game over Seattle. Had 23 in loss to Washington. Shot 20 for 30 from the eld in two games, 10 of 16 from 3-point range and 5 of 8 at the line. Hit 8 of 11 vs. Washington and 12 of 19 vs. Seattle. Avgd. 27.5 ppg. NEWCOMER Malcolm Miller, 6-6, Fr., G, SOUTHERN - Had 16 points on 7 of 12 shooting in win over La-Monroe. Also had 16 on 6 of 9 shooting in win over Wm. Carey. Freshman is averaging 13.4 ppg. thru nine games scoring in double gures in eight shooting 54% from the eld, 47.7% from 3-point range.

ALL 11 5 9 3 1 1 1 1 12 9 4 4 2 8 9 2 2

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Robert Covington, 6-9, Sr., F, TENN. STATE - Had career-high 31 points in win over LeMoyne-Owen. Canned 9 of 17 shots with 11 rebounds;