Roscoe - Breaks Down HSRN's Div. I FCS Top-10 - Will S.C. State Stay Top Dogs In 2010?

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Fri, Aug 20, 2010 > 9:56am

The HSRN 2010 Division I preseason top 10 is a roundup of the usual suspects. Nine of the 10 were in the top 10 at the end of the 2009. Nos. 1-4 – South Carolina State, Prairie View A&M, Florida A&M and Grambling State, in that order – are unchanged, and any one of that quartet could emerge as National Champion at the end of the season. No. 9 Hampton is the only newcomer to the top 10. The Pirates replace Southern University, which

changed coaches during the offseason. The Jaguars dumped Pete Richardson after 17 seasons and brought in Stump Mitchell.

South Carolina State appears to have the talent to hold on to its No. 1 ranking and repeat as National Champion. Quarterback Malcolm Long returns for his senior season, and third as the starter, after setting school records for pass attempts, completions, passing yards and completions in 2009. The Bulldogs, the two-time defending MEAC champions, also have four preseason all-conference offensive linemen returning, including 2009 MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year Johnny Culbreath. They, however, must replace running back Will Ford, the MEAC career rushing leader, and their top three pass receivers.

“It’s all about whether we can find the pieces to fill those holes,’’ Bulldogs coach Buddy Pough says. “I’m Surprised we were selected with the people lost. South Carolina State has a championship caliber defense that is anchored by a solid corps of experienced linebackers. David Erby is coming off an All-American season. Marshall McFadden is healthy after missing last season with ankle injury.

The Bulldogs have a 19-game winning streak in the MEAC. Their biggest challenge will come in October when they play No. 3 Florida A&M, No.7 Norfolk State and No. 9 Hampton. The season finale against North Carolina A&T will be another difficult game.

No. 2 Prairie View A&M proved that it was not a one-hit wonder in 2009 by winning the SWAC championship for the first time in 45 seasons and putting together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since they had consecutive 5-3-1 records in 1965 and ’66. The Panthers finished second to South Carolina State last season but might well have been No. 1 had it not been for a 21-18 loss to New Mexico State, their only defeat.

September should tell the tale of Prairie View’s national championship aspirations. The Panthers open the season against in-state rival Texas Southern, No. 7 in the HSRN preseason poll, and a team to watch in the SWAC Western Division race, in the Labor Day Classic Sept. 5. They play Southern Mississippi, an FBS opponent, the following week and end the month against No. 4 Grambling State in the State Fair Classic in Dallas Sept. 25. If the Panthers blink, they could have three losses going into October and be virtually eliminated from the SWAC race as well as the national title picture.

With 47 lettermen and 15 starters returning, Prairie View has the experience needed to mount a serious challenge for No. 1. Quarterback K.J. Black, the 2009 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year and 8-0 as the starter, returns. All-SWAC running back Donald Babers, who rushed for 919 yards and nine touchdowns, takes pressure off the passing game. The Panthers are solid on defense too with seven starters returning from the unit that allowed just 16.6 points a game.

No. 3 Florida A&M has made steady progress in Joe Taylor’s two season at the helm. But the Rattlers haven’t been able to beat South Carolina State recently regardless who has coached them. They have dropped seven in a row to the Bulldogs. Their Oct. 2 showdown in Tallahassee will have huge implications as far as the MEAC and national championship pictures are concerned. The Rattlers open the season at Miami Sept. 2. A good showing against the Hurricanes could set the table for a special season.

In order for Florida A&M to make a run at either or both titles, quarterback Martin Ukpai has to come up big as he replaces quarterback Curtis Pulley, the 2009 MEAC Offensive Player of the Year. Pulley was the Rattlers’ leading rusher and passer. Ukpai had 284 yards total offense against Bethune-Cookman in the 2009 Florida Classic in his first collegiate start.

