FINAL BCSP FOOTBALL TOP TEN

For the Week of December 9 - 15, 2014

IT'S
THE
BRAVES

Alcorn State logo and helmet

ALCORN STATE: First

SWAC title in 20 years,
season-long excellence
gives Alcorn State its firstever BCSP national title.

ALCORN TAKES SWAC, BCSP TITLES;

SWAC STANDOUTS; HOOPS STANDINGS

1. ALCORN STATE (10-3) - Behind best black college rushing attack, stingy defense and SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, QB John Gibbs Jr., third-year
head coach Jay Hopson led Braves to best black college record, SWAC East Division title and 38-24 championship game win over West Division champ Southern
38-24. Alcorn gets first SWAC title in 20 years. Finishes
Hopson
season as BCSP No. 1 team. Losses to Southern Miss,
Grambling State and Jackson State.
2. SOUTHERN (9-4) - Defending SWAC champs downed Grambling
52-45 to take West Division crown before falling to East Division champ
Alcorn State, 38-24 in SWAC title game. Losses to Alcorn State twice,
Louisiana-Lafayette and Northwestern State.
3. VIRGINIA STATE (10-3) - Defeated Winston-Salem State 21-17 for
CIAA crown, won NCAA Div. II first round playoff game 28-17 over LIU
Post, lost to Bloomburg 28-17 in NCAA Div. II second round playoff game.
Also lost to Lenoir-Rhyne and California (PA).
4. MORGAN STATE (7-6) - MEAC co-champ. Last-minute wins over NC
Central and SC State got FCS automatic playoff bid. Lost to Richmond,
46-24 in first round playoff game. Also lost to E. Michigan, Holy Cross,
Norfolk State, Villanova and NC A&T.

5. NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL (7-5) - Finished with three-game win

streak including knocking off N. C. A&T 21-14 in season finale to earn
share of MEAC title with 6-2 conference record. Losses to E Carolina,
Charlotte, Towson, Morgan State and Bethune-Cookman.
6. NORTH CAROLINA A&T (9-3) - Lost chance for outright MEAC title
and automatic playoff bid with loss to NC Central. MEAC co-champ with
6-2 conference record. Also losses to Coastal Carolina and SC State.
7. GRAMBLING STATE (7-5) - Finished second to Southern in SWAC
West Division after losing season-ending Bayou Classic 52-45. Also losses to Lamar, Houston, Bethune-Cookman and Alabama State.
8. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (8-4) - MEAC co-champ with 6-2 conference record. Losses to Clemson, Coastal Carolina, costly losses to NC
Central and Morgan State.
9. BETHUNE-COOKMAN (9-3) - MEAC co-champ with 6-2 conference
record. Losses to Central Florida, SC State and Hampton.
10. TUSKEGEE (9-3) - SIAC West champ defeated East champ Albany
State 47-41 for SIAC title. Fell to West Georgia 21-18 in first round NCAA
Div. II playoff game. Also lost to Alabama A&M and Winston-Salem State
(TIE) WINSTON-SALEM STATE (9-2) - CIAA South Division champ lost
to Northern Division champ Virginia State 21-17 in league title game. Also
lost to Valdosta State.

Alcorn emerges as final No. 1

SCORES
DECEMBER 6
SWAC Championship Game
Alcorn State 38, Southern 24

LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME RECAP

SWAC TITLE GAME
Alcorn State 38, Southern 24

Junior quarterback John Gibbs Jr. led BCSP No. 5 Alcorn State on two second-half scoring drives allowing the
Braves to break from a 24-24 third quarter tie and down BCSP
No. 1 Southern 38-24 in the 16th SWAC Championship
Game before a crowd of 38,969 in Houstons NRG Stadium
Saturday.

Gibbs, who ran for 132 yards on
16 carries and hit on 20 of 30 passes
for 245 yards and three TDs to earn
game MVP honors, led the Braves on
a 7-play, 59-yard drive to take back the
lead at 31-24 on Anthony Williams
IIIs 4-yard run midway thru the third
quarter. And on the second play of the
Alcorn State Sports Photo
final
quarter he hit Brandon Vessel on
GIBBS: Accounts for
an
out
pattern that the wideout turned
377 total yards to win
MVP award in SWAC
up field to cover 51 yards for the final
title game.
score.
The title, the first for Alcorn State since the conference
went to the championship game format in 1999, is the Braves
first time winning the SWAC title outright since 1992. They last
shared the title with Grambling in 1994. Both previous titles
were during the Steve McNair era on The Reservation.
The title also came during the first appearance for the
Braves and for third-year head coach Jay Hopson in the title
game.
And the win gives the Braves (10-3) the top spot and the
black college national championship in the final Black College Sports Page Top Ten (see related story).

