2016 Albany State Golden Rams vs. Valdosta State Univ. Official Game Notes September 3, 2016 2016 Albany State Golden Rams Football º Game Notes º Game 1 vs. Valdosta State º Sept. 3 º 7:00 p.m. º Valdosta GA Albany State Football ASU Sports Information Stan McCormick, Sports Information Director 504 College Drive Office: (229) 420-7013 Albany, GA 31705 Fax: (229) 434-7049 Website: www.asugoldenrams.com Facebook: ASU Ram Nation Twitter: @ASUGoldenRams Instagram: @asu_ram_nation Snapchat: asuramnation03 YouTube: ASU Ram Nation 2016 Albany State Schedule 2016 ASU Football: Game 1 @ Valdosta State Date Opponent Time/Result Sept. 3 @Valdosta State 7 p.m. Albany State will kick off its 2016 season when it faces an old state rival. The Golden Rams will visit the Valdosta State Blazers at Sept. 10 Tuskegee Univ. 5 p.m. Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Ga. at 7 p.m. This will be Sept. 17 Southeastern Univ. 7 p.m. the 17 meeting between the two programs. The Blazers hold a 16-1 Sept. 24 Univ. of West Georgia 7 p.m. series edge. The Golden Rams lost to VSU 21-13 in the season Oct. 1 Miles College 7 p.m. opener of the 2015 season, which was held in Albany, Ga. Oct. 8 Charleston Southern 11:45 a.m. Albany State returns an abundance of veteran players on both Oct. 15 @Morehouse College 2 p.m. offense and defense. The Gold Rush Offense will be led by junior Oct. 22 Clark Atlanta Univ. 2 p.m. running back Jarvis Small, who generated another solid season in Oct. 29 @Benedict College 2 p.m. 2015. Small rushed for 1,073 yards and 11 touchdowns, and gar- Nov. 7 Fort Valley State 2 p.m. nered the SIAC Offensive Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive year. All-conference offensive lineman Javoris Wilburn also returns, along with fellow starting lineman Tedrick Coffield. 2016 Valdosta State Schedule Senior Caleb Edmonds will direct the ASU offense from quarter- Sept. 3 Albany State Univ. 7:00 p.m. back position once again. Last season, he complete 148 passes out Sept. 17 @North Alabama 7:00 p.m. for 300 attempts for 1,761 yards and seven touchdowns. Top wide Sept. 24 Univ. of West Florida 7:00 p.m. Quadrey Simmons is also back, along with kicker Stefan White- head. Oct. 1 Kentucky State Univ. 2:00 p.m. On defense, All-SIAC defensive lineman Grover Stewart will lead Oct. 8 Univ. of West Georgia 7:00 p.m. the perennially sound ASU defense. He led the team in total sacks Oct. 15 @Mississippi College 4:00 p.m. in 2015 and has been named to the D2Football.com All-American Oct. 22 Delta State Univ. 3:00 p.m. Team. Returning starters Zavondric Shingleton and Zane Fields will Oct. 29 @Florida Tech 7:00 p.m. anchor the Golden Rams’ linebacker core. Defensive backs Nick Nov. 5 @West Alabama 3:00 p.m. Scott, Marquiz Hodo and Ryan Selby return to the ASU secondary. Nov. 12 Shorter University 7:00 p.m. Valdosta State will enter the game under the leadership of new head coach Kerwin Bell. Wide receivers Dallas Baldner and Do- navan Bolden are the top returnees on offense, along with quarter- How Can I Stay Connected? back Roland Rivers. Radio: KISS FM 98.1 Streaming: http://esenetworks.com/page.aspx? id=5847&page-id=5875 Internet: http://kissalbany.iheart.com/main.html ASU Golden Rams VSU Blazers Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/valdosta/ 2015 Record: 6-4 (4-0 SIAC) 2015 Record: 9-3 (5-2) football/ Coach: Dan Land Coach: Kerwin Bell Career Record: 6-4 (2nd Season) Career Record: 0-0 (1st Season) Facebook: ASU Ram Nation Record: 0-0, 0-0 SIAC Record: 0-0, 0-0 GSC Twitter: @ASUGoldenRams Ranking: Receiving Ranking: #Receiving SIAC Champions: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010 THE HEAD COACHES Dan Land is no stranger to ASU athletics, as he enters his second year as the ASU Head Football coach. Overall, Land is entering his 15th season as a Golden Rams coach. Land joined the ASU Golden Rams football squad as a running back in 1983 and enjoyed a stellar football career. Land earned honors in high school, collegiate and professional ath- letics. In 1984, he was part of the first S.I.A.C Football Championship team at Albany State College. In his first season, Land led the Golden Rams to a 6-4 overall record and a appearance in the SIAC Championship game. Land's interest in football sparked when he joined the 1979 Seminole County High School Indians football team, where he was a four-year letterman and all-star running and defensive back. As an Albany State Golden Ram, Land was a two-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Dan Land Athletic Conference (SIAC) team member. He led the Rams in rushing as a junior with Albany State 1,299 yards and 1,396 yards as a senior. He also led the team and the SIAC in rushing touchdowns. His collegiate success led him to the National Football League (NFL). The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him as a running back in 1987, and he later played with the Oakland Raiders as a defensive back. Land, who earned his graduate and undergraduate degrees from ASU, served as director of athletics at Albany State from November 1998 until June 2001. Land is also an