Wait for greatness?: Reports have Clarett pondering move to GSU
September 9, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling State's Doug Williams spent all day talking about Maurice Clarett - perhaps the nation's best collegiate runner, but perhaps one without a school.
A writer from ESPN called. Some of Williams' friends in the National Football League, too. And a lot - a whole lot - of college representatives.
Both Williams and GSU athletics director Albert Dennis confirmed that they had not heard from the sophomore running back on Monday.
In fact, the only person Williams didn't talk to, he joked, was Clarett.
"That's been the talk of the day," Williams said, chuckling. "We've gotten calls from all over."
Clarett helped lead Ohio State to its first national championship since 1970 last season - and has been in trouble with the NCAA ever since.
Still, when the ESPN guy called, GSU's sixth-year coach was typically blunt: "I don't think a headache comes with the kid. He didn't shoot anybody. They didn't arrest him for drugs. He didn't rape anybody. Ain't no problem with the kid."
The New York Times broke a story this summer indicating that Clarett could have received preferential help with exams last season. Then the NCAA made inquiries into gifts that Clarett allegedly received that could be related to a possible relationship with an agent.
Clarett was held out of practices, then suspended for six games.
Next came a traffic stop, one where Clarett said he was "test driving" a car that was suspiciously loaded to the roof with video and stereo equipment. Then he gave a false report concerning who the stuff belonged to.
The NCAA is now investigating that - and there is some indication that Ohio State isn't optimistic about Clarett's eventual return.
News reports had Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel staging a team picture this Wednesday - with no spot saved for the troubled running back.
In steps NFL legend Jim Brown, who has become an advisor for the Clarett family - and is a friend of Doug Williams'.
On a Saturday night radio program, Brown strongly suggested - should Clarett be declared ineligible for the Buckeyes - that he consider transfer to Grambling State.
"I think that if the Claretts would consider transferring, Grambling would be an ideal situation for the kid," Brown told ESPN Radio's Bob Valvano. "Doug Williams is a great coach. He could hone his game. He'd be in school. It's a great situation. Doug would be perfect for the kid, but that's up to him and his mother."
If Clarett were to transfer down to I-AA Grambling, he would have to sit out the remainder of the 2003 season - but could start in 2004, setting himself up for a look in the NFL draft the following spring.
The earliest Clarett could be in Black and Gold would be the spring game of 2004 - but only after first serving whatever NCAA sanctions are eventually handed down. He would also have to enroll this year, and remain eligible to play throughout his suspension.
Williams says to be mentioned as a possible landing spot for what many thought would be a Heisman Trophy candidate speaks volumes about where the program is headed - and where it's been.
A third-straight Southwestern Athletic Conference championship in 2002 was just the latest signature moment, he reminds, in a Grambling State legacy that includes countless NFL draftees - and four Pro Football Hall of Famers.
"Grambling brings national visibility," Williams said, "even if we are I-AA. Scouts are coming here every day. That means he's getting everything that he would have gotten there - except 100,000 people at the game."
The talk of a new running back of Clarett's talent and speed would be welcome news for GSU team that's always trying to balance its offense.
Quarterback Bruce Eugene led Division I-AA in total offense and points scored - but he was also the team's second leading rusher. That trend remained on Saturday in the Tigers' first SWAC game of the year.
Williams can only imagine what it would mean to have Eugene handing off instead to Clarett - who had 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
"We don't have a Maurice Clarrett. It would be a big difference," Williams said. "It would take a lot of pressure off of Bruce. There's nothing I can do, but keep my phone line clear."
With that, Williams - understandably - excused himself and hung up.
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Ohio State officially releases Clarett, sparking local interest
September 10, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - The first in a sequence of events that could bring one of the nation's best collegiate running backs to an area school has happened.
Tuesday, Ohio State released Maurice Clarett - the hero of the Buckeyes' national championship game earlier this year - from his scholarship with the school. The move came hours after Clarett was charged with lying about items stolen from him in a borrowed car - part of a string of off-field problems since the Fiesta Bowl.
Northeastern Louisiana entered the narrative when the Clarett family's adviser in this matter, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, encouraged Clarett to transfer to Grambling State University - should he be released by Ohio State.
That happened on Tuesday - though NCAA penalties have yet to be decided.
Brown suggested Clarett's transfer over the weekend on an ESPN radio program, though no one at Grambling State has yet heard from him or his family.
"We could use him," said sixth-year GSU coach Doug Williams. "I don't think Ohio State would have won the national championship without Maurice Clarett."
Williams entered a Tuesday news conference dominated by talk of Clarett carrying a Tigers jersey with No. 13 on it. "That's what he would wear," he joked. "Isn't that what most of the questions will be about?"
Williams didn't have any more information about the possible move - though he met with his offensive coaches to discuss the possibility of having the talented rusher join the Tigers, who have just begun defending their third-consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference title.
"It would alter our offense to more of a running attack," Williams said, "and would take some pressure off of (junior quarterback) Bruce Eugene. It would give us a chance to win a fourth straight."
Clarett was charged, according to the Associated Press, with misdemeanor falsification, said Columbus, Ohio, city spokesman Scott Varner. If convicted, Clarett could face up to six months in a jail and a $1,000 fine.
Clarett had already been suspended indefinitely by the team after charges of academic irregularities and improper gifts. Ohio State has been working for more than two weeks on a response to several pages of allegations sent by the NCAA to the university.
New allegations of cash transactions were raised by a Cleveland television station on Monday. "It's out of our hands," Williams said of the latest charges. "That would be up to the NCAA."
If Clarett transferred to another Division I-A school, he would have to sit out a year in addition to any suspension or ineligibility handed down by the NCAA. He could transfer to a Division I-AA, II or III and be immediately eligible to play after the possible penalties.
Williams said Tuesday that he learned about Jim Brown's suggestion of a transfer - and of each new wrinkle in the Clarett case - from the Internet and news reports. He said Brown's faith in his coaching abilities was a tip of the hat to GSU.
"He has a lot of respect for what we have done here at Grambling," Williams said of Brown. "I think he feels, as an adviser, that Maurice would need someone he can relate to a lot better than some other places."
NCAA spokeswoman Kay Hawes would not speak to the Associated Press about the Clarett case but did say that if a suspended or ineligible player transferred, the athlete's new school would first have to declare him ineligible, and would then seek his reinstatement through the organization.
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NCAA leaves Clarett with trio of options
· Troubled running back hit with suspension, not banned from playing.
September 11, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The NCAA handed down a season-long suspension Wednesday for troubled Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, but didn't ban him from playing.
With an earlier release from the football team already announced, Clarett now faces three options:
· Give up collegiate football and go to class.
· Petition the NFL for early entry into the draft.
· Transfer to a Division I-AA school - some have said it might be Grambling State, where regulations state Clarett would be eligible to play his junior year before reaching the required age for pro draft.
Players must wait until three years after their high school graduation to enter the NFL. Clarett will be a sophomore this season.
GSU coach Doug Williams, who learned of Clarett's possible interest in the Tigers on the Internet, says the first two possibilities are unlikely - in particular, petitioning the NFL.
"The unfortunate part about challenging the rule," Williams said, "is that he would probably never get the opportunity to reap the benefits. The NFL would drag the case out so long, that he would be eligible for the draft anyway."
Jim Brown, a family advisor, first raised the possibility that the NCAA's most electrifying runner - Clarett scored the game-winning touchdown in the Fiesta Bowl on his last play for the Buckeyes - might transfer to the Lincoln Parish school to finish out his college eligibility.
That set off a national media maelstrom, including stories on ESPN and FOX, on the wire services and in most major newspapers.
Like Brown, Williams has insisted that Clarett needs more football experience - and that, sure, Grambling would be a great option - before the running back contemplating joining the NFL.
"It's silly to question Williams and Brown on this point," columnist Michael Wilbon wrote in the Wednesday edition of The Washington Post. "One is a Super Bowl MVP and the other the greatest football player ever."
Even so, Williams is not allowed by NCAA rule to contact Clarett.
"No, I'll call (current Grambling running backs) Ab Kuuan and Rueben Mays," Williams said, and laughed loudly.
So, he remains pragmatic. "Even if (Clarett) comes here," Williams said, "he'll still have to serve the suspension that the NCAA has imposed upon him."
Clarett, who is accused of lying to the NCAA, school investigators and the police through a series of troubles this off-season, will get to keep his scholarship at Ohio State, school officials said. But his attorney told the Associated Press: "He's considering his options right now."
The NCAA and Ohio State continue to investigate Clarett. The school has been working for more than two weeks on a response to a multi-page set of allegations from the NCAA.
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Clarett turns focus to NFL
· Suspended RB will now try to enter pro league; GSU still waiting on a call.
September 15, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
There's a reason why Grambling State coach Doug Williams didn't hear from suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett this week.
"My lines must be down," Williams joked. "They ain't ringing."
No, Clarett - who was being encouraged by family advisor Jim Brown to transfer to GSU - has decided to ask that the NFL change its eligibility rules instead.
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday that Clarett's attorneys have requested that he be allowed to play early. Tagliabue said NFL lawyers would discuss the situation, perhaps next week.
The NFL stipulates that players wait three years after high school graduation to play. Clarett, who was suspended for one year this week over various NCAA violations, is a sophomore.
This signals the presumptive end to a flirtation with GSU that began with a phone call from an old friend of Williams'.
Jacksonville Jaguars executive James "Shack" Harris, a Carroll High and GSU alum, asked Williams on Sept. 7 what he thought of Clarett.
"We talk all the time," Williams said, so he thought nothing of it. "I told him I think he is a hell of a running back. He said, `OK, I'll call you back.' Evidently, he and (Clarett family advisor) Jim Brown had been talking."
When Williams got home, he discovered just what that call meant while browsing the World Wide Web.
"You go to the Internet, you find out that Maurice was considering coming to Grambling," Williams said. "I didn't know that's what James was talking about. I'm thinking that Jacksonville was trying to find a way to get him into camp."
Williams met with his offensive coaches early last week, as the buzz about the Buckeye got louder.
A running back of his caliber, Williams said, would have meant a change in the team's pass-oriented scheme behind SWAC offensive player of the week Bruce Eugene.
"We would find a way to throw it as much as we ran it. We had talked about giving it to him 25 to 30 times. But all that was hypothetical. Now, we'll just have to throw it 60," he said, and chuckled.
Tagliabue told the AP that the NFL remains opposed to changing its age restriction, instituted 13 years ago with the agreement of the Players' Association.
Reporters also asked Tagliabue, a former NFL lawyer, about the possibility of the rule being overturned by a lawsuit: "My feeling as commissioner is that we have a very strong case and that we'll win it."
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NCAA checks GSU's actions over Clarett
September 25, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Troubled football star Maurice Clarett apparently won't be coming to Grambling State University, but the NCAA could be.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is investigating comments made by coach Doug Williams concerning the suspended Ohio State running back - indicating that they could have been a violation of recruiting rules.
Both Williams and GSU athletics director Al Dennis have consistently said they never spoke to Clarett - who was widely reported in early September to be considering a transfer down to the Division I-AA school.
But the inquiry refers to a section of the regulations stipulating that colleges may not contact a student-athlete at another NCAA or NAIA four-year institution - even indirectly - without written permission from the player's current athletics director.
Specifically mentioned is an article posted at www.thenewsstar.com on Sept. 9 and a televised news conference the next day on campus. "They are saying that we indirectly made contact with the kid" through the media, Dennis said.
GSU received notice in a letter from Chris Strobel, the NCAA's director of enforcement for secondary infractions, on Sept. 15 asking for more information.
"All of these comments attributed to him were in response to questions being asked," Dennis said - noting that the story appeared nationally on ESPN when Clarett family adviser Jim Brown mentioned Grambling State as a possible transfer option.
Dennis also confirmed that Grambling State never received any clearance to talk to Clarett and GSU wasn't seeking it. "When all of this broke, our registration was already closed. He wasn't coming to Grambling, anyway," Dennis said.
Calls to Strobel were not returned on Wednesday. The letter doesn't mention possible sanctions or a deadline for responding.
"I'm puzzled by the idea that we would get a letter, if there was no contact by either party," Williams said.
He then said he suspects that entering a Sept. 9 news conference while carrying a No. 13 GSU jersey sparked this inquiry. Clarett wore that number at Ohio State.
"I was poking fun at the local media that I see every week," Williams said. "This is very small. There are a whole lot of things that have happened with Clarett that are bigger than poking fun with a No. 13 jersey. I find it hard to believe."
The jersey, Dennis reminds, belongs to current Grambling State punter Darien Morgan.
"This wasn't an attempt to contact Clarett," Dennis said. "If he's asked a question - would you like to have a player of Clarett's ability on your team? - can that be construed as trying to contact him? We don't see it that way."
Clarett has since apparently decided to forgo the rest of his college eligibility, announcing his would sue for early entry into the NFL draft this week.
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Transcript from Sept. 9 news conference at GSU
September 25, 2003
Coach Doug Williams enters as media members discuss possible Maurice Clarett transfer to Grambling State)
Williams: Good morning. Hot topic, today, huh? By the way, I brought a jersey today. (Holds up No. 13 GSU jersey.) You probably didn't think I had a No. 13. That's what he'd wear!
The News-Star's Nick Deriso: What are you talking about coach? Who?
(Laughter)
Williams: I don't know! That's what all the questions are going to be about this morning, ain't they?
(More laughter.)
After opening comments about the previous week's opponent, Alcorn State.
KTBS-Shreveport's Tim Fletcher: Coach, have you heard from Maurice Clarett?
The (Ruston) Daily Leader's O.K. Davis: Or anybody associated with him?
Williams: No, the only thing I've heard was actually this morning on ESPN. From what I've heard on ESPN, it doesn't sound like he's going to play anywhere. From what they said, Ohio State has supposedly finished their report and they realized he had taken some cash - which would probably make him ineligible anywhere he would go. That's what I heard this morning on ESPN.
Davis: So he's not going to Southern, either.
Williams: That's good news. (GSU assistants) Coach Spears and I, Coach White and Coach Hayes, were in there yesterday talking about our game plan, thinking about our running attack, to take some pressure off Bruce Eugene. But now, we just got to go back to doing what we've been doing.
Davis: If that report is true, would most schools back off?
Williams: That would be out of our hands. All of that would NCAA's business.
Fletcher: What would be the advantage of him coming to Grambling?
Williams: We'd have Maurice Clarett - and a lot of other people wouldn't. We could use him. If you look at it, 1,267 yards and 16 TDs - I don't think Ohio State would have won the national championship without Maurice Clarett. I figure, if we had him, it would give us a chance to win a fourth straight.
Fletcher: What's the advantage for Maurice?
Williams: Gives him an opportunity to play and help us win a championship - and to continue his education.
Davis: Would you run him more than five times a game?
Williams: We would find a way to throw it as much as we ran it. We had talked about giving it to him 25 to 30 times. But all that was hypothetical. Now that we probably won't have him, we'll just have to throw it 60.
Unidentified television reporter: I'm just curious what your reaction was when you heard about all this.
Williams: Actually, it was surprising. Saturday morning, (Jacksonville Jaguars executive) James Harris called me - he and I talk all the time. Evidently, he and (Clarett family adviser) Jim Brown had been talking. He called me and asked me what I thought about Clarett. I didn't know exactly what he was talking about. I said, I think he's a hell of running back. (Laughter). He said, I'll call you back. The next thing I know, when I get home, you go to the Internet and find out that Maurice considered coming to Grambling. That's what James was talking about when he asked me what I thought. I was thinking that the Jacksonville Jaguars were trying to figure out a way to get him to camp. Actually, he and Jim Brown had been talking, if his family agreed and if everything was all right at Ohio State, that he could transfer here.
Fletcher: Jim Brown mentioned specifically how playing for you would be an advantage. How did that make you feel?
Williams: I've known Jim for some time and I've got a lot of respect for him - and he has a lot of respect for what we have done here at Grambling. As the adviser, he felt like Maurice would need somebody he could go and relate to a lot better than at other places.
(After several comments about appealing the NFL Draft rule and the next week's opponent, Alabama A&M, Williams gets up to leave.)
Fletcher: One more about Clarett. What's your plan now? Do you just sit back and wait, or you gonna call James Harris or call Jim Brown?
Williams: No, I'm gonna call (GSU running backs) Ab Kuaan and Rueben Mays. That's what I've got. (More laughter.) That's what I've got to work with. That's all I can do. Right now, Clarett does not bother me, because I never talked to him, never talked to his family, never talked to Jim Brown. I never imagined having the kid in the backfield, No. 1 -
Davis: You weren't going to have him this year anyway.