Gibbs had a 50-yard run in the games opening drive that
ended with his 12-yard TD pass to Jordan Payne. Later in the
quarter, he had a 20-yard run that led to Haiden McRaineys
34-yard field goal to go up 10-0. After a Southern field goal
cut the lead to 10-3, the Braves cashed in again following an
8-play, 73-yard drive on a 12-yard TD run by Williams.
Special teams play kept Southern in the game as Willie
Quinn took a punt back 86 yards to paydirt to get the Jags to
within 17-10 midway thru the second quarter. But Gibbs came
back to complete five passes covering 61 yards in a drive that
culminated with his 3-yard TD pass to Billy Shed to send ASU
into the break up 24-10.
Southern took the second half kickoff and scored on
Malcolm Crocketts 2-yard run to pull within 24-17. On the
ensuing Alcorn possession, the Jags blocked a punt that was
returned nine yards by Dennis Craig to tie the score at 24.
The Jags blocked a fourth quarter punt in Alcorn territory
but were stopped on fourth down at the Alcorn 13. They later
drove to the Alcorn 4 before losing a fumble at the goal line
and lost another fumble after a sack with just under four minutes left.

MEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS

Thru Games of Dec. 8, 2014

CIAA

Central Intercollegiate
Athletic Association

NORTH DIVISION

DIV CONF ALL

W L W L W L

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

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

SOUTH DIVISION

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

SIAC

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

CONF

EAST DIVISION

W L W L

Albany State
Morehouse
Claflin
Paine
Benedict
Clark Atlanta
Fort Valley State

Tuskegee
Stillman
LeMoyne-Owen
Kentucky State
Miles
Spring Hill
Lane

ALL

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

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

AZEEZ Communications, Inc.

Mid Eastern
Athletic Conference
CONF ALL
W L W L

North Carolina Central 2 0 6 3

Norfolk State
2 0 6 4
Hampton
2 0 4 5
SC State
2 0 3 5
Howard
1 1 5 5
Md. E. Shore
1 1 4 7
Coppin State
0 2 1 7
Morgan State
0 2 1 8
NC A&T State
0 2 1 9
Bethune-Cookman 0 1 3 7Florida A&M
0 1 0 8
Delaware State
0 0 4 4
Savannah State
0 0 3 7

Southern Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference

WEST DIVISION

MEAC

SWAC

Southwestern
Athletic Conference

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

Vol. XXI, No. 18

DIV
ALL
W L W L

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

3 3
2 5
2 6
1 4
1 5
1 6
1 7
1 7
1 7
1 8

It was quite a circuitous route for Alcorn

State to finish the season as the Black College
Sports Page No. 1 team.

The Braves had been out of the limelight
and not considered among the elite teams in
black college football since the days of late legendary quarterback Steve McNair.

In fact, it had been 20 years since McNair
worked his magic to get Alcorn a share of the
1994 SWAC title and finish as the third-ranked
team in that year's final BCSP Top Ten. Alcorn
State has rarely made an appearance in the Top
Ten since.

But under third-year head coach Jay Hopson, the Braves had been making strides to get
back among the elites. Last year they finished
9-3, just one game away from winning the
SWAC East Division title and seventh in our final ranking

This year they stayed in contention all year
long as five other teams occupied the No. 1 spot
and didn't become the top team until after the
season's final game.

They clinched the SWAC East Div. title in
early November and followed that up with their
second convincing win over West Division and
conference defending champ and BCSP No. 1
Southern, 38-24 Saturday in the SWAC Championship Game in Houston (see related story).

In doing so, they ascend to the final No. 1
spot in the BCSP ranking for the first time in the
21-year history of the BCSP and are declared the
BCSP national champion for 2014.

The Braves, who finished 9-3 on the season,
showed signs early of their potential to be really good, battling BCS member Southern Miss
on even terms early in the season before falling
26-20. It was a game many thought the Braves
should have won.

