SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE 2015 FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE - AUGUST 31 WWW.SWAC.ORG Football Contact: Jasher Cox • Offi ce: (205) 251-7573 ext 2247 • E-mail: [email protected] CONFERENCE NEWS & NOTES 2015 CONFERENCE & OVERALL STANDINGS • Four out of the weekend’s 10 opening games are tele- EASTERN DIVISION vised nationally. Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, Grambling State, Prairie View, Texas Southern and Arkansas Pine Conference Points Overall Points Bluff are all featured Team W L T For Opp Pct W L T For Opp Pct Alabama A&M 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • The football championship game will be held at NRG Sta- Alabama State 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 dium for the third consectutive season. The 2015 Toyota Alcorn State 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 SWAC Football Championship is scheduled for Saturday, Jackson State 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 December 5. Tickets are on sale now Mississippi Valley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • Defending Southwestern Athletic Conference football champion, Alcorn State, will open the 2015 campaign against No. 16/AP No.17/Coaches Poll Georgia Tech. WESTERN DIVISION Since the inception of the SWAC football championship, Conference Points Overall Points this is the fi rst time a defending conference champion has Team W L T For Opp Pct W L T For Opp Pct opened the ensuing season at a ranked FBS opponent Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Grambling State 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • For the predicted order of fi nish in both divisions, the Prairie View A&M 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 defending champion Alcorn State Braves totaled 95 votes Southern 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 including 10 fi rst place votes to become the preseason fa- Texas Southern 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 vorite out of the East Division. Jackson State followed with 83 points, Alabama A&M gathered 66 points, with Alabama State (50) and Mississippi Valley State (31) closing the di- 2015 FINAL WEEK RESULTS WEEK 1 SCHEDULE vision’s preseason ranking THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 3 Alcorn State at Georgia Tech • In the West Division, Grambling State totaled 93 points Atlanta, Ga. with eight fi rst-place votes. Southern received 91 points 6:30 p.m. - TV: ESPN 3 followed by Prairie View (72), Texas Southern (40) and Ar- kansas Pine Bluff (34) SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 5 Southern at Louisiana Tech • Top Leaders Returning - Rushing Yards: Johnta Hebert Ruston, La. 1,063 (PVAMU), Lenard Tillery 1,196 (SUBR), 6:00 p.m. Passing Yards: LaMontiez Ivy 3,209 (JKST), Johnathan Williams 2,454 (GSU), Daniel Duhart 2,318 (ASU), John Mississippi Valley State at New Mexico Gibbs Jr. 2,482 (ALCN), Austin Howard 2,334 (SUBR), Albuquerque, N.M. Jamal Small 904 (TSU), Recievers - Dan Williams 990 6:00 p.m. yards (JKST), Willie Quinn 892 (SUBR), Willie Young 772 (UAPB) Tackles - Kourtney Berry 128 (ALST), Willie Dun- Grambling State at California can 118 (UAPB), Javancy Jones 107 (JKST) Berkley, Calif. 4:00 p.m. TV: Pac -12 Network • Jackson State’s 5-7 record in 2014 was its fi rst losing sea- son in four years Jackson State at Middle Tennessee Murfressboro, Tenn. • Arkansas-Pine Bluff represents the conference in this 6:00 p.m. year’s 11 Annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney. The Golden Lions will face South Carolina State at Alabama A&M at Cincinnati 2:30 p.m. on ESPN in Orlando at Florida Citrus Bowl Cincinnati, Ohio 6:00 p.m. - TV: ESPN 3 • Brothers Brower: Alabama A&M linebacker Bryan Brower led the bulldogs with 83 tackles last season. Do not con- Prairie View vs. Texas Southern (Labor Day Classic) fuse him with his twin brother of the same name that plays Houston, Texas running back at AAMU 8:00 p.m. FOLLOW THE SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 6 Arkanas Pine Bluff vs. South Carolina State WWW.SWAC.ORG 11th Annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge facebook.com/theswac Orlando, Fla. 2:30 p.m. TV: ESPN - WATCHESPN twitter.com/theswac Alabama State at Tennessee State youtube.com/user/swacsports1920 Nashville, Tenn. 6:00 p.m. Instagram- @theswac HONOR THE HERITAGE • FOUNDED 1920 • 12 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMERS • 15 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WEEKLY RELEASE - WEEK 1 2 CONFERENCE NEWS & NOTES SWAC / NFL / COLLEGE HALL OF FAME 2015 SWAC PRESEASON FOOTBALL TEAMS • Drafted 136th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, Tray Walker be- Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: came the fi rst Texas Southern player to be drafted since wide John Gibbs Jr (QB) - Alcorn State Kourtney Berry (LB) - Alabama State receiver Joey Jamison went to the Green Bay Packers in the fi fth round in 2000. He is the highest draft pick for the school FIRST TEAM OFFENSE SECOND TEAM OFFENSE since center Joe Burch went in the third round to the New En- QB John Gibbs Jr. Alcorn State QB Johnathan Williams Grambling State gland Patriots in 1994. RB Lenard Tillery Southern QB LaMontiez Ivy Jackson State RB Johnta’ Hebert Prairie View RB Brian Handley Arkansas Pine Bluff • A total of 516 players from the SWAC’s current member in- WR Daniel Williams Jackson State RB Arron Baker Alcorn State situtions have played at least one season or game during the WR Willie Quinn Southern WR Demario Bell Alabama State NFL season. 