Williams: No. Even if he came here, he still has to go by the suspension that the NCAA imposes upon him. There was no reason to get happy about having him, unless it was for next year.
RECRUITING RULE IN QUESTION
An athletics staff member or other representative of the institution's athletics interest shall not make contact with the student-athlete of another NCAA or NAIA four-year collegiate institution, directly or indirectly, without first obtaining the written permission of the first institution's athletics director (or an athletics administrator designated by the athletics director) to do so, regardless of who makes the initial contact. If permission is not granted, the second institution shall not encourage the transfer and the institution shall not provide financial assistance to the student-athlete until the student-athlete has attended the second institution for one academic year. If permission is granted to contact the student athlete, all applicable NCAA recruiting rules apply.
THE NCAA'S LETTER TO GRAMBLING
Dear Mr. Dennis,
This is in regard to information that was obtained by this office, which indicates a violation of NCAA recruiting legislation may have occurred in the institution's football program.
Specifically, in an online article of The News-Star on September 9, 2003, and during a televised press conference on September 10, 2003, head football coach Doug Williams indirectly contacted four-year college prospective student-athlete Maurice Clarett. In the article and during the press conference, Mr. Williams confirmed his interest in having Mr. Clarett transfer to the institution and discussed how Mr. Clarett's talent would be a valuable asset to the football program. Unless the institution previously had received written permission to contact Mr. Clarett from Ohio State University, it appears a violation of NCAA Bylaw 13.1.1.3 has occurred. If written permission to contact had been received from Ohio State University, then Mr. Williams' comments appear to have violated NCAA Bylaws 13.11.6 and/or 13.11.8
In order that complete and accurate information is on file with the enforcement department, it would be appreciated if you would review this information and submit the results of our inquiry into writing. In responding, please provide a statement indicating whether the above information is accurate. In order to support your response, please provide (1) a statement from Mr. Williams; (2) a copy of the permission to contact form provided by Ohio State University to the institution, if any; and (3) a statement indicating whether the institution believes it has violated NCAA legislation in this matter.
I appreciate your assistance in the review of this matter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely, Christopher S. Strobel Director of Enforcement for Secondary Infractions
Note: The bylaws 13.11.6 and/or 13.11.8 do not apply to Grambling State, because the school says it does not have written permission from Ohio State to talk to Clarett. These rules, in general, deal with the way signings are announced to the media once permission has been granted.
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Williams says talk about Clarett helped university
September 25, 2003
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - "People are talking about Grambling," sixth-year coach Doug Williams said, smiling and shaking his head at more talk of Maurice Clarett - a story that broke over this tiny country school like a thunderclap.
Williams was congenial over the past few weeks - answering every question about the troubled Ohio State star, often tossing out one-liners, regularly reminding all those assembled that he hadn't spoken to Clarett and trying to turn the conversation back to the games at hand.
Still, the questions came.
Are you going to call Maurice Clarett?
No, I'm going to call (GSU running backs) Ab Kuuan and Reuben Mays.
Have you heard from Maurice Clarett?
My lines must be down. They ain't ringing.
Now, it appears Williams shouldn't have been so quick with the quip. The NCAA has made an inquiry, saying Williams' comments to the media might be a violation of their recruiting regulations.
"I think the NCAA is too serious about finding a violation," Williams said. "The rule they cite is so vague."
They call it indirect contact - a no-no, because schools are forbidden by rule from talking to athletes without permission from their current university's administrators.
Williams calls it PR.
"It was spreading like wildfire," Williams said of the news. "I don't know if the university really understands the impact of the publicity that Grambling got. We were across the country every day! That was good publicity."
He's defiant in his denial of tampering: "I didn't call him. He didn't call me."
That wasn't the point.
Now, there is no question that Williams would have been happy to have Clarett - baggage or no baggage.
Williams hasn't brought GSU back to SWAC dominance - back to challenging the nation's best Division I-AA school until the waning moments of last Saturday's game - with players of destiny.
He's done it with players who've had problems - but, more importantly, had desire.
Williams and his coordinators have coached up for so long, it is hard to believe their offices haven't levitated to the top floor of the Stadium Support Facility.
It wasn't always like that.
Eddie Robinson's GSU was a flickering beacon of opportunity, the place where the best and brightest of those under America's boot heel came to make their names.
But, as this country moved deeper into the second half of the last century, different opportunities opened up for blacks. The desire to win overcame other, more hateful impulses. African-Americans not only were recruited, but starred on college teams in towns where they once dared not stop for gas.
This coincided with the fading of the Southwestern Athletic Conference as a place where the obvious black talents resided.
The Doug Williamses, the Walter Paytons, the Jerry Rices, the Steve McNairs came along less frequently. They didn't have to play at historically black schools to get noticed.
There's an oddly powerful joy in that - if only because every athlete is now entitled to an audition, if not a place in the team photo.
It's odd, though, because - as with everything in America - there was a cost: With a vast majority of what they call "draftables" already cashing in on scholarships from schools that promise an alphabet soup of success (TV, PR and BCS), what's left for Grambling?
GSU is not going to get a Maurice Clarett on the way up. They're going to get him on the way down, if they get him at all.
In the modern period, the Tigers win or lose with those who are left. Lately, it's been mostly winning - thus, Clarett's apparent interest in transferring to GSU after a rocky end at Ohio State.
He wasn't coming. We now know that.
Williams looked like he knew it from the beginning, so he was enjoying the spotlight as it dilated on his alma mater.
He considered the hullabaloo much about something, all right: Recruiting. And not Maurice Clarett.
Robinson constructed the Grambling legend with the pick of the African-American talent pool. But a Buck Buchanan (the first pick in the 1963 AFL draft) or a Tank Younger (the future four-time NFL Pro Bowler between 1951-55) may as well be biblical figures to today's youngsters.
You've got to do whatever you can, Williams says, to get the word out about your program - even a storied one like Grambling State.
Willie Davis? Charlie Joiner?? Heck, the average new recruits were learning their ABCs when Doug was hoisting the Super Bowl MVP trophy with Washington.
But Clarett, without ever running a single yard, gave Grambling State currency. Kids today would notice if collegiate football's best runner last year - the national championship's crowned prince - was even hinting at joining this country school.
It meant Grambling State had arrived. Again.
The news of this inquiry will travel just as fast, marking as it does the first time Williams has stepped into any possible NCAA trouble as a head coach at GSU.
Should something come of this initial investigation, it could hurt Williams' chances at moving on to a job at a larger program. Generally, the toughest NCAA sanctions for a I-AA school involve limiting recruitment - a particularly cruel irony.
But, for now, it's hard to argue with Williams' logic: "I'm trying to help my school. The NCAA probably needs to be dealing with something else, you know? Clarett never went to class here. He didn't get stopped here in his car. There are a whole lot of other things they need to worry about, rather than Grambling."
Nick Deriso is sports editor at The News-Star, 411 N. Fourth St., Monroe, La., 71201. An online archive of his columns is at www. thenewsstar.com/nickderiso. You can contact him at (318) 362-0234 or at nderiso@thenewsstar.com.
COMMENTS ON CLARETT A FOCUS
The NCAA inquiry specifically mentions a story posted Sept. 9 at www.thenewsstar.com. Here are Grambling State coach Doug Williams' comments from that piece:
"That's been the talk of the day," Williams said, chuckling. "We've gotten calls from all over."
"Grambling brings national visibility, even if we are I-AA. Scouts are coming here every day. That means he's getting everything that he would have gotten there - except 100,000 people at the game."
"We don't have a Maurice Clarett. It would be a big difference. It would take a lot of pressure off of (GSU quarterback) Bruce (Eugene). There's nothing I can do, but keep my phone line clear."
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Grambling: NCAA problems began with jersey
September 26, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING- While the NCAA apparently views the event as "isolated or inadvertent" - and, thus, not as serious - Grambling State coach Doug Williams still can't believe he got in trouble over a jersey.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has begun an inquiry into possible "indirect contact" with Maurice Clarett at GSU.
The NCAA specifically mentioned a news conference - part of which later aired nationally on ESPN - where Williams entered carrying a Grambling State jersey with the suspended Ohio State runner's number on it.
"What," Williams said, "is `indirectly contacting' someone? If I had talked to (Clarett family adviser) Jim Brown and said: `We want him.' That's contacting him. But holding up a jersey? Something is wrong with this picture."
Prospective schools must get permission from an athlete's current athletics director before they can talk to transfers. Brown had said publicly that he favored a transfer down to Division I-AA Grambling State for the soon-to-be-suspended star.
"I came in a little light-heartedly," Williams said. "I knew a lot questions were going to be coming about the Clarett situation."
The good news for Grambling State is that the infraction has been referred to Chris Strobel, who is the NCAA's director of enforcement for secondary infractions.
There is a significantly lower threshold of penalty for those violations. Post-season penalties, for instance, are reserved for major infractions.
"We won't have any comments about the specific situation," said Kay Hawes, the NCAA's associate director of media relations. "It's NCAA policy not to comment on current and on-going investigations."
But being as the letter came out of the office of secondary infractions, what is at stake for GSU comes into sharper focus.
A secondary infraction, as defined in the NCAA Bylaw 19.02.2, "is one that is isolated or inadvertent in nature, provides or is intended to provide only a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage and does not include any significant recruiting inducement or extra benefit."
Like holding a jersey up in a news conference.
"It shouldn't have even been an issue with Grambling," Williams said. "That jersey did not have `Clarett' on it. If I had put his name on the back of the jersey, that would have been a different thing. I would have agreed with them wholeheartedly."
As outlined in NCAA Bylaw 19.5.1, the stiffest sentence handed down for these lower-level infractions would involve Williams - who could be restricted from recruiting trips for one year or perhaps suspended for one or more games.
The school could also face fines up to $5,000 or lose financial aid scholarships. Most of the other penalties do not apply because Clarett never suited up for Grambling State.
Still, those are a lot of possible headaches over the exhibition of a jersey, something Williams said was meant to be a joke.
"We have a No. 13 in every color," he said. "That's the bottom line. We didn't go out and buy it."
Yet, GSU officials contend that this footage, recorded at a local news conference then shown on ESPN, is largely responsible for the NCAA inquiry.
"It makes it look like, the way ESPN showed it, that he was saying that we want Clarett," athletics director Al Dennis said. "That jersey belongs to our punter, Darien Morgan."
Williams has one more bone to pick: The tape didn't include his comments.
"Not a word was spoken," Williams said, meaning the NCAA couldn't have known the context to go with those images. "All they saw was No. 13 - and they interpreted it any way they wanted to."
While no deadline has been set for GSU's response, Dennis said he hopes to have the school's response ready to send today.
Also mentioned in the letter of inquiry was a related story posted at www.thenewsstar.com on Sept. 9, called "A Wait for Greatness."
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Grambling avoids NCAA penalties
December 20, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The NCAA, as first reported at www.thenewsstar.com, has completed its inquiry into comments about troubled running back Maurice Clarett made by Grambling State University coach Doug Williams and will not penalize the school.
GSU is, however, required to give updated training on indirect contact with a prospective player and review NCAA policy on recruiting, GSU athletics director Al Dennis said.
Kay Hawes, the National Collegiate Athletic Association's associate director of media relations, said the association has a standing policy not to comment on investigations.
"They disagreed with us that there was a secondary violation," Dennis said of the NCAA. "So, we will go back over our education process and use that press conference as an example to show how things can go wrong."
Lane Howell, the school's rules compliance officer, will touch on these rules during monthly meetings.
The NCAA issued a letter of inquiry to GSU on Sept. 15 after Williams answered interview questions concerning the possible transfer of the former Ohio State running back. The school was asked to explain comments first published by The News-Star's Web site - and images that later appeared on ESPN.
The inquiry referred to a section of the regulations stipulating that colleges may not contact a student-athlete at another NCAA or NAIA four-year institution - even indirectly - without written permission from the player's current athletics director.
"Our intent was never to make contact with the young man," Dennis said. "But because of the way the report went out, they still felt it was a violation."
The NCAA reviewed a tape of the Sept. 9 news conference, a printed transcript and other material submitted by Grambling State before ruling that a secondary infraction occurred.
These infractions, as defined in the NCAA Bylaw 19.02.2, are those that are "isolated or inadvertent in nature, provide or are intended to provide only a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage and do not include any significant recruiting inducement or extra benefit."
There is a significantly lower threshold of penalty for secondary violations. Post-season penalties, for instance, are reserved for major infractions.
As outlined in NCAA Bylaw 19.5.1, the stiffest sentence handed down for these lower-level infractions would have involved Williams - who could have been restricted from recruiting trips for one year or perhaps suspended for one or more games. The school could also have faced fines up to $5,000 or lost financial aid scholarships.
Williams has said he suspects that entering the news conference while carrying a No. 13 Grambling jersey sparked the inquiry. Clarett, who then was reportedly considering a transfer and remains suspended from the Ohio State football team, wore that number.
Showing posts with label The 2003 Season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The 2003 Season. Show all posts
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Friday, April 25, 2008
Grambling greats: Kenneth Pettway
Pettway brings lightning to GSU defense
October 29, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The Grambling State defense calls itself the Black Front.
"Coming to get you," junior Grambling State linebacker Kenneth Pettway says, with some menace. "Any time. Any day."
Like most fronts, this gathering storm has lightning around its edges.
Pettway was been that lightning - never more so than last week, as GSU's defense held Jackson State scoreless in the second half, securing a muddy 24-17 comeback win. He notched a team-leading 11 tackles - and 10 of them were solo.
"He's like a gazelle - a long, lean gazelle," says Grambling State coach Doug Williams. "He's all over the field."
Pettway also had two crushing sacks - JSU's quarterback eventually had to leave the game - and one forced fumble.
"We expect so much from him," says Tigers defensive coordinator Heishma Northern, "because he's so fast."
Track star fast - but from a guy who is 6-4 and 240.
In fact, Pettway was a four-sport performer at Gilmer High in Houston - earning letters in football, basketball, baseball and, yes, track - before signing with the University of Southern Arkansas. He holds the Gilmer school record in the discus.
But since transferring to Grambling State, all he's been throwing around are opposing offensive starters.
Pettway leads the Tigers this season in tackles, too - with 37 tackles and 14 assists in eight games. He's got four sacks in all.
"I don't know whether he's ever going to be a team leader, because he's so quiet," Williams says. "But he has the ability to be a lot better football player - and to lead by example."
Pettway started this off-season at defensive end, but moved to linebacker - where he has flourished in a system designed for tall and aggressive players.
Grambling State's defense ranks No. 1 in the SWAC in defending the rush. The Tigers rank No. 3 overall on defense, behind only Southern and Alabama A&M.
Much has been made of the play of the Tigers' linebacking corps this season, but Pettway acknowledges the role this GSU line has played in opening up opportunities.
"The line is the key to our defensive success," Pettway says.
Whether the linemen are occupying blockers or occasionally flooding inside to take their shots, it has worked to Pettway's advantage. He's fast enough to shoot gaps and headhunt quarterbacks - and tall enough to make a difference when he gets back into coverage.
"They like playing behind those guys, because they know there will be a chance for some tipped balls," Northern says of the linebackers. "It all works hand-in-hand."
Pettway has also come up with a few did-you-see-that? moments - like last week, when he literally leaped over the top of a Jackson State lineman who was trying a cut block. "Everybody was just sort of open-mouthed at the play that he made," Northern says.
Williams agrees: "When a kid does something like that, you see what they've got to give. And you want to see that again and again."
It's commonly acknowledged, even with the big season he's having, that Pettway can only get better: "He still has work to do on his thought process," Northern says, "on understanding that he can take over a game."
Pettway talks more about technique. "I could still come up faster," he says. "I need to work on dropping back (into coverage)."
His idol, while playing defensive end, was Tennessee Titans stalwart Jevon Kearse. But, even after switching to linebacker, Pettway continues to admire Kearse's rangy aggression and smart play.
"I still look up to that man," Pettway says. "He's a beast in the league. I still feed off his moves. He keeps his head in the game."
Pettway is part of a unit that has grown steadily as performers - and as teammates.
"The way they watch film now is totally different," Northern says. "The way they communicate is totally different."
Pettway says it look a few games for him to find his way at his new school. With so many younger players, the same could be said for Grambling State's defense, too.