Alcorn State Sports photo

CELEBRATORY BATH: Alcorn State head

coach Jay Hopson is doused after the 38-24 win
over Southern Saturday in the SWAC Championship Game. By virtue of the win, Hopson and the
10-3 Braves earn the BCSP final No. 1 spot.

They were rolling along at 5-1 averaging
just under 50 points per game with convincing
wins over SWAC contenders Southern (56-16)
and Alabama State (33-7) and appeared poised
to take over the No. 1 position when they ran
into a rejuvenated Grambling State squad under new head coach Broderick Fobbs. Grambling, who had endured two of its worst years in
history on and off the gridiron, shocked Alcorn
winning 28-21 on Oct. 11.

Alcorn went back to work, averaging 50
points per game during a four-game winning
streak that followed leading to its regular season finale against struggling rival Jackson State
who had lost five of its last six games. JSU
scored two TDs in the last five minutes to pull
off a 34-31 upset.

But that didn't deter the Braves. Facing a
Southern team that had wound its way to No. 1
on the strength of a seven-game last season win
streak, they again dominated the Jags.

Southern (9-4) finished second.

Southern was one of five teams that occupied the top spot this season.

The preseason No. 1 and last year's final

No. 1, Tennessee State, faltered early losing to

Alabama State and finished at 6-6 overall well
out of the Top Ten.

Defending MEAC co-champ BethuneCookman was next. The Wildcats lost to BCS
member Central Florida and in the final minute at South Carolina State. The 'Cats later
dropped a conference game to a below-.500
Hampton team in the season's final weeks to
finish at 9-3 but with a share along with four
others of the MEAC title. B-CU finished ninth
in our final ranking.

North Carolina A&T (9-3) was next
to occupy the top spot. The Aggies only loss
through the first five games of the season was a
one-point decision (36-35) to nationally-ranked
Coastal Carolina. But they were shut out in early October by South Carolina State and then,
with a chance to seal the MEAC title, lost at
North Carolina Central to close out the season. They finished with a share of the MEAC
title and sixth in the final ranking.

With only a loss to nationally ranked Valdosta State, Winston-Salem State was next up
at No. 1. But they ran into a determined Virginia State squad in the CIAA title game. The
Trojans ended a 31-game CIAA winning streak
with a stunning 21-17 win. VSU, who went on
to win a first round NCAA Dv. II playoff game
over LIU Post, finished third in the final ranking
at 10-3. WSSU (9-2) finished tied with SIAC
champ Tuskegee (9-3) in 10th place.

Morgan State (7-6), who emerged from
the five-way tie for the MEAC title with the
league's automatic FCS playoff berth, finished
fourth. NC Central (7-5), with its strong finish,
is fifth. Grambling State (7-5), who was beaten
by Southern for the SWAC West title, is seventh.

S. C. State (8-4) and B-CU (9-3) finished at
eighth and ninth respectively.

BCSP Notes

2014 SWAC postseason football awards

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. The Southwestern Athletic Conference
released its 2014 all-conference teams Friday and saw the big winners
spread across the league with two co-players of the year. First year Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs was named Coach of the Year.

Senior running back Malcolm Cyrus of Alabama State and junior quarterback John Gibbs, Jr. from Alcorn State shared co-offensive
player of the year honors. Texas Southern defensive lineman Darian
Claiborne, and Mississippi Valley State quarterback Quantavius Peterson shared newcomer of the
year. Prairie View A&M linebacker Jerome Howard earned the defensive player of the year award,
and Western Division champion Southern's freshman quarterback Austin Howard was named freshman of the year.

Cyrus led the SWAC and finished third in the
Fobbs
nation with 1,662 yards rushing, scoring 12 touchdowns. The senior also caught 28 passes for another 380 yards and a
score. After clocking an additional 34 yards in kick returns, Cyrus finished with over 2,000 all-purpose yards, fourth best in the nation.

Gibbs led the Braves to an Eastern Division title and the teams
first berth to the conference championship game. He completed 169-of294 passes for a total of 2,237 yards, 18 touchdowns and has been intercepted only six times. His dominance in the air was only matched by his
ability to leave the pocket as he rushed for a career-high 874 yards (5th in
the SWAC) this season and another 11 touchdowns. He ranks third in the
league in passing efficiency.