514 - includes players that played in the SWAC TE Jordan Payne Alcorn State WR Willie Young Arkansas Pine Bluff during the 50s and 60s when their institutions were once mem- OL Marcus Cook Jackson State TE Natron Brooks Mississippi Valley State bers of the league. OL Damian Love Alabama State OL Sean Brown Mississippi Valley State OL Glen Haisley Prairie View OL Terrell Lee Southern • There are 13 active players on NFL rosters. OL Anthony Mosley Southern OL Jordan Johnson Prairie View OL Jylan Ware Alabama State OL Glenn Jackson Texas Southern Robert Mathis - LB (Indianapolis Colts - Alabama A&M) PK Ryan Deising Jackson State OL Courtney Brown Alabama A&M Frank Kearse - DE (Washington Redskins - Alabama A&M) P Cory Carter Texas Southern PK Haiden McCraney Alcorn State Jamaal Johnson Webb OL (New York Giants-Alabama A&M) RS Johnta’ Hebert Prairie View P Haiden McCraney Alcorn State Isaiah Crowell - RB (Cleveland Brown - Alabama State) RS Willie Quinn Southern Tarvaris Jackson - QB (Seattle Seahawks - Alabama State) FIRST TEAM DEFENSE Greg Jenkins - WR (Jacksonville Jaguars - Alabama State) DL Anthony Lanier Alabama A&M SECOND TEAM DEFENSE Terron Jones - OL (Atlanta Falcons - Alabama State) DL Darien Moody Alcorn State DL Javonte Williams Grambling State Larry Donnell - TE (New York Giants - Grambling State) DL Demarcus Berry Arkansas Pine Bluff DL Jamison Goins Grambling State Jason Hatcher- DE (Washington Redskins - Grambling State) DL Devohn Reed Prairie View DL Amir Bloom Texas Southern RaShaun Allen - TE (Seattle Seahawks - Southern) LB Damon Watkins Alcorn State DL Gabe Echols Southern Arthur Miley - DE (Carolina Panthers - Southern) LB Willie Duncan Arkansas Pine Bluff LB Daerius Washington Alabama State Tray Walker - DB (Baltimore Ravens - Texas Southern) LB Kourtney Berry Alabama State LB Henry Taylor Grambling State Isiah Ferguson - WR (St. Louis Rams - Arkansas Pine Bluff) DB Danny Johnson Southern LB Javancy Jones Jackson State DB Damond Jackson Prairie View DB Anthony Williams Alcorn State DB Warren Gatewood Alcorn State DB Robert Porter Jackson State DB Kevin Rucker Arkansas Pine Bluff DB Dionte McDuffy Southern DB Charles Moore Mississippi Valley State 2015 SWAC PRESEASON PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH WEST DIVISION EAST DIVISION 1. Grambling State 93(14) 1. Alcorn State 95 (15) 2. Southern 91 (6) 2. Jackson State 83 (9) 3. Prairie View A&M 72 (3) 3. Alabama A&M 66 4. Texas Southern 40 (1) 4. Alabama State 50 5. Arkansas Pine Bluff 34 5. Mississippi Valley State 31 SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COACHING RECORDS Alabama A&M PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME (13) James Spady - Record at A&M 4-8 (2nd year); Overall 4-8 (2nd year) GRAMBLING STATE (4): Willie Brown, Buck Buchanan, Wil- lie Davis, Charlie Joiner - JACKSON STATE (3): Lem Barney, Alabama State Walter Payton, Jackie Slater - MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE Brian Jenkins - Record at ASU 0-0 (1st year); Overall 46-14 (6th year) (2): Jerry Rice, David “Deacon” Jones - PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (1): Ken Houston - SOUTHERN (2): Mel Blount, Aeneas Alcorn State Williams - TEXAS SOUTHERN (1): Michael Strahan Jay Hopson - Record at ASU 23-13 (4th year); Overall 23-13 (4th year) COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME (15) Arkansas-Pine Bluff Buck Buchanan - Grambling State, Kevin Dent - Jackson Monte Coleman - Record at UAPB: 35-43 (8th year); Overall: 35-43 (8th year) State , Gary Johnson - Grambling State, Walter Payton - Jackson State, Jerry Rice - Mississippi Valley State, Willie Grambling State Richardson - Jackson State, Willie Totten - Mississippi Valley Broderick Fobbs - Record at GSU 7-5 (2nd year); Overall 7-5 (2nd year) State, Doug Williams - Grambling State, Paul “Tank” Young- er - Grambling State, Coach Marino Casem - Alabama State / Jackson State Alcorn State, /Southern, W. C. Gorden - Jackson State, John Harold Jackson - Record at JSU 5-7 (2nd year); Overall 5-7 (2nd year) Merritt - Jackson State / Tennessee State, William J. Nicks - Morris Brown / Prairie View A&M, Doug Porter - Mississippi Mississippi Valley State Valley State, /Howard / Fort Valley State, Eddie Robinson - Rick Comegy - Record at MVSU 2-9 (2nd year); Overall 57-44 (10th year) Grambling State Prairie View A&M Willie Simmons - Record at PVAM 0-0 (1st year); Overall 0-0 (1st year) Southern Dawson Odums - Record at SU 22-13 (4th Year); Overall 22-13 (4th year) Texas Southern Darrell Asberry - Record at TSU 9-24 (4th year); Overall 9-24 (4th year) HONOR THE HERITAGE • FOUNDED 1920 • 12 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMERS • 15 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WEEKLY RELEASE - WEEK 1 3 NATIONAL POLLS PRESEASON ALL SWAC/ ALL AMERICANS 2015 FCS COACHES POLL The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its 2015 Gibbs along with Prairie View running back Johnta’ Hebert 1.