"We're starting to come together as a team," Pettway says. "Early in the season, we weren't as tight. But I see us jelling together now."
Octavius is honored: Senior GSU cornerback Octavius Bond has been invited to play in the inaugural Division I-AA All-Star Classic, to be played Dec. 30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"Nobody works hard than he does," Williams says. "He's a great athlete."
Bonds has 28 tackles on the second, with 21 solo grabs. He also has three interceptions and three pass breakups. His eight kickoff returns have averaged 21.5 yards.
The selections were made by a committee of coaches, administrators and media from the 13 I-AA conferences. Teammate Tramon Douglas, a senior receiver, was among the first 50 players selected to play in this game.
Tiger bites: Texas Southern, GSU's opponent this week, has a three-game winning streak. … When the weather turns cold, it's particularly hard on Williams - who has had five surgeries on his left knee and one on the right. "They get stiff. I gotta keep moving," he says. Like most ex-football players, he has a knack for weather forecasting: "I wake up in the morning, and I know when it's cloudy - just from how stiff they are." … Grambling began a project to audiostream Williams' weekly news conference on the Internet on Tuesday. Portions of his comments are to be available at http://www.gramblingsportsinfo.com/.
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GSU's Pettway ready to tackle pros
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Kenneth Pettway is not just Grambling State's leader in tackles for a loss this year.
He's a nice guy. Off the field, at least.
"Definitely not the rah-rah type," said former GSU coach Doug Williams, who signed Pettway as a transfer from Southern Arkansas in 2002. "His actions speak for him. It's not word of mouth, like so many people."
Williams - who left before last season for a personnel job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - will get another look at GSU's best defender this week at the NFL Scouting Combine, beginning today in Indianapolis.
Pettway, a starter at both defensive end and linebacker, is the only player from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to be invited. He is also the first from GSU since Williams arrived with current coach Melvin Spears as offensive coordinator before the 1998 season.
"He's quiet, but tough - a mild-mannered guy who led by example," said Spears, whose first win as interim in 2004 was keyed by a series of shattering second-quarter sacks by Pettway against Bethune-Cookman. He sent one quarterback to the bench on a crushing tackle, then sacked his replacement on the very next play.
Not that Pettway talks about such heroics, not even on the eve of the combine.
"My attitude going in is very positive," he finally allowed.
It's easy to forget that Pettway was recognized as GSU's defensive player of the year last week, then flew out to Atlanta to receive Sheridan Broadcasting Network All-America honors.
They give those awards to people who knock other people down.
Call him Grambling State's easy-going horseman of the apocalypse, its polite prince of darkness.
`TIMES HAVE CHANGED'
Pettway talks about the honor of being invited. Still, he politely - and rightly - assumes that the combine is more of a challenge than a reward.
"The NFL and the combine have gone away from black colleges since the days of Doug Williams and (James) `Shack' (Harris)," Pettway said. "Times have changed. So, it's a real honor if you get selected from one of our conferences."
Pettway is, in fact, one of just eight players from a historically black college to receive an invitation to the combine this year.
"I've got to be faster, a little better," said Pettway. "I want to prove to them that even though we don't play schools like Miami, we still have great players."
Forced to sit out a year after transferring, Pettway had his initial experience at outside linebacker in his first game for GSU, a shutout loss to San Jose State in August 2003.
"I was nervous when I was out there," said Pettway, who had played defensive end at Southern Arkansas. "But at the same time, I was thinking: They put me here because they thought I could do something. I just went about making plays."
Make them he did: Pettway finished with 11 punishing tackles, including five solo grabs and three tackles for a loss of 9 yards. The conference named him defensive player of the week.
He struggled at times, that first year. But by the time he lined up on that soggy night in Jackson, Miss., in October 2003, Pettway was on his way.
The rain was biblical. Only GSU's quiet quarterback killer kept the dissipating crowd from noticing if the local animal population was, in fact, pairing up.
Pettway accounted for 11 tackles, 10 of them solo, and two sacks. Jackson State's signal-caller also had to leave the game, as the local Tigers grinded their way to a win.
"It took him some time to excel, because we had him in two positions," said Spears. "Coach Williams and I wanted to look at where he was going to project in the draft, and play him to that strength. Once he found his niche, he started to find real consistency."
He would finish his junior season, the first at GSU after transferring, with a team-high 70 tackles. That included five sacks for a loss of 20 yards, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Unassuming in life, Pettway proved to be merciless off the edge.
`GREATNESS ... GOES ON'
Production and versatility, coupled with Pettway's size and straight-line speed, have garnered uncommon attention for a small-school star.
No surprise here, but Pettway - always more apt to sack than to smack - takes it in stride.
"I've got to keep myself up because I know there will be a lot of competition from larger programs," he said. "They might be thinking I haven't competed at the same level. That keeps me in my place. When I am training, I realize I have got to give a little more."
This week's combine sessions, held in Indianapolis, include both physical exams and hours of interviews on a position-by-position basis. Pettway is expected to be evaluated with the rest of the prospective linebackers on Sunday.
Scouts will poke and prod him, measuring for height, weight, arm length, hand length and body fat. Pettway will run the 40-yard dash, participate in a vertical and broad jump, then grunt through a 225-pound bench press, 20- and 60-yard shuttles and the three-cone drill.
Intelligence will then be measured using the Wonderlic Test, a 50-question exam administered over 12 minutes.
"In this league, everything counts - and character is very, very important," said Williams, who will scout the combine talent for Tampa Bay. "There won't be any flaws there. He's been grounded for a long time. He's very humble."
Both Williams and Spears attribute that to Pettway's parents - William and Annice of Houston - who have a strong connection with GSU. His father, in fact, is friends with Collie J. Nicholson, the school's legendary sports information director from 1948-78.
"Most of those kids who had folks who went to Grambling grow up as a Tiger," said Spears. "They look forward to upholding the legacy."
Pettway, a nice guy hoping to finish first, is clear-eyed about that challenge - and how it plays out for anyone looking to be drafted out of a historically black institution.
"Coming from Grambling and going to the combine, I just look at it as a privilege," Pettway said. "I want to represent Grambling and all the greatness that has gone through there. It still goes on. I'm just glad I'm getting the chance to show that. Maybe the NFL will get back into the habit of looking at our conference."
Is he a `Road Runner' or a `Widowmaker'?
The only thing missing from Kenneth Pettway's resume is one of those great Grambling State nicknames.
Collie J. Nicholson, GSU's legendary sports information director from 1948-78, penned one for all the legends - from Paul "Tank" Younger to Gary "Big Hands" Johnson.
"They had to have something behind the nicknames," said Nicholson, who still writes about sports from his home in Shreveport.
Pettway, Nicholson agrees, fits the bill. "He should do well up there (at the NFL Combine)," said Nicholson.
Pettway's great straight-line speed might suggest "Road Runner." That quiet intensity? How about "SBD," Silent but Deadly. His versatility as a two-position all-conference player? May we suggest "Switch Blade"? That propensity for crushing tackles reminds us of "Widowmaker."
"You could always go out and get a nickname," Nicholson finally allows. "But Grambling has tried to give them more than just a nickname; they get an education, too."
Degree in hand, Pettway hopes to school opponents on Sundays now.
-Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com
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Pettway won't be a surprise at combine
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Kenneth Pettway, the most highly touted NFL prospect out of Grambling State in four seasons, has already garnered some pre-combine notice.
NFLDraftCountdown.com lists Pettway as the No. 17 outside linebacker prospect in the nation. Great Blue North Draft Report has him at No. 15.
"He has good height and long arms, which allow him to deflect passes or knock the ball out of the quarterback's hand," said Greg Benjamin, an online NFL draft evaluator at OTCDraft.com. "He uses his quickness to get by opposing offensive linemen and has good closing speed getting to the quarterback on the pass rush. He has a quick first step, which allows him to effectively beat most offensive linemen off the snap."
Josh Buchanan of IAA.org - who named Pettway the top Division I-AA performer in the Las Vegas All-American Classic - lists him as the No. 18 I-AA prospect in the nation, and the No. 1 defensive end.
"He had a big senior campaign with his 8® sacks and 16 tackles for a loss, really catching your attention," said NFLDraftCountdown.com's Scott Wright. "The level of competition is a concern, but he has the physical tools and productivity you look for."
That could push Pettway up as high as the third round - a great thing for both player and school.
"It's a major recruiting tool for us," GSU coach Melvin Spears said. "It tells you where this program is going since we have been here, from (former coach) Doug Williams through today."
Benjamin expects Pettway's name to be called "during the latter portion of Day 2." He would be just the third GSU product drafted since 1995, and the first since Scotty Anderson was selected in the fifth round in 2001.
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3-4 adds up for Pettway
The growth of the defensive formation means the GSU standout is likely NFL-bound
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - A sudden resurgence in the use of the once-popular 3-4 defensive alignment could be the best thing Kenneth Pettway has going for him in this year's NFL Draft.
The Grambling State defender, commonly called a "`tweener," has the kind of size and speed to fit in that scheme - which values smaller, athletic linebackers.
"A lot of teams are switching to the 3-4 defense, which would enable me to stand up and play linebacker but also pass rush," said Pettway, who began playing outside linebacker as well as defensive end during his junior season. "A year or two ago, there weren't that many who used it, but now there are about 10. The market's really open."
The NFL Draft, held Saturday and Sunday, will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2.
Pettway's stock has been rising with draft prognosticators, who originally projected him as a late-second day selection. A renewed interest in the 3-4 could be the reason.
"There are more teams out there using the 3-4, and that's the good thing about it," said Tampa Bay personnel executive Doug Williams, who coached Pettway for a season before taking the NFL job. "He should get an opportunity with one of those teams."
The 3-4 hadn't been fashionable since the early 1980s, but then New England won three of the last four Super Bowls with the scheme as its primary defensive look.
That changes draft priorities. Players who look and play like Pettway are now a hot commodity.
"Getting drafted will be a matter of matching the style of the team that might choose him," said Grambling State coach Melvin Spears, who took over from Williams after serving six seasons as his offensive coordinator. "He'll match up well in a 3-4 front, where they can use his skills as a weakside linebacker."
Devised more than 50 seasons ago by Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, the 3-4 alignment features three down linemen and four linebackers - as opposed to the more widely used 4-3, with only three linebackers.
By last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers were all using the 3-4 as a primary scheme. Coaches at Cleveland, Dallas and San Francisco are considering a switch as well.
That's why Williams says: "I think he has a great opportunity to get selected - it's just a matter of where," he said. "Here's a guy that has been down on a three-point stance for most of his career, so he will have to do a little changing. He will have to make some adjustments. He will have to drop off and play some man coverage."
Pettway ended his two-season career in Grambling with 115 tackles - including 76 solo grabs - and 13® sacks for minus-75 yards. His 30 tackles for a loss accounted for 114 yards. He also had two blocked kicks in 23 games.
Add in the 16 games Pettway played at Southern Arkansas before transferring and he had 167 tackles (with 102 of them solo), in 39 total games - including 23® sacks and 48 stops for losses.
That production and a room-to-grow 6-4 frame earned Pettway a rare invite to the NFL Combine, the only one for a player from the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2005.
He was slowed by a hamstring pull, but Pettway participated in all of the events. Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. reported his 40-yard time in Indianapolis at 4.75.
"I thought his combine workout was good," said Williams. "The guys who did better had been playing linebacker all their life. For a guy playing a new position, I thought he adjusted very well."
Pettway said he heard from six NFL teams this week, as coaches made final preparations for the draft.
"They are getting draft-day phone numbers," said Pettway, "and seeing how my health is. They've wanted to find out how I feel about the city where I might come."
Pettway added that he will continue serving as a student coach at Grambling State - even with the draft whirlwind circling him. He plans to spend Saturday at the Black and Gold game that concludes the team's spring sessions.
"It's been a trip for me. The combine was really strenuous, but in all of it there was enjoyment - because it was the first time for me going through it," said Pettway. "I'm just excited, and nervous all at that same time."
Pettway file
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 255
College: Grambling State
Scouting report: Was a big-play penetrating DE in college. Is at his best when turned loose up the field. Has very good anticipation skills and initial quickness. Shows some closing burst as a pass rusher and has good instincts in that facet. Has long arms and good-sized hands to occupy blockers. He shows a decent array of pass rush moves. Is a relentless player that makes a lot of plays in pursuit.
- Scouts Inc., for ESPN Insider
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GSU defender spends draft day at home fishing
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Don't look for replays of Grambling State defender Kenneth Pettway on television, receiving word that he was selected No. 227 by the Houston Texans in the 2005 NFL Draft.
He spent the weekend as he normally would, working with his former teammates on Saturday before traveling home to attend church in Houston on Sunday.
Then, the seventh-round draft choice went fishing.
"I kept my phone with me," said Pettway, a speedy, large-framed defender who should succeed in Houston's 3-4 defensive scheme. "I didn't want to be in front of the TV, pulling my hair out. I just wanted to be out there with the people who helped me get to the place where I am now."
So, the draft unfolded a world away.
"He started for the first time here with us," said GSU coach Melvin Spears, "and he was here with us for the draft."
That steady commitment is likely what attracted the Texans, who are based near Pettway's hometown of Gilmer, Texas. He will report with other rookies for Houston's mini-camp on Friday.
The Texans needed an upgrade at outside linebacker, the main pass rusher in head coach Dom Capers' defense. Last year, Houston finished last in sacks with 24; the Texans were second-to-last the year before, with 19.
That must have stung Capers, who has worked as a coordinator on tough, quarterback-harassing defenses at Carolina, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh - grooming Pro Bowlers in Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd, who could chase signal callers then drop into coverage.
"For him to go to his home team in Houston is a big thing - and he's close enough that we can still go see him," said GSU teammate Bruce Eugene, who tried to call Pettway upon seeing his name on the draft board - but said he couldn't reach him because Pettway was out fishing.
That's in-character for the grounded Pettway, who served as a student coach with the team during the GSU's just-completed spring sessions - sharing the lessons he learned, until the very end, as the only Southwestern Athletic Conference player to be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine this season.
"When I am on the field, I'm just teaching what somebody else taught me - from trying out, from playing under (former GSU) Coach (Doug) Williams and Spears, from going to the combine," said Pettway. "I want to hand out that information."
The combine experience turned into another showcase for Pettway's attention to his craft, when he injured his groin on the very first attempt at the 40-yard dash - but participated in every drill anyway.
His stock had been rising, with positive notices in USA Today last week, among others.
"Everybody has aspirations, and I do too," said Eugene. "But for it to become a reality, that's a dream come true."
Pettway attended Gilmer High School, playing football for coach Mike Mullins. He also lettered in basketball, baseball and track before spending his first two collegiate seasons primarily as a backup defensive end at Southern Arkansas.
Pettway then transferred to play for Williams in 2002 and began garnering playing time at outside linebacker, as well.
He grabbed 70 tackles and made five sacks as a junior, then earned All-America accolades from The NFL Draft Report and All-SWAC first-team honors as a senior. Pettway made 45 tackles, including 28 solos, and ranked second in the conference with 16 stops for losses last season. He also tied for a SWAC-best 8.5 sacks.
But GSU, a haven for NFL talent in the 1960s and '70s, hadn't had a player drafted since Scotty Anderson was selected in the fifth round by Detroit in 2001.
"A dream come true, absolutely," said Spears. "This is a great day for Kenneth Pettway - and also a great day for Grambling."
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GSU's Pettway keeps focus
Houston's pick in the 7th round gets NFL taste
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling State product Kenneth Pettway got ready for his first taste of the NFL by continuing to run his linebacker drills on the practice field where he played college ball.
He couldn't have guessed how long he'd end up spending inside the Houston Texans' facility, meeting and studying the club's scheme.
"The meetings were about 10 times longer than college," said Pettway, a seventh-round pick for the Texans last month. "I think the shortest was about two hours. You've got to stay focused. There are no wasted words. Everything they say is something you need to know. There is no room for errors."
The Texans' six draft picks - as well as free agents, and others trying out - participated in four rookie practices earlier this month where coaches introduced the players to the system.
He then returned to Grambling State, where he lifted and ran with friends.
"Working out, it feels the same," said Pettway. "But being back in Grambling, there was a different intensity. So many people know I have been drafted, and are pulling for me."
Pettway is back in Houston this week to participate in 14 coaching sessions that last through June 8. A three-day minicamp follows, before a long break in front of training sessions.
"They emphasized before every meeting that we take notes," said Pettway. Houston coach "Dom Capers walked around and watched for who was taking notes and paying attention. They didn't let us take the playbook home, but he said we could take the notepad home. We were expected to know the defense when we got back. I wrote down some extra things to work on."