instructor in ASU's Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. In 2005, Land was inducted into the Albany State University’s Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church of Albany, Ga. where he serves as a member of the Deacon Board. Land and his wife, former ASU cheerleader Theresa Spurlin, are the parents of two daughters, Dannisha and Mimeaux, and one son Dan Land, Jr. and a grandson named Lathan. Dannisha is also an ASU graduate. His daughter Mimeaux attends Clemson University where she is a member of the Lady Tigers' track & field team. Dan Land, Jr. is a sophomore at Westover Comprehensive High School where he also plays on the Patriots football team. Kerwin Bell, a Mayo, Fla. native and graduate of Lafayette County High School, joins the program with extensive coaching experience after having coached at Jacksonville Uni- versity for nine years, while leading the NCAA Football Championship Series program to a 66-35 record during his time there. Under his direction, the Dolphins won two Pioneer Foot- ball League championships, set a PFL record with 16 consecutive wins, and led the team to the best record in school history during the Dolphins' 10-1 run in 2010. His responsibilities at JU included roles as the team's offensive coordinator and quarter- backs coach. Bell's coaching experience dates back to 1990, when he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach under Steve Spurrier at the University of Florida, where he also played from 1983-87 while earning a Psychology degree and serving as the team's quarterback. In his four years as a Gator, Bell constructed a career that consisted of an SEC Freshman of the Year honor in 1984 after leading the Gators to a 9-1-1 record. He accumu- Kerwin Bell lated 7,586 career passing yards and 56 touchdowns in his time at Florida, which ultimately Valdosta State landed him in the UF Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. After completing a professional playing career in the 1990's that included time in the Na- tional Football League, the Canadian Football League, and the World League of American Football, Bell returned to a coaching career as an offensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts, where he served for two seasons before coach- ing at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla. until his time began at JU, where he posted 9-2 records in both 2014 and 2015. SIAC Champions: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010 2016 Albany State University Football Quick Facts CONTACT INFORMATION ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION Athletics Department: 229-430-4754 Director: Stan McCormick Athletics Communication: 229-420-7013 Office Number: 229-420-7013 Athletics Compliance: 229-430-1394 Email: [email protected] Fax: 229-434-7049 MULTI- & SOCIAL MEDIA Athletics Website: www.asugoldenrams.com COACHING STAFF Athletics Facebook: ASU Ram Nation Head Coach: Dan Land (Albany State) Athletics Twitter: @ASUGoldenRams Record at ASU: 6-4 (2nd Season) Athletics Instagram: @asu_ram_nation Career Record: 6-4 (2nd Season) Athletics Snapchat: asuramnation03 Assistant Coach: Steve Smith, Offensive Coordinator Athletics YouTube: ASU Ram Nation Assistant Coach: Charles Huff, Defensive Coordinator Assistant Coach: Anthony Kelly, Wide Receivers UNIVIVERSITY Assistant Coach: Kaream Hess, Running Backs Location: Albany, Georgia Assistant Coach: Chris Henderson, Defensive Backs Founded: 1903 Assistant Coach: Uyl Joyner, Quarterbacks Enrollment: 3,500 Assistant Coach: Bokowski Daniels, Def. Linemen President: Dr. Arthur N. Dunning Assistant Coach: Damian Goosby, Graduate Assistant Nickname: Golden Rams Assistant Coach: Alex Williams, Graduate Assistant Colors: Royal Blue & Gold Conference: SIAC SUPPORT STAFF Affiliation: NCAA Division II Head Athletic Trainer:Chauncey Keith Facility: Albany State Univ. Coliseum Asst. Athletic Trainer: Will Sells Capacity/Field: 10,000/Natural Grass Ticket Manager: Sharon Smith Press Box Phone: 229-430-3674 Band Director: Michael Decuir Academic Advisor: Fred Suttles FOOTBALL INFORMATION Cheerleading Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Harrison-Dyer 2015 Overall Record: 6-4 Cheer Coaches: Portia Smith & Ashley Chunn 2015 SIAC Record: 4-0 Photographer: Reginald Christian Postseason Appearance: SIAC Championship Game 2015 Letterman Returning: 39 TOP RETURNING PLAYERS (OFFENSE) 2015 Starters Returning: 12 (6 Offense, 6 Defense) Rushing 2015 Starters Lost: 9 (3 Offense, 6 Defense) G Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Lg Ypg First Year of Football: 1945 Jarvis Small 10 219 1073 36 1037 4.7 11 49 103.7 All-Time Football Record: 390-251-20 Caleb Edmonds 10 97 456 190 266 2.7 2 47 26.6 Dalviness Green 8 58 224 27 197 3.4 3 19 24.6 Conference Titles (last): 15 (2013) National Titles (last): 1 (2010) Passing Postseason Appearances: 17 G Eff C-A-I Pct Yds TD Lg Avg Caleb Edmonds 10 99.01 148-300-11 49.3 1761 7 63 176.1 ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATION Director of Athletics: Sherie Gordon Receiving Sports Information Director: Stan McCormick G No.