Prairie View's Howard led all defensive players averaging 11.8
tackles per game. He finished fifth nationally in total tackles with 118,
second in the league. The linebacker is also ranked in the top 10 in the
SWAC for tackles for loss and sacks. He earned 10-plus tackles in eight
of the team's 10 games. The preseason All-SWAC first teamer has also
earned College Football Performance Award weekly honors this season.

Claiborne stepped up in the Tigers front seven and immediately
began to make an impact. He led with a team-high 77 tackles. He had five
tackles for loss and also grabbed an interception this season. Peterson,
who has earned SWAC newcomer of the week honors, finished the year
with 874 passing yards and six touchdowns. The quarterback also rushed
297 yards and five touchdowns.

Southern's Howard led the Jaguars to their second consecutive
SWAC Championship appearance as a true freshman. He has thrown for
over 2,100 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. Howard passed for over
200 yards in five games and closed out the regular season with four rushing touchdowns.

In his first season, Fobbs led Grambling State back to league relevance with a 7-5 overall record and 7-2 conference mark, good for sec-

Cyrus

Gibbs Jr.

Jerome Howard

ond-place in the SWAC West Division after losing a close game to Southern in the final regular season game for the division title. This turnaround
comes after two losing seasons and turmoil in the storied program.
SWAC 2014 Football All-Conference Teams
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Malcolm Cyrus, Sr., RB (Alabama State)
John Gibbs Jr., Jr., QB (Alcorn State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jerome Howard, Sr., LB (Prairie View A&M)
CO-NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Darian Claiborne, So., LB (Texas Southern)
Quantavius Peterson, Jr., QB (Mississippi Valley State)
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Austin Howard, Fr., QB (Southern)
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
QB- John Gibbs, Jr., Jr., ALC
DL - Arthur Miley, Sr., SU
RB - Malcolm Cyrus, Sr., ALS
DL - Deion Roberson, Sr., ALC
RB - Johnt Hebert, Jr., PV
DL - Demarcus Berry, Jr., UAPB
OL - DeWayne Houston, Sr., SU
DL - Darien Moody, Sr., ALC
OL - Zach Brown, Sr., SU LB - Jerome Howard, Sr., PV
OL - Isaac Sampson, Jr., ALC LB - Kourtney Berry, So., ALS
OL - Tre Glover, R-Sr., PV LB - Danny Brownell, Sr., PV
OL - Damina Love, Jr., ALS
DB - Devon Francois, Sr., ALS
WR - Julian Stafford, Sr., MVSU
DB - Najee Bright, Jr., ALS
WR - Willie Quinn, Jr., SU
DB - Warren Gatewood, Jr., ALC
TE - Jordan Payne, Jr., ALC
DB - Kevin Rucker, Jr., UAPB
SPECIAL TEAMS
K - Chris Barrick, Fr., PV
P - Corey Carter, Jr., TSU
RS - Johnt Hebert, Jr., PV
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE DEFENSE
QB - Johnathan Williams, Jr., GSU
DL - Anthony Lanier, Fr., AA&M
QB - La Montiez Ivy, So., JSU
DL - Edward Mosley, Sr., ALS
RB - Lenard Tillery, So., ALC
DL - Devohn Reed, Fr., PV
OL - Demechery Hickingbottom, Sr., ALS
DL - Gabe Echols, Jr., SU
OL - Detonio Dade, So., ALC LB - Damon Watkins, Jr., ALC
OL - Dillon Bonnet, Sr., PV LB - Willie Duncan, So., UAPB
OL - Jonathan Smith, Sr., JSU LB - Ariane McCree, Sr., JSU
OL - Marcus Cook, So., JSU
DB - Danny Johnson, Fr., SU
WR - Daniel Williams, So., JSU
DB - Avery Boykin, Sr., MVSU
WR - Willie Young, So., UAPB
DB - Damond Jackson, Fr., PV
TE - Natron Brooks, So., MVSU
DB - Tray Walker, Sr., TSU
SPECIAL TEAMS
K - Ryan Deising, Jr., JSU
K - Haiden McCraney, So., ALC
P - Haiden McCraney, So., ALC
RS - Willie Quinn, Jr., SU