Pettway will keep the same number he had in two all-conference seasons at Grambling, the departed Jamie Sharper's No. 55. He found a jersey with his name already embroidered on it when he arrived at camp.
"It was Grade A treatment," Pettway said. "We got off the plane and there was somebody waiting for you with Texans apparel. When we got there, our lockers were all set up. Everything was there, and it was all the right size. Everything you need, they had it."
Pettway's transition was easier than many of the other newcomers, because he was born and raised in nearby Gilmer, Texas.
"A lot of guys were from faraway places," said Pettway, a multi-sports prep star. "They had a couple of guys from Florida and California. Some of them said, `You are lucky to play in front of your hometown.' To me, it was big joy to get the opportunity to play where I grew up."
His familiarity didn't translate, however, into recommendations on places to eat around Houston.
"They fix everything for you," said Pettway, chuckling. "They give you a target weight and then you eat in the cafeteria, and that's it. You can go out and get your own food, but they encourage you to eat what the nutritionist has for you."
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Pettway's first NFL deal is for three years with Texans
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Will Jordan, agent for Grambling State product Kenneth Pettway, says his client has signed with the Houston Texans.
Pettway, a seventh-round pick in last April's NFL Draft, inked a three-year deal, Jordan said in a phone message on Friday. The contract, reportedly worth $965,494, includes a $40,494 signing bonus.
"Pettway is a very special guy who has great skills," said Melvin Spears, who was an assistant and then interim head coach during Pettway's two seasons at GSU. "The Houston Texans are going to benefit more than they know."
Playing both defensive end and outside linebacker, Pettway recorded 115 tackles and 13® sacks in 2003-04 at Grambling.
Jordan said a quick deal is essential for rookies, who need to focus on making the team - not negotiating a deal.
Hayes day in Bossier: Former GSU star Lionel Hayes lit up the Battle Wings last week in Bossier City, as the af2 Macon Knights posted an easy 57-36 victory.
He finished 18-of-29 in the air, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Garman. Hayes also ran for a 4-yard touchdown as Macon improved to 4-6 with the victory.
Quarterback at GSU during former coach Doug Williams' first two seasons at the helm, Hayes had his best year as a senior in 1999. Hayes completed 188-of-366 passes for 2,935 yards and 30 touchdowns with just six interceptions. A year earlier, as a junior, Hayes completed 151-of-301 passes for 2,373 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Home cooking with Doug: Williams, now a personnel executive with the NFL's Tampa Bay franchise, talked about scouting Southwestern Athletic Conference products in a Q&A at buccaneers.com this week.
"Well, No. 1, my job is for the Buccaneers, to get the best players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," he said. "But at the same time, there's no doubt that I might be a little partial to the historically black colleges, the SWAC or what have you. I'm not going to bring in a kid just because he went there. I want him to be able to show it."
The Bucs have drafted former Southern cornerback Lenny Williams and given a tryout to ex-Grambling receiver Scotty Anderson since Williams arrived in Tampa, but neither made the team.
Williams couldn't attend the opening of an exhibit of Eddie Robinson memorabilia in Grambling on Friday, he said, because he is filming a new special by NFL Films on the Super Bowl. Williams was the MVP of the 1988 game leading Washington over Denver.
Tiger bites: The just-completed Melvin Spears Football Camp included 200 young hopefuls - hailing from places as far flung as Alaska. Large groups came from Shreveport, Alexandria and Belzoni, Miss., as well. … The AFL's New Orleans franchise re-signed Grambling product Calvin Spears, who has played for the VooDoo for the past two seasons. Spears coached the secondary at Grambling last season, then returned to finish fifth on the VooDoo with 32® tackles.
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GSU's Pettway staying a Texan
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Grambling product Kenneth Pettway is staying home.
Pettway, a seventh-round 2005 draft pick for the Houston Texans, has reupped as an exclusive-rights free agent.
"This is a really good organization," said Pettway, a native of Gilmer, just outside of Houston. "I was born and spent most of my life here. The city has grown a lot but, at the same time, it's home to me. As far as this franchise goes, they handle their business really well."
Taken 237th overall by the Texans last year, Pettway finished with 115 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 30 tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback pressures, three forced fumbles, four passes defensed and two blocked kicks in 23 games at Grambling. He later garnered an invite to the 2005 Las Vegas All-American Classic postseason all-star game and was the only invitee from the Southwestern Athletic Conference at the 2005 NFL Scouting Combine.
Pettway says he signed one-year contract, just as he did last season, in the hopes that a breakout year might result in a better deal.
He's met new coach Gary Kubiak and a series of new assistants who were hired in the wake of Houston's league-worst 2-14 mark last season.
"When I first met the new coach, he came off as a really good guy," said Pettway, who spent most of his rookie season — save for games against Jacksonville and San Francisco — on the practice squad.
Kubiak and defensive coordinator Richard Smith Miami's coordinator last season under Nick Saban are moving from Houston's familiar 3-4 defensive alignment to the more conventional 4-3 look, with Pettway working on the outside.
"So far, so good," Pettway said. "They've got me playing Sam or Will, either one."
Pettway, who is participating in off-season training right now, said he expects the 4-3 playbook to be installed later in the spring.
"We've been running and conditioning," Pettway said. "We'll start learning the new defense when we start coaching sessions."
Pettway began his collegiate career at Southern Arkansas, where he had 52 tackles, 10 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble in 16 games. He was a four-sport performer in football, basketball, track and baseball at Gilmer High.
The Texans now have signed nine free agents, and re-signed another eight players. They hold the top pick in April's NFL Draft and, by exercising a $8 million option that extends quarterback David Carr's contract through the 2008, seem to be positioning themselves to select Texas running back Reggie Bush.
October 29, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The Grambling State defense calls itself the Black Front.
"Coming to get you," junior Grambling State linebacker Kenneth Pettway says, with some menace. "Any time. Any day."
Like most fronts, this gathering storm has lightning around its edges.
Pettway was been that lightning - never more so than last week, as GSU's defense held Jackson State scoreless in the second half, securing a muddy 24-17 comeback win. He notched a team-leading 11 tackles - and 10 of them were solo.
"He's like a gazelle - a long, lean gazelle," says Grambling State coach Doug Williams. "He's all over the field."
Pettway also had two crushing sacks - JSU's quarterback eventually had to leave the game - and one forced fumble.
"We expect so much from him," says Tigers defensive coordinator Heishma Northern, "because he's so fast."
Track star fast - but from a guy who is 6-4 and 240.
In fact, Pettway was a four-sport performer at Gilmer High in Houston - earning letters in football, basketball, baseball and, yes, track - before signing with the University of Southern Arkansas. He holds the Gilmer school record in the discus.
But since transferring to Grambling State, all he's been throwing around are opposing offensive starters.
Pettway leads the Tigers this season in tackles, too - with 37 tackles and 14 assists in eight games. He's got four sacks in all.
"I don't know whether he's ever going to be a team leader, because he's so quiet," Williams says. "But he has the ability to be a lot better football player - and to lead by example."
Pettway started this off-season at defensive end, but moved to linebacker - where he has flourished in a system designed for tall and aggressive players.
Grambling State's defense ranks No. 1 in the SWAC in defending the rush. The Tigers rank No. 3 overall on defense, behind only Southern and Alabama A&M.
Much has been made of the play of the Tigers' linebacking corps this season, but Pettway acknowledges the role this GSU line has played in opening up opportunities.
"The line is the key to our defensive success," Pettway says.
Whether the linemen are occupying blockers or occasionally flooding inside to take their shots, it has worked to Pettway's advantage. He's fast enough to shoot gaps and headhunt quarterbacks - and tall enough to make a difference when he gets back into coverage.
"They like playing behind those guys, because they know there will be a chance for some tipped balls," Northern says of the linebackers. "It all works hand-in-hand."
Pettway has also come up with a few did-you-see-that? moments - like last week, when he literally leaped over the top of a Jackson State lineman who was trying a cut block. "Everybody was just sort of open-mouthed at the play that he made," Northern says.
Williams agrees: "When a kid does something like that, you see what they've got to give. And you want to see that again and again."
It's commonly acknowledged, even with the big season he's having, that Pettway can only get better: "He still has work to do on his thought process," Northern says, "on understanding that he can take over a game."
Pettway talks more about technique. "I could still come up faster," he says. "I need to work on dropping back (into coverage)."
His idol, while playing defensive end, was Tennessee Titans stalwart Jevon Kearse. But, even after switching to linebacker, Pettway continues to admire Kearse's rangy aggression and smart play.
"I still look up to that man," Pettway says. "He's a beast in the league. I still feed off his moves. He keeps his head in the game."
Pettway is part of a unit that has grown steadily as performers - and as teammates.
"The way they watch film now is totally different," Northern says. "The way they communicate is totally different."
Pettway says it look a few games for him to find his way at his new school. With so many younger players, the same could be said for Grambling State's defense, too.
"We're starting to come together as a team," Pettway says. "Early in the season, we weren't as tight. But I see us jelling together now."
Octavius is honored: Senior GSU cornerback Octavius Bond has been invited to play in the inaugural Division I-AA All-Star Classic, to be played Dec. 30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"Nobody works hard than he does," Williams says. "He's a great athlete."
Bonds has 28 tackles on the second, with 21 solo grabs. He also has three interceptions and three pass breakups. His eight kickoff returns have averaged 21.5 yards.
The selections were made by a committee of coaches, administrators and media from the 13 I-AA conferences. Teammate Tramon Douglas, a senior receiver, was among the first 50 players selected to play in this game.
Tiger bites: Texas Southern, GSU's opponent this week, has a three-game winning streak. … When the weather turns cold, it's particularly hard on Williams - who has had five surgeries on his left knee and one on the right. "They get stiff. I gotta keep moving," he says. Like most ex-football players, he has a knack for weather forecasting: "I wake up in the morning, and I know when it's cloudy - just from how stiff they are." … Grambling began a project to audiostream Williams' weekly news conference on the Internet on Tuesday. Portions of his comments are to be available at http://www.gramblingsportsinfo.com/.
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GSU's Pettway ready to tackle pros
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Kenneth Pettway is not just Grambling State's leader in tackles for a loss this year.
He's a nice guy. Off the field, at least.
"Definitely not the rah-rah type," said former GSU coach Doug Williams, who signed Pettway as a transfer from Southern Arkansas in 2002. "His actions speak for him. It's not word of mouth, like so many people."
Williams - who left before last season for a personnel job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - will get another look at GSU's best defender this week at the NFL Scouting Combine, beginning today in Indianapolis.
Pettway, a starter at both defensive end and linebacker, is the only player from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to be invited. He is also the first from GSU since Williams arrived with current coach Melvin Spears as offensive coordinator before the 1998 season.
"He's quiet, but tough - a mild-mannered guy who led by example," said Spears, whose first win as interim in 2004 was keyed by a series of shattering second-quarter sacks by Pettway against Bethune-Cookman. He sent one quarterback to the bench on a crushing tackle, then sacked his replacement on the very next play.
Not that Pettway talks about such heroics, not even on the eve of the combine.
"My attitude going in is very positive," he finally allowed.
It's easy to forget that Pettway was recognized as GSU's defensive player of the year last week, then flew out to Atlanta to receive Sheridan Broadcasting Network All-America honors.
They give those awards to people who knock other people down.
Call him Grambling State's easy-going horseman of the apocalypse, its polite prince of darkness.
`TIMES HAVE CHANGED'
Pettway talks about the honor of being invited. Still, he politely - and rightly - assumes that the combine is more of a challenge than a reward.
"The NFL and the combine have gone away from black colleges since the days of Doug Williams and (James) `Shack' (Harris)," Pettway said. "Times have changed. So, it's a real honor if you get selected from one of our conferences."
Pettway is, in fact, one of just eight players from a historically black college to receive an invitation to the combine this year.
"I've got to be faster, a little better," said Pettway. "I want to prove to them that even though we don't play schools like Miami, we still have great players."
Forced to sit out a year after transferring, Pettway had his initial experience at outside linebacker in his first game for GSU, a shutout loss to San Jose State in August 2003.
"I was nervous when I was out there," said Pettway, who had played defensive end at Southern Arkansas. "But at the same time, I was thinking: They put me here because they thought I could do something. I just went about making plays."
Make them he did: Pettway finished with 11 punishing tackles, including five solo grabs and three tackles for a loss of 9 yards. The conference named him defensive player of the week.
He struggled at times, that first year. But by the time he lined up on that soggy night in Jackson, Miss., in October 2003, Pettway was on his way.
The rain was biblical. Only GSU's quiet quarterback killer kept the dissipating crowd from noticing if the local animal population was, in fact, pairing up.
Pettway accounted for 11 tackles, 10 of them solo, and two sacks. Jackson State's signal-caller also had to leave the game, as the local Tigers grinded their way to a win.
"It took him some time to excel, because we had him in two positions," said Spears. "Coach Williams and I wanted to look at where he was going to project in the draft, and play him to that strength. Once he found his niche, he started to find real consistency."
He would finish his junior season, the first at GSU after transferring, with a team-high 70 tackles. That included five sacks for a loss of 20 yards, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Unassuming in life, Pettway proved to be merciless off the edge.
`GREATNESS ... GOES ON'
Production and versatility, coupled with Pettway's size and straight-line speed, have garnered uncommon attention for a small-school star.
No surprise here, but Pettway - always more apt to sack than to smack - takes it in stride.
"I've got to keep myself up because I know there will be a lot of competition from larger programs," he said. "They might be thinking I haven't competed at the same level. That keeps me in my place. When I am training, I realize I have got to give a little more."
This week's combine sessions, held in Indianapolis, include both physical exams and hours of interviews on a position-by-position basis. Pettway is expected to be evaluated with the rest of the prospective linebackers on Sunday.
Scouts will poke and prod him, measuring for height, weight, arm length, hand length and body fat. Pettway will run the 40-yard dash, participate in a vertical and broad jump, then grunt through a 225-pound bench press, 20- and 60-yard shuttles and the three-cone drill.
Intelligence will then be measured using the Wonderlic Test, a 50-question exam administered over 12 minutes.
"In this league, everything counts - and character is very, very important," said Williams, who will scout the combine talent for Tampa Bay. "There won't be any flaws there. He's been grounded for a long time. He's very humble."
Both Williams and Spears attribute that to Pettway's parents - William and Annice of Houston - who have a strong connection with GSU. His father, in fact, is friends with Collie J. Nicholson, the school's legendary sports information director from 1948-78.
"Most of those kids who had folks who went to Grambling grow up as a Tiger," said Spears. "They look forward to upholding the legacy."
Pettway, a nice guy hoping to finish first, is clear-eyed about that challenge - and how it plays out for anyone looking to be drafted out of a historically black institution.
"Coming from Grambling and going to the combine, I just look at it as a privilege," Pettway said. "I want to represent Grambling and all the greatness that has gone through there. It still goes on. I'm just glad I'm getting the chance to show that. Maybe the NFL will get back into the habit of looking at our conference."
Is he a `Road Runner' or a `Widowmaker'?
The only thing missing from Kenneth Pettway's resume is one of those great Grambling State nicknames.
Collie J. Nicholson, GSU's legendary sports information director from 1948-78, penned one for all the legends - from Paul "Tank" Younger to Gary "Big Hands" Johnson.
"They had to have something behind the nicknames," said Nicholson, who still writes about sports from his home in Shreveport.
Pettway, Nicholson agrees, fits the bill. "He should do well up there (at the NFL Combine)," said Nicholson.
Pettway's great straight-line speed might suggest "Road Runner." That quiet intensity? How about "SBD," Silent but Deadly. His versatility as a two-position all-conference player? May we suggest "Switch Blade"? That propensity for crushing tackles reminds us of "Widowmaker."
"You could always go out and get a nickname," Nicholson finally allows. "But Grambling has tried to give them more than just a nickname; they get an education, too."
Degree in hand, Pettway hopes to school opponents on Sundays now.
-Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com
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Pettway won't be a surprise at combine
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Kenneth Pettway, the most highly touted NFL prospect out of Grambling State in four seasons, has already garnered some pre-combine notice.
NFLDraftCountdown.com lists Pettway as the No. 17 outside linebacker prospect in the nation. Great Blue North Draft Report has him at No. 15.
