Category: Sports

Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Week 14 Mid Major Poll: A champion is crowned

Brandon King

After 14 weeks of exciting gridiron have brought us to the final week of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab poll ranking. Throughout the season, teams rose and fell, but only one team will reign supreme atop polls as the Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid-Major National Champion.  7. Livingstone College ( 6-4, 4-3) Livingstone ends the season 7th in the poll rankings. A 15-10 defeat of Johnson C. Smith in the season finale put a bow on the Blue Bears’ most successful season since posting a 5-4 mark…

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Nashville to host 2067 and 2027 FCS National Championship games

Staff

NCAA Release: https://www.ncaa.org/news/2024/12/12/media-center-nashville-named-host-of-2026-2027-fcs-championship-games.aspx Courtesy of Kyle Schwarz, Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications – Ohio Valley Conference NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Nashville Sports Council and the Ohio Valley Conference, along with partners Vanderbilt University and the City of Nashville, have been awarded the 2026 and 2027 Division I Football Championship games. Nashville becomes the 11th city to host the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Championship since 1978. The games will be played at FirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University on January 5, 2026 and January 4, 2027. “On behalf of the Nashville Sports Council Board…

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Willie Simmons named head coach at Florida International

Brandon King

Willie Simmons has been tapped as the man to lead FIU. Saturday morning, Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported the two sides were finalizing details to make Simmons their next head coach.  Earlier this afternoon, the Panthers’ new head football coach let the world know he was “excited” and looking forward to recruiting the best and brightest young men to bring championships and produce winners on and off the field.” Coach Simmons began his coaching career in 2005 as the pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Lincoln High School (FL) 2005.…

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North Carolina A&T names Shaun Gibbs new football coach

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title image via Kevin L. Dorsey Courtesy ot North Carolina A&T Athletics Shawn Gibbs will return to Aggieland. Only this time, he returns as the 23rd head football coach in North Carolina A&T State University football program history. A&T Director of Athletics Earl M. Hilton III announced Gibbs’ hiring on Friday. Gibbs, 49, replaces Vincent Brown, who spent two seasons at A&T. An introductory press conference for Gibbs is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18, at 11:30 a.m. in Deese Ballroom inside the A&T campus Student Center.  A native of Black Mountain, N.C., Gibbs…

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Tennessee State falls short in playoff matchup with Montana, 41-27

Brandon King

title image via Tennessee State Athletics Ill-timed miscues proved to be Tennessee State’s undoing as they came up short in a hard-fought 41-27 defeat to Montana in the first round of FCS Playoffs.  Montana struck first when Ty Morrison kicked a 39-yard field goal, giving the Grizzlies a 3-0 lead. Later in the quarter, Tennessee State responded with a James Lowery field goal, tying the game at 3 as time expired in the period. Montana then scored the first touchdown of the evening with a 7-yard run by Eli Gillman,…

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Tennessee State was named the HBCU+National Team of the Week

Brandon King

title image via Tennessee State Athletics Eddie George and the Tennessee State Tigers were named the HBCU+ FCS National Team of the Week. In their most recent and most important game of the season, TSU defeated Big South-OVC leader Southeast Missouri to earn a share of the conference crown. It marked the first time since 1999 that Tennessee State hoisted conference hardware.  The 9-3 overall record is the best finish to a regular season since 2013.  The win also helped vault the Tigers into the FCS Playoffs, a feat not…

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Tennessee State’s Jalen McClendon named to HBCU+ Player of the Year Watchlist

Brandon King

Tennessee State defensive back Jalen McClendon was named to the HBCU+ Player of the Year Watchlist. The award will bestowed upon the most outstanding player from the nation’s 21 Division I HBCU programs.  Providing steady, and many times stellar play in the TSU secondary, McClendon has recorded 53 tackles (45 solo) , 12 pass breakups and 1 interception in 12 games this season, several of which he has played with a broken hand.  The winner will be announced December 9 and will be invited to the Stats Perform FCS National…

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Tennessee State’s Jalen McClendon named finalist for Buck Buchanan Award

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Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics  Tennessee State senior defensive back Jalen McClendon has been named one of 35 finalists for the 2024 Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS football. The award, celebrating its 30th anniversary, was announced by Stats Perform. The honor is named after legendary defensive lineman Junious “Buck” Buchanan, who starred at Grambling State during his Hall of Fame career. Past recipients include Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis, Jared Allen, and Arthur Moats. McClendon, playing this season despite an upper-body injury…

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Eddie George named Big South-OVC Coach of the Year

Brandon King

title image via Tennessee State Football In a season rife with accomplishments for the Tennessee State football program, the accolades continue to rain down on TSU.  Head coach Eddie George was named Big South-OVC Coach of the Year.  In his fourth season at the helm of Tennessee State football, the NFL legend has led th Tigers to their most successful season in a quarter century. Tennessee State was able to lay claim to the conference championship for the first time since L.C. Cole led the Tigers to the OVC crown…

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Grambling comeback falls short, loses to Cal-Poly 82-79

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title image via Dominique Williams Courtesy of Curtis Ford, Associate AD for Athletic Communications Antwan Burnettscored a game-high 21 points and Chilaydrien Newton notched a career-high 17 points, but it wasn’t enough to lift Grambling State to victory as the Tigers fell to Cal-Poly 82-79 on Tuesday night at the Mott Athletics Center. GSU (1-5) erased a 17-point deficit and tied the game in the second half but couldn’t push ahead to grab its first road win of the year.  Burnett scored his 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including going 3-of-6 from…

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