Grambling State, No. 4, faltered after being the preseason pick to win the 2009 National Championship. The G-Men opened the season with a 34-31 loss to South Carolina State. The G-Men went on to allow 293 points (26.6 a game) – an uncharacteristically high number for them – and finished 7-4. Coach Rod Broadway is changing defensive philosophy this season. He is a demanding that the Tigers be more aggressive, and he says they will play at attacking style rather than reading and reacting to the offense.

The G-Men, No. 4 this preseason, got a scare during training camp when All-American defensive end Christian Anthony was hospitalized with chest pains. His status for the season is uncertain.

Offensively the G-Men will play more ball control with their ground game, spearheaded running backs Frank Warren and Cornelius Walker, while they break in first-year starting quarterback Danny Reyes.

No. 5 Norfolk State is optimistic that this will be its breakthrough year. The Spartans have 45 lettermen and 14 starters from a squad that finished 2009 by winning five of its last six games, including the last four in a row. Coach Pete Adrian has the most experience team of his six-year. Running back Angelo Branch is the Spartans’ top offensive gun. He rushed for 922 yards and 11 touchdowns and accounted for 1,172 all-purpose yards in 2009. If the Spartans’ can come up with and adequate replacement for quarterback Dennis Brown and develop a passing game, they could very well finish the season higher than their No. 5 preseason ranking.

The Spartans play South Carolina State, Hampton and Florida A&M all in a row starting Oct. 9 in a three-game stretch that will determine what kind of season they have.

Alabama A&M, No. 6, benefits from playing in the weak SWAC Eastern Division where they were the only team with a .500 or better record in 2009. The Bulldogs need to find a replacement for All-SWAC running back Ulysses Banks and develop a ground game. Quarterback Deaunte Mason took over the starting job in the fourth game last season and should be ready to blossom. The defense looks solid enough to keep the Bulldogs in most games.

Texas Southern was the surprise team in black college football in 2009. The Tigers were No. 9 in the HSRN top 10 with a 6-5 record. It was their first winning season in a decade. They have the necessary ingredients – an experienced quarterback in Arvell Nelson and a tough defense – to stay in the rankings.

However, their schedule makes things dicey, starting with No. 2 Prairie View in the Labor Day Classic. The No. 7 Tigers also play UConn, No. 6 Alabama A&M and Tuskegee, the No. 1 team in Division II, in September. They end the season with back-to-back games against No. 4 Grambling and No. 10. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. With that schedule, the Tigers could actually be one of the better teams in black college football and not have the record to show it.

No. 8 Morgan State perennially seems to be on the verge of having a big season but has yet to get it done. Coach Donald Hill-Eley has lots of holes to fill with the loss of quarterback Donovan Dickerson and running back Domanick West on offense and defensive end Justin Lawrence and linebacker George Howard, a pair of All-Americans, on the other side of the ball. Still, the Bears should manage another six-or seven-win season.

Hampton has a ways to go before recapturing the glory that it enjoyed during the middle of last decade. Coach Donovan Rose overhauled his staff in an effort to turn things around after consecutive 5-6 seasons. He brought back Fred Kaiss as offensive coordinator and promoted Keith Goganious to defensive coordinator. He also brought in newcomers Shannon Harris, quarterback coach; coach Charles Huff, offensive line coach Michael Villagrana tight ends coach, and Delbert Cowsette, defensive line coach.

Kaiss installed a variation of the spread offense to add firepower to an attack that averaged just 19.5 points a game. The Pirates hope quarterback Herbert Bynes is fully recovered from an ankle that set him back last season and that he returns to the form that saw him set a school record with 2,713 passing yards in 2008.

The schedule isn’t conducive to the Pirates making a lot of noise. They play South Carolina State, Florida A&M and Morgan State on the road.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff rounds out the top 10. The Golden Lions showed marked improvement in 2009 and look like a team on the rise. Even though 15 starters return, they are likely to be hard-pressed to improve on their 5-5 record. The Golden Lions open the season with four consecutive road games. Their first home game is Oct. 9 against Prairie View.