"He has good height and long arms, which allow him to deflect passes or knock the ball out of the quarterback's hand," said Greg Benjamin, an online NFL draft evaluator at OTCDraft.com. "He uses his quickness to get by opposing offensive linemen and has good closing speed getting to the quarterback on the pass rush. He has a quick first step, which allows him to effectively beat most offensive linemen off the snap."
Josh Buchanan of IAA.org - who named Pettway the top Division I-AA performer in the Las Vegas All-American Classic - lists him as the No. 18 I-AA prospect in the nation, and the No. 1 defensive end.
"He had a big senior campaign with his 8® sacks and 16 tackles for a loss, really catching your attention," said NFLDraftCountdown.com's Scott Wright. "The level of competition is a concern, but he has the physical tools and productivity you look for."
That could push Pettway up as high as the third round - a great thing for both player and school.
"It's a major recruiting tool for us," GSU coach Melvin Spears said. "It tells you where this program is going since we have been here, from (former coach) Doug Williams through today."
Benjamin expects Pettway's name to be called "during the latter portion of Day 2." He would be just the third GSU product drafted since 1995, and the first since Scotty Anderson was selected in the fifth round in 2001.
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3-4 adds up for Pettway
The growth of the defensive formation means the GSU standout is likely NFL-bound
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - A sudden resurgence in the use of the once-popular 3-4 defensive alignment could be the best thing Kenneth Pettway has going for him in this year's NFL Draft.
The Grambling State defender, commonly called a "`tweener," has the kind of size and speed to fit in that scheme - which values smaller, athletic linebackers.
"A lot of teams are switching to the 3-4 defense, which would enable me to stand up and play linebacker but also pass rush," said Pettway, who began playing outside linebacker as well as defensive end during his junior season. "A year or two ago, there weren't that many who used it, but now there are about 10. The market's really open."
The NFL Draft, held Saturday and Sunday, will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2.
Pettway's stock has been rising with draft prognosticators, who originally projected him as a late-second day selection. A renewed interest in the 3-4 could be the reason.
"There are more teams out there using the 3-4, and that's the good thing about it," said Tampa Bay personnel executive Doug Williams, who coached Pettway for a season before taking the NFL job. "He should get an opportunity with one of those teams."
The 3-4 hadn't been fashionable since the early 1980s, but then New England won three of the last four Super Bowls with the scheme as its primary defensive look.
That changes draft priorities. Players who look and play like Pettway are now a hot commodity.
"Getting drafted will be a matter of matching the style of the team that might choose him," said Grambling State coach Melvin Spears, who took over from Williams after serving six seasons as his offensive coordinator. "He'll match up well in a 3-4 front, where they can use his skills as a weakside linebacker."
Devised more than 50 seasons ago by Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, the 3-4 alignment features three down linemen and four linebackers - as opposed to the more widely used 4-3, with only three linebackers.
By last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers were all using the 3-4 as a primary scheme. Coaches at Cleveland, Dallas and San Francisco are considering a switch as well.
That's why Williams says: "I think he has a great opportunity to get selected - it's just a matter of where," he said. "Here's a guy that has been down on a three-point stance for most of his career, so he will have to do a little changing. He will have to make some adjustments. He will have to drop off and play some man coverage."
Pettway ended his two-season career in Grambling with 115 tackles - including 76 solo grabs - and 13® sacks for minus-75 yards. His 30 tackles for a loss accounted for 114 yards. He also had two blocked kicks in 23 games.
Add in the 16 games Pettway played at Southern Arkansas before transferring and he had 167 tackles (with 102 of them solo), in 39 total games - including 23® sacks and 48 stops for losses.
That production and a room-to-grow 6-4 frame earned Pettway a rare invite to the NFL Combine, the only one for a player from the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2005.
He was slowed by a hamstring pull, but Pettway participated in all of the events. Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. reported his 40-yard time in Indianapolis at 4.75.
"I thought his combine workout was good," said Williams. "The guys who did better had been playing linebacker all their life. For a guy playing a new position, I thought he adjusted very well."
Pettway said he heard from six NFL teams this week, as coaches made final preparations for the draft.
"They are getting draft-day phone numbers," said Pettway, "and seeing how my health is. They've wanted to find out how I feel about the city where I might come."
Pettway added that he will continue serving as a student coach at Grambling State - even with the draft whirlwind circling him. He plans to spend Saturday at the Black and Gold game that concludes the team's spring sessions.
"It's been a trip for me. The combine was really strenuous, but in all of it there was enjoyment - because it was the first time for me going through it," said Pettway. "I'm just excited, and nervous all at that same time."
Pettway file
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 255
College: Grambling State
Scouting report: Was a big-play penetrating DE in college. Is at his best when turned loose up the field. Has very good anticipation skills and initial quickness. Shows some closing burst as a pass rusher and has good instincts in that facet. Has long arms and good-sized hands to occupy blockers. He shows a decent array of pass rush moves. Is a relentless player that makes a lot of plays in pursuit.
- Scouts Inc., for ESPN Insider
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GSU defender spends draft day at home fishing
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Don't look for replays of Grambling State defender Kenneth Pettway on television, receiving word that he was selected No. 227 by the Houston Texans in the 2005 NFL Draft.
He spent the weekend as he normally would, working with his former teammates on Saturday before traveling home to attend church in Houston on Sunday.
Then, the seventh-round draft choice went fishing.
"I kept my phone with me," said Pettway, a speedy, large-framed defender who should succeed in Houston's 3-4 defensive scheme. "I didn't want to be in front of the TV, pulling my hair out. I just wanted to be out there with the people who helped me get to the place where I am now."
So, the draft unfolded a world away.
"He started for the first time here with us," said GSU coach Melvin Spears, "and he was here with us for the draft."
That steady commitment is likely what attracted the Texans, who are based near Pettway's hometown of Gilmer, Texas. He will report with other rookies for Houston's mini-camp on Friday.
The Texans needed an upgrade at outside linebacker, the main pass rusher in head coach Dom Capers' defense. Last year, Houston finished last in sacks with 24; the Texans were second-to-last the year before, with 19.
That must have stung Capers, who has worked as a coordinator on tough, quarterback-harassing defenses at Carolina, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh - grooming Pro Bowlers in Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd, who could chase signal callers then drop into coverage.
"For him to go to his home team in Houston is a big thing - and he's close enough that we can still go see him," said GSU teammate Bruce Eugene, who tried to call Pettway upon seeing his name on the draft board - but said he couldn't reach him because Pettway was out fishing.
That's in-character for the grounded Pettway, who served as a student coach with the team during the GSU's just-completed spring sessions - sharing the lessons he learned, until the very end, as the only Southwestern Athletic Conference player to be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine this season.
"When I am on the field, I'm just teaching what somebody else taught me - from trying out, from playing under (former GSU) Coach (Doug) Williams and Spears, from going to the combine," said Pettway. "I want to hand out that information."
The combine experience turned into another showcase for Pettway's attention to his craft, when he injured his groin on the very first attempt at the 40-yard dash - but participated in every drill anyway.
His stock had been rising, with positive notices in USA Today last week, among others.
"Everybody has aspirations, and I do too," said Eugene. "But for it to become a reality, that's a dream come true."
Pettway attended Gilmer High School, playing football for coach Mike Mullins. He also lettered in basketball, baseball and track before spending his first two collegiate seasons primarily as a backup defensive end at Southern Arkansas.
Pettway then transferred to play for Williams in 2002 and began garnering playing time at outside linebacker, as well.
He grabbed 70 tackles and made five sacks as a junior, then earned All-America accolades from The NFL Draft Report and All-SWAC first-team honors as a senior. Pettway made 45 tackles, including 28 solos, and ranked second in the conference with 16 stops for losses last season. He also tied for a SWAC-best 8.5 sacks.
But GSU, a haven for NFL talent in the 1960s and '70s, hadn't had a player drafted since Scotty Anderson was selected in the fifth round by Detroit in 2001.
"A dream come true, absolutely," said Spears. "This is a great day for Kenneth Pettway - and also a great day for Grambling."
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GSU's Pettway keeps focus
Houston's pick in the 7th round gets NFL taste
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling State product Kenneth Pettway got ready for his first taste of the NFL by continuing to run his linebacker drills on the practice field where he played college ball.
He couldn't have guessed how long he'd end up spending inside the Houston Texans' facility, meeting and studying the club's scheme.
"The meetings were about 10 times longer than college," said Pettway, a seventh-round pick for the Texans last month. "I think the shortest was about two hours. You've got to stay focused. There are no wasted words. Everything they say is something you need to know. There is no room for errors."
The Texans' six draft picks - as well as free agents, and others trying out - participated in four rookie practices earlier this month where coaches introduced the players to the system.
He then returned to Grambling State, where he lifted and ran with friends.
"Working out, it feels the same," said Pettway. "But being back in Grambling, there was a different intensity. So many people know I have been drafted, and are pulling for me."
Pettway is back in Houston this week to participate in 14 coaching sessions that last through June 8. A three-day minicamp follows, before a long break in front of training sessions.
"They emphasized before every meeting that we take notes," said Pettway. Houston coach "Dom Capers walked around and watched for who was taking notes and paying attention. They didn't let us take the playbook home, but he said we could take the notepad home. We were expected to know the defense when we got back. I wrote down some extra things to work on."
Pettway will keep the same number he had in two all-conference seasons at Grambling, the departed Jamie Sharper's No. 55. He found a jersey with his name already embroidered on it when he arrived at camp.
"It was Grade A treatment," Pettway said. "We got off the plane and there was somebody waiting for you with Texans apparel. When we got there, our lockers were all set up. Everything was there, and it was all the right size. Everything you need, they had it."
Pettway's transition was easier than many of the other newcomers, because he was born and raised in nearby Gilmer, Texas.
"A lot of guys were from faraway places," said Pettway, a multi-sports prep star. "They had a couple of guys from Florida and California. Some of them said, `You are lucky to play in front of your hometown.' To me, it was big joy to get the opportunity to play where I grew up."
His familiarity didn't translate, however, into recommendations on places to eat around Houston.
"They fix everything for you," said Pettway, chuckling. "They give you a target weight and then you eat in the cafeteria, and that's it. You can go out and get your own food, but they encourage you to eat what the nutritionist has for you."
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Pettway's first NFL deal is for three years with Texans
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Will Jordan, agent for Grambling State product Kenneth Pettway, says his client has signed with the Houston Texans.
Pettway, a seventh-round pick in last April's NFL Draft, inked a three-year deal, Jordan said in a phone message on Friday. The contract, reportedly worth $965,494, includes a $40,494 signing bonus.
"Pettway is a very special guy who has great skills," said Melvin Spears, who was an assistant and then interim head coach during Pettway's two seasons at GSU. "The Houston Texans are going to benefit more than they know."
Playing both defensive end and outside linebacker, Pettway recorded 115 tackles and 13® sacks in 2003-04 at Grambling.
Jordan said a quick deal is essential for rookies, who need to focus on making the team - not negotiating a deal.
Hayes day in Bossier: Former GSU star Lionel Hayes lit up the Battle Wings last week in Bossier City, as the af2 Macon Knights posted an easy 57-36 victory.
He finished 18-of-29 in the air, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Garman. Hayes also ran for a 4-yard touchdown as Macon improved to 4-6 with the victory.
Quarterback at GSU during former coach Doug Williams' first two seasons at the helm, Hayes had his best year as a senior in 1999. Hayes completed 188-of-366 passes for 2,935 yards and 30 touchdowns with just six interceptions. A year earlier, as a junior, Hayes completed 151-of-301 passes for 2,373 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Home cooking with Doug: Williams, now a personnel executive with the NFL's Tampa Bay franchise, talked about scouting Southwestern Athletic Conference products in a Q&A at buccaneers.com this week.
"Well, No. 1, my job is for the Buccaneers, to get the best players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," he said. "But at the same time, there's no doubt that I might be a little partial to the historically black colleges, the SWAC or what have you. I'm not going to bring in a kid just because he went there. I want him to be able to show it."
The Bucs have drafted former Southern cornerback Lenny Williams and given a tryout to ex-Grambling receiver Scotty Anderson since Williams arrived in Tampa, but neither made the team.
Williams couldn't attend the opening of an exhibit of Eddie Robinson memorabilia in Grambling on Friday, he said, because he is filming a new special by NFL Films on the Super Bowl. Williams was the MVP of the 1988 game leading Washington over Denver.
Tiger bites: The just-completed Melvin Spears Football Camp included 200 young hopefuls - hailing from places as far flung as Alaska. Large groups came from Shreveport, Alexandria and Belzoni, Miss., as well. … The AFL's New Orleans franchise re-signed Grambling product Calvin Spears, who has played for the VooDoo for the past two seasons. Spears coached the secondary at Grambling last season, then returned to finish fifth on the VooDoo with 32® tackles.
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GSU's Pettway staying a Texan
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Grambling product Kenneth Pettway is staying home.
Pettway, a seventh-round 2005 draft pick for the Houston Texans, has reupped as an exclusive-rights free agent.
"This is a really good organization," said Pettway, a native of Gilmer, just outside of Houston. "I was born and spent most of my life here. The city has grown a lot but, at the same time, it's home to me. As far as this franchise goes, they handle their business really well."
Taken 237th overall by the Texans last year, Pettway finished with 115 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 30 tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback pressures, three forced fumbles, four passes defensed and two blocked kicks in 23 games at Grambling. He later garnered an invite to the 2005 Las Vegas All-American Classic postseason all-star game and was the only invitee from the Southwestern Athletic Conference at the 2005 NFL Scouting Combine.
Pettway says he signed one-year contract, just as he did last season, in the hopes that a breakout year might result in a better deal.
He's met new coach Gary Kubiak and a series of new assistants who were hired in the wake of Houston's league-worst 2-14 mark last season.
"When I first met the new coach, he came off as a really good guy," said Pettway, who spent most of his rookie season — save for games against Jacksonville and San Francisco — on the practice squad.
Kubiak and defensive coordinator Richard Smith Miami's coordinator last season under Nick Saban are moving from Houston's familiar 3-4 defensive alignment to the more conventional 4-3 look, with Pettway working on the outside.
"So far, so good," Pettway said. "They've got me playing Sam or Will, either one."
Pettway, who is participating in off-season training right now, said he expects the 4-3 playbook to be installed later in the spring.
"We've been running and conditioning," Pettway said. "We'll start learning the new defense when we start coaching sessions."
Pettway began his collegiate career at Southern Arkansas, where he had 52 tackles, 10 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble in 16 games. He was a four-sport performer in football, basketball, track and baseball at Gilmer High.
The Texans now have signed nine free agents, and re-signed another eight players. They hold the top pick in April's NFL Draft and, by exercising a $8 million option that extends quarterback David Carr's contract through the 2008, seem to be positioning themselves to select Texas running back Reggie Bush.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The time that Grambling played McNeese at home
GSU-McNeese: Something's got to give
September 17, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling State's quarterback is leading Division I-AA in total offense. McNeese State's pass defense is No. 2 in the nation.
Something's got to give on Saturday, as GSU - just days after an emotional win over the Southwestern Athletic Conference defending Eastern champion Alabama A&M - faces McNeese, Division I-AA's top-rated team, at home.
"I think it's good for Grambling," Grambling State coach Doug Williams said at his weekly news conference, "and I think it's good for the state of Louisiana to have this game here this weekend."
McNeese's 52-20 opening-night drubbing of the Tigers in Lake Charles changed the 2002 season for both.
GSU won the next 10 games on its way to a third straight SWAC title. The Cowboys would go on to become the national Division I-AA runner-up.
Turnovers and youthful mistakes contributed to the lopsided score, the Tigers' coach said.
"We're a much better team than we were last year at this time. In order to win against a team like McNeese," Williams said, "you can't afford to turn the ball over five times. We turned it over in positions where they could make plays and take advantage of it, too. At halftime, the score was 21-14. It wasn't like it was over with. The wheels came off in the second half."
The most significant difference for Grambling State is quarterback Bruce Eugene, who was benched after his flameout against the Cowboys last season. Eugene had completed just four passes on 22 attempts for 125 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, against McNeese State.
His second chance at starting came only after freshman Gary Cooper was injured in the second quarter of the Tigers' Week 2 matchup against Alcorn State.
Eugene went on become a Walter Payton Award Finalist and Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year. In 13 games, Eugene averaged 342.7 yards a game.
He enters Saturday's contest as the team's starter under center - and its unquestioned leader. After accounting for five touchdowns for a second week, Eugene garnered his second consecutive SWAC player of the week honor. Individually, Eugene accounted for 458 offensive yards, more than the opponents' total - Alabama A&M had 367.
The McNeese State defense, meanwhile, is giving up just 67.7 yards per game in the air.
Again, something has to give. Williams seems thrilled at the challenge.
"Yesterday, we talked about the impact of this game," Williams said. "We feel like, in I-AA football, this is the biggest game in the country. There's the LSU-Georgia game, then there's the McNeese-Grambling game. It's a good matchup."
Morgan is a kick: Junior GSU kicker Brian Morgan was named SWAC specialist player of the week after going 6-for-6 in point-after attempts and adding a 21-yard field goal.
"Morgan is kicking the ball better now than he did as a freshman - when he was a phenom," Williams said.
Morgan was named SWAC freshman of the year in 2001. His nine points on Saturday were part of a 45-14 victory over Alabama A&M in a rematch of the 2000 and 2002 SWAC championship games.
If it's possible, Morgan played an even bigger role in Monday's practices - generally a tough outing where the team works on conditioning through rigorous running drills.
Williams told the team that if Morgan made a 52-yard field goal, they could stop the drills.
"Everybody ran up to Brian and hugged him," Williams said. "They knew it was over."
It was: "Morgan hit it."
A funny show, period: Williams was a guest on the FOX network's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" on Monday night, sitting in front of a case filled with momentos from his successful turn as coach at Grambling State.
"Are you sitting in a trophy store?" co-host Tom Arnold joked, upon seeing several shiny pieces behind Williams - including one his three Southwestern Athletic Conference championships.
The segment began with a short discussion on the fading hopes that suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett would consider a transfer to GSU. But it took a predictably humorous turn when a housefly continued to buzz the former Super Bowl MVP's head.
"I must be too sweet!" Williams joked on the program, which aired at 8 p.m. Monday.
The next day, he was still chuckling about the segment, filmed before practice on campus.
"Did you see me fighting that fly?" he said. "That was crazy."
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This season, GSU is settled in
· Tigers' game with McNeese State in 2002 came at a bad time - the season opener.
September 19, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Somebody was going to say it. We knew that.
Might as well be Grambling State coach Doug Williams: "What a difference a year makes."
Division I-AA runner-up McNeese State travels to Grambling on Saturday as the Tigers try to avenge last year's Week 1 52-20 loss. Kickoff for GSU's home opener is set for 6:30 p.m. Both teams enter the rematch at 2-1, and both are ranked nationally in I-AA.
"The difference this year is that it's our fourth ballgame," Williams said. "Compare that to last year, where we only had seven guys who had started. Nobody knew which direction we were going. It was more of a wake-up call for us than anything."
While the Southwestern Athletic Conference champions continue a rebuilding process that had only just begun in 2002, their Saturday opponent isn't all that much different.
"If ain't broke," Williams said, pulling out another cliché, "don't fix it, you know? McNeese, I think, proved that they had an excellent football team by going to the championship game. They caught us early, and gave us a reason to go forward. Sometimes you need a wake-up call, and we got it."
The McNeese offense is led by junior quarterback Scott Pendarvis, who earned Southland Conference player of the week honors for his opening-night performance this year against Henderson State.
"McNeese is a team that makes very few mistakes," said GSU offensive coordinator Melvin Spears. "They are a very controlled, possession-type offense - with an outstanding defense. They force you to make mistakes, then they capitalize."
The Cowboys balance their attack with senior tailback Vick King.
"Their tailback is an excellent runner," said Tiger defensive coordinator Heishma Northern. "He runs hard and low to the ground - and never stops his feet."
King was honored as the SLC's offensive player of the week after rushing for 147 yards against Georgia Southern last Saturday - pushing his career total to 2,145 yards and becoming the No. 8 runner in school history.
"The quarterback throws the ball no more than 18-20 times, then they want to give it to Vick King," Spears said. "That's where they want it to be, in King's hands."
The Cowboys, coached by McNeese graduate Tommy Tate, succeeded last season, Williams said, by utilizing a wicked bootleg. "We were not able to cope with that," he said. "We had a bunch of young linebackers who hadn't seen it."
Grambling's defense has been working on a more controlled rush, stressing awareness of the passing lanes.
"A lot of people try to attack us with boots, because we are so aggressive," Northern said. "San Jose and Alcorn did a good job with the shuttle pass. Hopefully, we can have a night like we had against (Alabama) A&M again."
The Tigers so confused and rattled the Bulldogs' starter that Timothy Robinson was benched at the half.
Defensively, the Cowboys are led by All-American linebacker Roderick Royal, tackle John Paul Jones and linebacker Keith Smith.
"We're going up against one of the top pass defenses in the country," Williams said. "They put a lot of pressure on the quarterback up the middle."
In Lake Charles last year, Eugene completed just four passes for 125 yards, had two picks and was sacked three times. His debut against San Jose in 2003 was a similar debacle.
But, in both cases, he rebounded. Eugene has been responsible for six touchdown passes and four rushing scores in the last two weeks alone. He leads I-AA in total offense.
"McNeese may think we are approaching this as a revenge game, but we are approaching it the same way we approach every game - one by one," an understandably confident Eugene said. "We just happen to have McNeese in the fourth week. We've just got to go in and take care of business."
Tate has seen the progression.
"He's a better football player this year," the Cowboys' coach said of Eugene, "although last year, he was obviously a good player. He can throw the ball; he has receivers who can catch the ball with a lot of speed. He breaks tackles then throws the ball as far as he needs to. We'll have to contain the pocket against them."
Tiger bites: McNeese's Royal is one of 16 players who have been named to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list. The I-AA defensive honor is named after a former Grambling State player. … Sophomore GSU quarterback Gary Cooper - last year's starter at McNeese - made a rare appearance last week, mopping up in a lopsided win over Alabama A&M. He completed 1-of-2 passes for 4 yards in his first action since a September 2002 game against Tennessee State. … McNeese has not lost a game to the current members of the SWAC. The Cowboys are 3-0 against Prairie View A&M, 2-0 against Alcorn State and 1-0 vs. GSU.
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GSU defense to be tested again
September 20, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Expectations were already high for a Grambling State defense that senior linebacker Antoine Smith says had sometimes been accused of underachieving in 2002.
Then came a blowout 2003 season opener and the sudden departure of the Tigers' defensive coordinator, Michael Roach, due to personal reasons.
But the unit never faltered - and, truth be told, kept even the San Jose State contest close until a weary fourth quarter.
"We've overcome a lot of adversity," says Smith, who's been second in team tackles for the past two weeks. "And I believe we will continue to do that, because we have confidence. We have faith in our coach, that he will put us in the right position - and we have faith in each other."
The pressure cooker gets a little warmer for new coordinator Heishma Northern's unit today as Division I-AA's top-ranked team arrives for Grambling State's home opener. Kickoff against McNeese - which, like GSU, is 2-1 - is set for 6:30 p.m. at Robinson Stadium.
Through three games, the GSU defense has held opponents to just 17 total first-half points, allowing the offense to find its rhythm. That finally happened in Week 2, and the Tigers have won each game since.
"They got off to a shaky start, but they have improved a lot since then," says McNeese coach Tommy Tate, now in this fourth year with the Cowboys. "They are a very good football team, fast and physical."
A similar, smothering performance is required for Grambling State to have a chance at avenging last year's 52-20 opening-day loss against the Cowboys.
"They run the football well," says GSU head coach Doug Williams. "That's how they control the tempo. If you control the running back, you control the game. McNeese also does a great job with bootleg passes. We're getting better at stopping that."
Much of the credit for this unit's early success can be given to Northern. One of Williams' original hires, "Heish" had worked primarily with the defensive backs - where he had once been an All-Southwestern Athletic Conference performer at Southern University.
"He's a very good coach. He studies the game well," Smith says. "If we continue to hustle to the ball, wrap up and make good plays, we'll be fine."
Northern says team leaders like Smith, defensive tackles Joshua Kador and Jimmy Zachary and cornerback Octavius Bond have also helped solidify the group.
"Those guys," Northern says, "have done a tremendous job. The thing that separates us from last year is that we have some active guys with a little experience. Last year, we had active guys, but they didn't always know where they were going. That helps a lot."
But Northern's quiet intensity can't be discounted.
"Last week, he was a little more relaxed as a coordinator. I think he settled down," Williams says of Northern. "He realized that he can do this. He's been around Coach Roach and around these guys. I think he did a good job."
Northern points to Roach's open style of coaching as something that helped prepare him for the promotion to coordinator.
"Coach Roach would always let me call some defenses here and there," says Northern, whose impact as defensive backs coordinator at GSU was already clear: Last year, the Tigers were No. 4 in the nation in interceptions.
"It was kind of an apprenticeship role," Northern said. "He would always ask me what I thought about certain situations. I just have had a little bit more responsibility, in terms of calling all of the plays."
This week's contest against McNeese represents perhaps the steepest hill yet defensively for Grambling State: A smart, patient quarterback in Scott Pendarvis and, perhaps more importantly, an electrifying runner in Vick King. Each has been named a Southland Conference offensive player of the week already this season.
"A lot of people were waiting on the outcome of the (Alabama A&M) game for the same reason," Williams said. "Some felt like with the running game of A&M, there was a question about whether we could stop them. I think the defense, especially the front seven, did an excellent job on a guy that can really run the football."
A&M's Jeremiah Bonds, who had exploded for 261 yards in just two games, was neutralized. Take away a broken play of 60 yards, and Bonds ran for just 57 yards last week. The defense also held the Bulldogs' two quarterbacks to 23 completions combined.
"This is great time to play McNeese. We're starting to come together," says Smith. "I believe it's going to be a great game. When we have the mindset of being champions, despite whatever goes on, we succeed."
Lining up@GSU
GRAMBLING OFFENSE
TE Gershone Jessie (6-4, 250, Sr.)
LT Jonathan Banks (6-8, 360, So.)
LG Aqua Etefia (6-2, 315, Jr.)
C Lance Wright (6-0, 300, Jr.)
RG Darryl Rogers (6-5, 300, Jr.)
RT Andre' Bennett (6-6, 330, So.)
QB Bruce Eugene (6-1, 245, Jr.)
TB Henry Tolbert (5-9, 180, So.)
FB Ruben Mayes (6-2, 245, Fr.)
WR Moses Harris (6-0, 180, Jr.)
WR Tramon Douglas (6-0, 205, Sr.)
PK Brian Morgan (5-1, 185, Jr.)
GRAMBLING DEFENSE
DE Antonio Hughes (6-3, 230, So.)
DT Jimmy Zachary (6-2, 300, Jr.)
DT Lennard Patton (6-4, 300, Jr.)
DE Kenneth Pettway (6-4, 235, Sr.)
LB David Hicks (6-3, 225, So.)
LB Marcus Yanez (6-0, 235, Jr.)
LB Antoine Smith (6-2, 200, Sr.)
CB Octavius Bond (6-1, 207, Sr.)
CB Seneca Lee (6-0, 195, Sr.)
FS Earin Bridges (6-1, 185, Sr.)
SS Terry Cooper (6-3, 195, So.)
P Darien Morgan (6-0, 195, So.)
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Defeat proves aura of GSU
September 21, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Sometimes there's honor in losing. This was one of those times.
Grambling State could have safely scheduled this year, secure in the knowledge that the Southwestern Athletic Conference awaited it. The same Southwestern Athletic Conference that it has dominated for three years straight.
But the Tigers chose to take this test, a test they were doing well on - until a couple of late errors from quarterback Bruce Eugene, a guy who hadn't made any all night.
"We knew our team needed to win this game," senior GSU receiver Tramon Douglas said. "We wanted to step up and show that Grambling could play with the best of them."
Take away two late interceptions, and the Tigers might have won.
But, much more importantly, take away this loss to McNeese State and several questions would never have been answered about Grambling State.
The Tigers showed they belonged in the top tier of Division I-AA on Saturday, pushing the No. 1 team to its limit. GSU fell late, 31-20.
"I look at it from the perspective that we should have had respect from the start," Tigers coach Doug Williams said. "Unfortunately, one or two people write what they feel - but we didn't play for respect. We played to win."
Still, there has always been the lingering question of how Grambling State compared with the football powers outside of that home conference. This was one of those times.
While other teams participate in the first week of the Division I-AA playoffs, the Tigers are always in New Orleans for the tradition- and cash-rich playing of the Bayou Classic.
Grambling State answered those questions on Saturday night.
"McNeese came here as the No. 1 team in I-AA," Williams said. "It was the first time that a predominantly white school had come to Grambling. I think it was great; the fans got their money's worth from this football game."
Some might question why GSU - an acknowledged champion in its own realm - would even chance such a moment at home.
"When you look at our schedule, I think Coach Williams has done a great job of getting us the kind of competition where, in the end, we will be stronger," GSU offensive coordinator Melvin Spears said. "We will be able to better defend our national black championship."
Still, it's not like Grambling State isn't used to the big game. Every game is big when you carry the history - both legendary and recent - of these Tigers.
"The thing about being at Grambling is, we have a bull's-eye on us," Spears said. "Every week, everyone brings their 'A' game - because everybody wants to beat Grambling. Every team, whether it's Prairie View or McNeese."
The teams that ought to win want another notch in their belt. The teams who shouldn't? Well, a season can be made for a 1-11 club - if that one win is against GSU.
"They are not really looking at our team as a whole, but at the history of this institution - those outstanding players and outstanding teams that Coach Eddie Robinson always had," Spears said. "Based on that, it's always going to be a big game. Then, with the success that Coach Williams has had in the past three years, everybody wants a piece of you just that much more."
That furious intensity meant the game was in doubt until the very last.
McNeese succeeded early by taking advantage of Grambling's aggressive tendencies, allowing it to overcommit. But the Cowboys didn't capitalize, and Grambling's offense gathered itself to pull ahead 13-6 at the half.
The old Cowboys strategy of mixing it up had instant success on the first drive of the second half. McNeese State quarterback Scott Pendarvis capped a 10-play, 74-yard opening drive with a 15-yard pass to fullback Luke Lawton to move the Cowboys ahead - but barely, 14-13.
McNeese State's Roderick Royal was seen stalking the sidelines, exhorting his teammates not to take the Tigers so lightly.
"They were shellshocked," Douglas said. "When they went in at halftime, they realized they had to play."
For the second week in a row, Grambling State saw a different opposing quarterback in the second half. McNeese pulled Pendarvis in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, inserting Louisiana-Monroe transfer Ryan Corcoran. Corcoran then led a drive that ended with a 3-yard scoring strike by runner Vick King, pulling the Cowboys back ahead by one, 21-20.
Pendarvis returned after the score, leading McNeese to a John Marino field goal that made it 24-20.
It's only then that a mistake by Grambling State - this Eugene pass, once surely a touchdown, would pop up in the air and turn the contest inalterably.
"We would have proved something if we had won," Douglas said. "They think they are better than us, because they won. One play made the difference."
While Grambling scored the same number of points as it had in last year's season-opening loss to McNeese, the outcome was far different this time.
"The one thing that it tells us is that, in Louisiana, we play excellent football," Spears said. "When you can have McNeese State and Grambling playing each other, and both in the top 10, that tells you this state has outstanding programs."
These two teams gained a measure of respect for one another - as evidenced by McNeese State coach Tommy Tate, last seen embracing a shaken Eugene at midfield after the game.
They both looked spent.
"Coach Tate would be the first to tell you, he was in a dog fight," Williams said.
You rarely find a team that should be proud of a loss.
This was one of those times.
Nick Deriso is sports editor at The News-Star, 411 N. Fourth St., Monroe, La., 71201. An online archive of his columns is at www.thenewsstar.com/nickderiso. You can contact him at (318) 362-0234 or at nderiso@thenewsstar.com.
GAMEBREAKER
· McNeese State completed a third-and-10 from its own 14 late in the game to hold on.
GAME RECAP
GOOD PLAY
Grambling quarterback Bruce Eugene found receiver Tramon Douglas in the left corner of the end zone with a perfect fade pass for a 15-yard score to give the Tigers a 13-7 lead in the second quarter. Douglas was double-covered on the play as he made a terrific over-the-shoulder catch.
BAD PLAY
With 12:59 left in the second quarter, McNeese faced a third-and-16 at its own 16. The Cowboys' pass was incomplete, but the Tigers were flagged for defensive holding, giving McNeese an automatic first down.
GOOD CALL
After opening the game on its first two drives in three- and four-wide receiver sets and not running one rushing play, Grambling switched to the I formation and started running the ball. The switch seemed to catch McNeese offguard. Grambling had some success running and went back to the pass on the drive, which led to its first score of the game.
SOMETHING SPECIAL
It was a tough night for Grambling kicker Brian Morgan. Morgan missed an extra point, a 41-yard field goal and also had a kickoff go out of bounds.
BIG HIT
McNeese faced a fourth-and-1 at the Grambling 31 with 8:13 left in the second quarter. The Cowboys tried to run fullback Luke Lawton up the middle, but Grambling linebacker John Petty fired across and drilled Lawton for a 2-yard loss.
EXTRA POINT
Grambling set three school records Saturday. Quarterback Bruce Eugene set two records for completions in a game (36) and attempts in a game (68). Receiver Tramon Douglas set a record for receptions in a game with 17.
- Nick Deriso
JUST THE FACTS
GRAMBLING - A record-breaking day for Grambling State receiver Tramon Douglas against McNeese State dissolved into a heart-breaker, as the Tigers fell behind late and never recovered.
GSU lost 31-20, despite remaining within one score most of the way - and despite Douglas' setting a new school record with 17 receptions.
Grambling State quarterback Bruce Eugene had two first-half touchdown passes, both for 16 yards, to Douglas. He added another 15-yarder 10 minutes into the second half.
But it was a final pass try to Eugene that finished the Tigers, as the ball bounced from his hands into those of waiting McNeese defender Stephen Barrett.
McNeese State tailback Vick King then broke a 60-yard scoring run on the ensuing possession that sealed the game, 31-20.
"It came down to one pass," said Douglas, a senior All-American. "It was behind me, but I got a finger on it - and couldn't bring it in. I'd like to apologize to the team."
King finished with three touchdowns on the night. He ran 30 times for 215 yards.
"We had our opportunities," sixth-year GSU coach Doug Williams said. "Bruce missed one or two touchdowns. We dropped one or two touchdowns. We have no one to blame but ourselves."
A 16-yard catch by West Monroe High product Marcus Turner keyed the opening score of the game for McNeese. King broke free after a terrific cutback, scampering through a seam in the Tigers defense for a 31-yard touchdown.
Then a 19-yard pass to Neville High product Tim Abney set up Grambling State's first points of the game - a 16-yard touchdown strike from Eugene to Douglas one minute into the second quarter. Brian Morgan missed the extra point.
A stop on a fourth-and-1 midway through the second stalled a McNeese drive that included a 30-yard completion to B.J. Sams on third and 31. GSU linebacker John Petty smacked McNeese fullback Luke Lawton in the backfield for a two-yard loss at the Grambling 33.
But then Grambling State couldn't convert on its own fourth-and-1 with 5:32 left in the half. Sophomore runner Ab Kuaan was stopped short, giving the Cowboys the ball back at the McNeese 38.
Morgan made the extra point on his second try, as Grambling moved ahead 13-7 just before the half on a second Eugene touchdown pass to Douglas.
Pendarvis started the second half with an opening-drive scoring pass to Lawton, but Grambling State answered with another Eugene-to-Douglas TD.
Morgan's tough night continued when he missed a 41-yard field goal with one minute left in the third quarter.
King's final scoring run sent most of the estimated 17,485 fans in attendance toward the exits with 1:50 left.
- Nick Deriso
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McNeese St. won't be on GSU schedules in near future
September 22, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Grambling State coach Doug Williams admitted that the two games against McNeese State were thrilling nights of football.
It took a fourth-quarter turnover on Saturday to decide the contest. Even last year's game, an eventual blowout, was 21-14 at the half.
So, can fans look forward to a regular series meeting between the Cowboys and Tigers?
"No," Williams said, after losing to McNeese 31-20 at Robinson Stadium. "We took our shot at it, but I think now we have some other opportunities that we've got to look at. We do like to travel. We do like to go to Classics."
The fact that Saturday's game didn't sell out isn't a factor in renewing the contract.
"Tonight, it didn't matter," he said. "With McNeese coming here, being the No. 1, coming here, I think it was great."
Williams says that GSU has already contacted other schools about the date that McNeese State has filled for the past two seasons.
"There's a Classic that we have a possibility of playing in next year," Williams said. "It will either be this date or next. We are open next week."
He confirmed that those discussions include San Jose State, which held the very successful Literary Classic for the first time with the Tigers to open the season.
Missed tackle, missed opportunity: Turnovers again keyed McNeese State's win - though the Tigers did a better job in the rematch than they had in last year's blowout loss.
The 52-20 loss in Lake Charles featured five turnovers, while Saturday's loss only included two.
The difference in 2003 was the timing of the first mistake, as Grambling State was deep in the Cowboys territory, with a chance for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
"We turned it over at a very, very crucial time," Williams said.
But, with 4:30 left in the ballgame and down by only four points, Williams adds that the team still had a chance.
That is, until Grambling State defenders missed a key tackle on the ensuing possession, when the Cowboys were facing third-and-10. MSU's B.J. Sams converted with a 16-yard catch - setting up runner Vick King's 60-yard scoring run to seal the win three plays later.
"That wasn't a tackle. It was a body block," Williams said. "It's nobody's fault but ours. You've got to wrap up. If we tackle Sams, it's fourth down - and we get another shot."
Sharing the wealth: Calvin Colquitt, last week's leading receiver for GSU, missed the game because of injury - though Williams said the Tigers have enough emerging weapons like Tim Abney and Chris Day to account for his absence.
"I think the guys that can fill in played big," he said. "And that's the good thing about this football team. The guy that everybody watches is Tramon Douglas - and he still sets a record."
While Douglas set a new school mark against McNeese State with 17 catches, Moses Harris and Abney added another 12. Day had just two catches, but averaged 11.5 yards on each.
Seven different receivers touched the ball against the Cowboys, a week after Eugene passed to nine Tigers against Alabama A&M.
"Abney is making some big plays," Williams said. When you have guys like that who you can spread the ball around to, it makes it difficult for defenses."
Eugene rebounds in rematch: Bruce Eugene, despite the late turnovers, redeemed his shaky game last year against McNeese State.
"That was his first game to start," Williams said. "He got a whole year under his belt. It makes a difference when you've got a trigger man who has seen it."
Eugene finished 36-for-68 (both new school records) with 397 yards in the air and three touchdown passes. He also rushed eight times for 44 yards on Saturday.
Compare that with the 2002 loss to McNeese: 4-for-22 with just 125 yards in the air. He had two scores, and two interceptions. Eugene also ran seven times, but for a shocking minus-16 total.
Tiger bites: Grambling's offensive line didn't allow any sacks by the Cowboys. … Williams is not a big fan of the old-fashioned moral victory: "It's hard to take too much positive out of it, when you lose," he said. "But I've got to give the team a lot of credit. To sit here and say I'm not proud of the way they played? That wouldn't be fair to them." … McNeese State's King rushed for a career-high 215 yards.
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Ball control
GSU's Tramon Douglas does it all again, finally
September 24, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - A record-breaking receiving day for Grambling State's Tramon Douglas, in the end, didn't mean that much to him.
"I would rather have one catch and we win, than have all those catches in a loss," the senior receiver said. GSU fell 31-20 to McNeese State on Saturday, while Douglas set a new school mark with 17 grabs.
What it meant to the team, however, is something else entirely: As goes Douglas, so goes Grambling State.
And, like the offense, Douglas started slowly.
"He's giving us everything he has. He's made some tough catches for us," says Tigers coach Doug Williams. "But that little bruise on his knee hasn't always let him be Tramon Douglas."
He's talking about the Tramon Douglas who averaged nearly eight catches a game in his All-American junior season at Grambling State - on his way to breaking Jerry Rice's Southwestern Athletic Conference single-season receiving yards record with 1,704 yards.
After an opening loss in 2002 against McNeese, when Douglas had only one catch, the Tigers reeled off 10 straight wins - on the way to a third-straight SWAC championship.
But Douglas didn't practice much during the summer, hobbled by that nagging knee problem. The week before GSU's season opener, he wasn't even in pads at practice.
Douglas, of course, started - but again wasn't a factor in Grambling State's second-straight season-opening thrashing, pulling in just two catches for 30 yards as the Tigers were blanked 29-0.
"He's working hard every day. He's not sitting down on it," Williams says. "It's not that anything is torn. It's just one of those bruises that you can't shake."
The loss underscored the complementary nature of Douglas' success and that of his quarterback.
The longer it took Douglas to get healthy, the longer it clearly would take for Bruce Eugene to get on track this year.
The Tigers' impressive showing in this year's rematch against McNeese, the nation's top-ranked Division I-AA school, is just the latest example.
Douglas's 17 catches - only two fewer than all of the other GSU receivers combined - served to keep the game whisker-close until the very end. He broke the previous school record of 16 set by former wideout Nate Singleton against Virginia Union on Sept. 14, 1991.
"I knew the team needed me this game," Douglas says. "I wanted to step up and show them that Grambling can play with the best of them."
He was rewarded with the most rare of honors: Douglas has been named one of The Sports Network's Division I-AA players of the week - the first from the SWAC to receive that designation this season. He also was named one of I-AA.org's All-Stars and the SWAC's co-offensive player of the week.
Something interesting happened, however, as Douglas slowly found his footing.
Grambling State discovered some of its other receivers: Eugene threw to an astounding nine different people in a win over Alabama A&M - including scoring passes to juniors Moses Harris and Chris Day.
"The good part about it is, Moses Harris made some good plays for us," Williams says. "Tim Abney is making tough catches. We're getting a lot of people involved. I was glad to see Chris Day score a TD; that helped his confidence level."
While Douglas was smashing records against McNeese State, Harris and breakout freshman star Abney piled up 125 yards receiving combined.
"We knew coming into this, after Tramon had a breakout season last year, that he wasn't going to be able to get as many passes," Eugene says. "Our focus has been to get other people open, then come to Tramon. So far this year, that's what's been happening."
Still, without his go-to guy, Eugene sometimes looked tentative in the first two games - like he was thinking too much.
"You can't depend on just one guy," Williams says he told Eugene. "He was feeling it. You can't just look Tramon's way, especially when he's not there."
Then that first touchdown finally came - with nine seconds left in the half in Week 2 at Lorman, Miss. The 20-yarder was hauled in, of course, by Douglas.
Grambling State has played better every successive quarter since.
"The fact that Tramon is still not 100 percent has hampered us in certain situations," says Tigers offensive coordinator Melvin Spears. "Overall, though, we've got some guys who can come along. It's just that Bruce has to be a little more patient. Mechanically, he still was not always in a good throwing position. A lot of his pre-snap routine wasn't as good as it has been."
After having scored just that one touchdown in the previous game and a half, Eugene and the Tigers then exploded for 12 scores in the next eight quarters of play.
Eugene-to-Douglas accounts for five of them. Eugene has run in four more by himself.
And so it goes.
"It slowed him down, but one thing about Tramon: He's a fighter. He'll never quit. He'll never give up," Eugene says, sounding ever more confident. "Although the knee isn't 100 percent, he's still going to be out there giving it his all. We're grateful for that."
September 17, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling State's quarterback is leading Division I-AA in total offense. McNeese State's pass defense is No. 2 in the nation.
Something's got to give on Saturday, as GSU - just days after an emotional win over the Southwestern Athletic Conference defending Eastern champion Alabama A&M - faces McNeese, Division I-AA's top-rated team, at home.
"I think it's good for Grambling," Grambling State coach Doug Williams said at his weekly news conference, "and I think it's good for the state of Louisiana to have this game here this weekend."
McNeese's 52-20 opening-night drubbing of the Tigers in Lake Charles changed the 2002 season for both.
GSU won the next 10 games on its way to a third straight SWAC title. The Cowboys would go on to become the national Division I-AA runner-up.
Turnovers and youthful mistakes contributed to the lopsided score, the Tigers' coach said.
"We're a much better team than we were last year at this time. In order to win against a team like McNeese," Williams said, "you can't afford to turn the ball over five times. We turned it over in positions where they could make plays and take advantage of it, too. At halftime, the score was 21-14. It wasn't like it was over with. The wheels came off in the second half."
The most significant difference for Grambling State is quarterback Bruce Eugene, who was benched after his flameout against the Cowboys last season. Eugene had completed just four passes on 22 attempts for 125 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, against McNeese State.
His second chance at starting came only after freshman Gary Cooper was injured in the second quarter of the Tigers' Week 2 matchup against Alcorn State.
Eugene went on become a Walter Payton Award Finalist and Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year. In 13 games, Eugene averaged 342.7 yards a game.
He enters Saturday's contest as the team's starter under center - and its unquestioned leader. After accounting for five touchdowns for a second week, Eugene garnered his second consecutive SWAC player of the week honor. Individually, Eugene accounted for 458 offensive yards, more than the opponents' total - Alabama A&M had 367.
The McNeese State defense, meanwhile, is giving up just 67.7 yards per game in the air.
Again, something has to give. Williams seems thrilled at the challenge.
"Yesterday, we talked about the impact of this game," Williams said. "We feel like, in I-AA football, this is the biggest game in the country. There's the LSU-Georgia game, then there's the McNeese-Grambling game. It's a good matchup."
Morgan is a kick: Junior GSU kicker Brian Morgan was named SWAC specialist player of the week after going 6-for-6 in point-after attempts and adding a 21-yard field goal.
"Morgan is kicking the ball better now than he did as a freshman - when he was a phenom," Williams said.
Morgan was named SWAC freshman of the year in 2001. His nine points on Saturday were part of a 45-14 victory over Alabama A&M in a rematch of the 2000 and 2002 SWAC championship games.
If it's possible, Morgan played an even bigger role in Monday's practices - generally a tough outing where the team works on conditioning through rigorous running drills.
Williams told the team that if Morgan made a 52-yard field goal, they could stop the drills.
"Everybody ran up to Brian and hugged him," Williams said. "They knew it was over."
It was: "Morgan hit it."
A funny show, period: Williams was a guest on the FOX network's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" on Monday night, sitting in front of a case filled with momentos from his successful turn as coach at Grambling State.
"Are you sitting in a trophy store?" co-host Tom Arnold joked, upon seeing several shiny pieces behind Williams - including one his three Southwestern Athletic Conference championships.
The segment began with a short discussion on the fading hopes that suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett would consider a transfer to GSU. But it took a predictably humorous turn when a housefly continued to buzz the former Super Bowl MVP's head.
"I must be too sweet!" Williams joked on the program, which aired at 8 p.m. Monday.
The next day, he was still chuckling about the segment, filmed before practice on campus.
"Did you see me fighting that fly?" he said. "That was crazy."
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This season, GSU is settled in
· Tigers' game with McNeese State in 2002 came at a bad time - the season opener.
September 19, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Somebody was going to say it. We knew that.
Might as well be Grambling State coach Doug Williams: "What a difference a year makes."
Division I-AA runner-up McNeese State travels to Grambling on Saturday as the Tigers try to avenge last year's Week 1 52-20 loss. Kickoff for GSU's home opener is set for 6:30 p.m. Both teams enter the rematch at 2-1, and both are ranked nationally in I-AA.
"The difference this year is that it's our fourth ballgame," Williams said. "Compare that to last year, where we only had seven guys who had started. Nobody knew which direction we were going. It was more of a wake-up call for us than anything."
While the Southwestern Athletic Conference champions continue a rebuilding process that had only just begun in 2002, their Saturday opponent isn't all that much different.
"If ain't broke," Williams said, pulling out another cliché, "don't fix it, you know? McNeese, I think, proved that they had an excellent football team by going to the championship game. They caught us early, and gave us a reason to go forward. Sometimes you need a wake-up call, and we got it."
The McNeese offense is led by junior quarterback Scott Pendarvis, who earned Southland Conference player of the week honors for his opening-night performance this year against Henderson State.
"McNeese is a team that makes very few mistakes," said GSU offensive coordinator Melvin Spears. "They are a very controlled, possession-type offense - with an outstanding defense. They force you to make mistakes, then they capitalize."
The Cowboys balance their attack with senior tailback Vick King.
"Their tailback is an excellent runner," said Tiger defensive coordinator Heishma Northern. "He runs hard and low to the ground - and never stops his feet."
King was honored as the SLC's offensive player of the week after rushing for 147 yards against Georgia Southern last Saturday - pushing his career total to 2,145 yards and becoming the No. 8 runner in school history.
"The quarterback throws the ball no more than 18-20 times, then they want to give it to Vick King," Spears said. "That's where they want it to be, in King's hands."
The Cowboys, coached by McNeese graduate Tommy Tate, succeeded last season, Williams said, by utilizing a wicked bootleg. "We were not able to cope with that," he said. "We had a bunch of young linebackers who hadn't seen it."
Grambling's defense has been working on a more controlled rush, stressing awareness of the passing lanes.
"A lot of people try to attack us with boots, because we are so aggressive," Northern said. "San Jose and Alcorn did a good job with the shuttle pass. Hopefully, we can have a night like we had against (Alabama) A&M again."
The Tigers so confused and rattled the Bulldogs' starter that Timothy Robinson was benched at the half.
Defensively, the Cowboys are led by All-American linebacker Roderick Royal, tackle John Paul Jones and linebacker Keith Smith.
"We're going up against one of the top pass defenses in the country," Williams said. "They put a lot of pressure on the quarterback up the middle."
In Lake Charles last year, Eugene completed just four passes for 125 yards, had two picks and was sacked three times. His debut against San Jose in 2003 was a similar debacle.
But, in both cases, he rebounded. Eugene has been responsible for six touchdown passes and four rushing scores in the last two weeks alone. He leads I-AA in total offense.
"McNeese may think we are approaching this as a revenge game, but we are approaching it the same way we approach every game - one by one," an understandably confident Eugene said. "We just happen to have McNeese in the fourth week. We've just got to go in and take care of business."
Tate has seen the progression.
"He's a better football player this year," the Cowboys' coach said of Eugene, "although last year, he was obviously a good player. He can throw the ball; he has receivers who can catch the ball with a lot of speed. He breaks tackles then throws the ball as far as he needs to. We'll have to contain the pocket against them."
Tiger bites: McNeese's Royal is one of 16 players who have been named to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list. The I-AA defensive honor is named after a former Grambling State player. … Sophomore GSU quarterback Gary Cooper - last year's starter at McNeese - made a rare appearance last week, mopping up in a lopsided win over Alabama A&M. He completed 1-of-2 passes for 4 yards in his first action since a September 2002 game against Tennessee State. … McNeese has not lost a game to the current members of the SWAC. The Cowboys are 3-0 against Prairie View A&M, 2-0 against Alcorn State and 1-0 vs. GSU.
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GSU defense to be tested again
September 20, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Expectations were already high for a Grambling State defense that senior linebacker Antoine Smith says had sometimes been accused of underachieving in 2002.
Then came a blowout 2003 season opener and the sudden departure of the Tigers' defensive coordinator, Michael Roach, due to personal reasons.
But the unit never faltered - and, truth be told, kept even the San Jose State contest close until a weary fourth quarter.
"We've overcome a lot of adversity," says Smith, who's been second in team tackles for the past two weeks. "And I believe we will continue to do that, because we have confidence. We have faith in our coach, that he will put us in the right position - and we have faith in each other."
The pressure cooker gets a little warmer for new coordinator Heishma Northern's unit today as Division I-AA's top-ranked team arrives for Grambling State's home opener. Kickoff against McNeese - which, like GSU, is 2-1 - is set for 6:30 p.m. at Robinson Stadium.
Through three games, the GSU defense has held opponents to just 17 total first-half points, allowing the offense to find its rhythm. That finally happened in Week 2, and the Tigers have won each game since.
"They got off to a shaky start, but they have improved a lot since then," says McNeese coach Tommy Tate, now in this fourth year with the Cowboys. "They are a very good football team, fast and physical."
A similar, smothering performance is required for Grambling State to have a chance at avenging last year's 52-20 opening-day loss against the Cowboys.
"They run the football well," says GSU head coach Doug Williams. "That's how they control the tempo. If you control the running back, you control the game. McNeese also does a great job with bootleg passes. We're getting better at stopping that."
Much of the credit for this unit's early success can be given to Northern. One of Williams' original hires, "Heish" had worked primarily with the defensive backs - where he had once been an All-Southwestern Athletic Conference performer at Southern University.
"He's a very good coach. He studies the game well," Smith says. "If we continue to hustle to the ball, wrap up and make good plays, we'll be fine."
Northern says team leaders like Smith, defensive tackles Joshua Kador and Jimmy Zachary and cornerback Octavius Bond have also helped solidify the group.
"Those guys," Northern says, "have done a tremendous job. The thing that separates us from last year is that we have some active guys with a little experience. Last year, we had active guys, but they didn't always know where they were going. That helps a lot."
But Northern's quiet intensity can't be discounted.
"Last week, he was a little more relaxed as a coordinator. I think he settled down," Williams says of Northern. "He realized that he can do this. He's been around Coach Roach and around these guys. I think he did a good job."
Northern points to Roach's open style of coaching as something that helped prepare him for the promotion to coordinator.
"Coach Roach would always let me call some defenses here and there," says Northern, whose impact as defensive backs coordinator at GSU was already clear: Last year, the Tigers were No. 4 in the nation in interceptions.
"It was kind of an apprenticeship role," Northern said. "He would always ask me what I thought about certain situations. I just have had a little bit more responsibility, in terms of calling all of the plays."
This week's contest against McNeese represents perhaps the steepest hill yet defensively for Grambling State: A smart, patient quarterback in Scott Pendarvis and, perhaps more importantly, an electrifying runner in Vick King. Each has been named a Southland Conference offensive player of the week already this season.
"A lot of people were waiting on the outcome of the (Alabama A&M) game for the same reason," Williams said. "Some felt like with the running game of A&M, there was a question about whether we could stop them. I think the defense, especially the front seven, did an excellent job on a guy that can really run the football."
A&M's Jeremiah Bonds, who had exploded for 261 yards in just two games, was neutralized. Take away a broken play of 60 yards, and Bonds ran for just 57 yards last week. The defense also held the Bulldogs' two quarterbacks to 23 completions combined.
"This is great time to play McNeese. We're starting to come together," says Smith. "I believe it's going to be a great game. When we have the mindset of being champions, despite whatever goes on, we succeed."
Lining up@GSU
GRAMBLING OFFENSE
TE Gershone Jessie (6-4, 250, Sr.)
LT Jonathan Banks (6-8, 360, So.)
LG Aqua Etefia (6-2, 315, Jr.)
C Lance Wright (6-0, 300, Jr.)
RG Darryl Rogers (6-5, 300, Jr.)
RT Andre' Bennett (6-6, 330, So.)
QB Bruce Eugene (6-1, 245, Jr.)
TB Henry Tolbert (5-9, 180, So.)
FB Ruben Mayes (6-2, 245, Fr.)
WR Moses Harris (6-0, 180, Jr.)
WR Tramon Douglas (6-0, 205, Sr.)
PK Brian Morgan (5-1, 185, Jr.)
GRAMBLING DEFENSE
DE Antonio Hughes (6-3, 230, So.)
DT Jimmy Zachary (6-2, 300, Jr.)
DT Lennard Patton (6-4, 300, Jr.)
DE Kenneth Pettway (6-4, 235, Sr.)
LB David Hicks (6-3, 225, So.)
LB Marcus Yanez (6-0, 235, Jr.)
LB Antoine Smith (6-2, 200, Sr.)
CB Octavius Bond (6-1, 207, Sr.)
CB Seneca Lee (6-0, 195, Sr.)
FS Earin Bridges (6-1, 185, Sr.)
SS Terry Cooper (6-3, 195, So.)
P Darien Morgan (6-0, 195, So.)
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Defeat proves aura of GSU
September 21, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Sometimes there's honor in losing. This was one of those times.
Grambling State could have safely scheduled this year, secure in the knowledge that the Southwestern Athletic Conference awaited it. The same Southwestern Athletic Conference that it has dominated for three years straight.
But the Tigers chose to take this test, a test they were doing well on - until a couple of late errors from quarterback Bruce Eugene, a guy who hadn't made any all night.
"We knew our team needed to win this game," senior GSU receiver Tramon Douglas said. "We wanted to step up and show that Grambling could play with the best of them."
Take away two late interceptions, and the Tigers might have won.
But, much more importantly, take away this loss to McNeese State and several questions would never have been answered about Grambling State.
The Tigers showed they belonged in the top tier of Division I-AA on Saturday, pushing the No. 1 team to its limit. GSU fell late, 31-20.
"I look at it from the perspective that we should have had respect from the start," Tigers coach Doug Williams said. "Unfortunately, one or two people write what they feel - but we didn't play for respect. We played to win."
Still, there has always been the lingering question of how Grambling State compared with the football powers outside of that home conference. This was one of those times.
While other teams participate in the first week of the Division I-AA playoffs, the Tigers are always in New Orleans for the tradition- and cash-rich playing of the Bayou Classic.
Grambling State answered those questions on Saturday night.
"McNeese came here as the No. 1 team in I-AA," Williams said. "It was the first time that a predominantly white school had come to Grambling. I think it was great; the fans got their money's worth from this football game."
Some might question why GSU - an acknowledged champion in its own realm - would even chance such a moment at home.
"When you look at our schedule, I think Coach Williams has done a great job of getting us the kind of competition where, in the end, we will be stronger," GSU offensive coordinator Melvin Spears said. "We will be able to better defend our national black championship."
Still, it's not like Grambling State isn't used to the big game. Every game is big when you carry the history - both legendary and recent - of these Tigers.
"The thing about being at Grambling is, we have a bull's-eye on us," Spears said. "Every week, everyone brings their 'A' game - because everybody wants to beat Grambling. Every team, whether it's Prairie View or McNeese."
The teams that ought to win want another notch in their belt. The teams who shouldn't? Well, a season can be made for a 1-11 club - if that one win is against GSU.
"They are not really looking at our team as a whole, but at the history of this institution - those outstanding players and outstanding teams that Coach Eddie Robinson always had," Spears said. "Based on that, it's always going to be a big game. Then, with the success that Coach Williams has had in the past three years, everybody wants a piece of you just that much more."
That furious intensity meant the game was in doubt until the very last.
McNeese succeeded early by taking advantage of Grambling's aggressive tendencies, allowing it to overcommit. But the Cowboys didn't capitalize, and Grambling's offense gathered itself to pull ahead 13-6 at the half.
The old Cowboys strategy of mixing it up had instant success on the first drive of the second half. McNeese State quarterback Scott Pendarvis capped a 10-play, 74-yard opening drive with a 15-yard pass to fullback Luke Lawton to move the Cowboys ahead - but barely, 14-13.
McNeese State's Roderick Royal was seen stalking the sidelines, exhorting his teammates not to take the Tigers so lightly.
"They were shellshocked," Douglas said. "When they went in at halftime, they realized they had to play."
For the second week in a row, Grambling State saw a different opposing quarterback in the second half. McNeese pulled Pendarvis in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, inserting Louisiana-Monroe transfer Ryan Corcoran. Corcoran then led a drive that ended with a 3-yard scoring strike by runner Vick King, pulling the Cowboys back ahead by one, 21-20.
Pendarvis returned after the score, leading McNeese to a John Marino field goal that made it 24-20.
It's only then that a mistake by Grambling State - this Eugene pass, once surely a touchdown, would pop up in the air and turn the contest inalterably.
"We would have proved something if we had won," Douglas said. "They think they are better than us, because they won. One play made the difference."
While Grambling scored the same number of points as it had in last year's season-opening loss to McNeese, the outcome was far different this time.
"The one thing that it tells us is that, in Louisiana, we play excellent football," Spears said. "When you can have McNeese State and Grambling playing each other, and both in the top 10, that tells you this state has outstanding programs."
These two teams gained a measure of respect for one another - as evidenced by McNeese State coach Tommy Tate, last seen embracing a shaken Eugene at midfield after the game.
They both looked spent.
"Coach Tate would be the first to tell you, he was in a dog fight," Williams said.
You rarely find a team that should be proud of a loss.
This was one of those times.
Nick Deriso is sports editor at The News-Star, 411 N. Fourth St., Monroe, La., 71201. An online archive of his columns is at www.thenewsstar.com/nickderiso. You can contact him at (318) 362-0234 or at nderiso@thenewsstar.com.
GAMEBREAKER
· McNeese State completed a third-and-10 from its own 14 late in the game to hold on.
GAME RECAP
GOOD PLAY
Grambling quarterback Bruce Eugene found receiver Tramon Douglas in the left corner of the end zone with a perfect fade pass for a 15-yard score to give the Tigers a 13-7 lead in the second quarter. Douglas was double-covered on the play as he made a terrific over-the-shoulder catch.
BAD PLAY
With 12:59 left in the second quarter, McNeese faced a third-and-16 at its own 16. The Cowboys' pass was incomplete, but the Tigers were flagged for defensive holding, giving McNeese an automatic first down.
GOOD CALL
After opening the game on its first two drives in three- and four-wide receiver sets and not running one rushing play, Grambling switched to the I formation and started running the ball. The switch seemed to catch McNeese offguard. Grambling had some success running and went back to the pass on the drive, which led to its first score of the game.
SOMETHING SPECIAL
It was a tough night for Grambling kicker Brian Morgan. Morgan missed an extra point, a 41-yard field goal and also had a kickoff go out of bounds.
BIG HIT
McNeese faced a fourth-and-1 at the Grambling 31 with 8:13 left in the second quarter. The Cowboys tried to run fullback Luke Lawton up the middle, but Grambling linebacker John Petty fired across and drilled Lawton for a 2-yard loss.
EXTRA POINT
Grambling set three school records Saturday. Quarterback Bruce Eugene set two records for completions in a game (36) and attempts in a game (68). Receiver Tramon Douglas set a record for receptions in a game with 17.
- Nick Deriso
JUST THE FACTS
GRAMBLING - A record-breaking day for Grambling State receiver Tramon Douglas against McNeese State dissolved into a heart-breaker, as the Tigers fell behind late and never recovered.
GSU lost 31-20, despite remaining within one score most of the way - and despite Douglas' setting a new school record with 17 receptions.
Grambling State quarterback Bruce Eugene had two first-half touchdown passes, both for 16 yards, to Douglas. He added another 15-yarder 10 minutes into the second half.
But it was a final pass try to Eugene that finished the Tigers, as the ball bounced from his hands into those of waiting McNeese defender Stephen Barrett.
McNeese State tailback Vick King then broke a 60-yard scoring run on the ensuing possession that sealed the game, 31-20.
"It came down to one pass," said Douglas, a senior All-American. "It was behind me, but I got a finger on it - and couldn't bring it in. I'd like to apologize to the team."
King finished with three touchdowns on the night. He ran 30 times for 215 yards.
"We had our opportunities," sixth-year GSU coach Doug Williams said. "Bruce missed one or two touchdowns. We dropped one or two touchdowns. We have no one to blame but ourselves."
A 16-yard catch by West Monroe High product Marcus Turner keyed the opening score of the game for McNeese. King broke free after a terrific cutback, scampering through a seam in the Tigers defense for a 31-yard touchdown.
Then a 19-yard pass to Neville High product Tim Abney set up Grambling State's first points of the game - a 16-yard touchdown strike from Eugene to Douglas one minute into the second quarter. Brian Morgan missed the extra point.
A stop on a fourth-and-1 midway through the second stalled a McNeese drive that included a 30-yard completion to B.J. Sams on third and 31. GSU linebacker John Petty smacked McNeese fullback Luke Lawton in the backfield for a two-yard loss at the Grambling 33.
But then Grambling State couldn't convert on its own fourth-and-1 with 5:32 left in the half. Sophomore runner Ab Kuaan was stopped short, giving the Cowboys the ball back at the McNeese 38.
Morgan made the extra point on his second try, as Grambling moved ahead 13-7 just before the half on a second Eugene touchdown pass to Douglas.
Pendarvis started the second half with an opening-drive scoring pass to Lawton, but Grambling State answered with another Eugene-to-Douglas TD.
Morgan's tough night continued when he missed a 41-yard field goal with one minute left in the third quarter.
King's final scoring run sent most of the estimated 17,485 fans in attendance toward the exits with 1:50 left.
- Nick Deriso
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McNeese St. won't be on GSU schedules in near future
September 22, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Grambling State coach Doug Williams admitted that the two games against McNeese State were thrilling nights of football.
It took a fourth-quarter turnover on Saturday to decide the contest. Even last year's game, an eventual blowout, was 21-14 at the half.
So, can fans look forward to a regular series meeting between the Cowboys and Tigers?
"No," Williams said, after losing to McNeese 31-20 at Robinson Stadium. "We took our shot at it, but I think now we have some other opportunities that we've got to look at. We do like to travel. We do like to go to Classics."
The fact that Saturday's game didn't sell out isn't a factor in renewing the contract.
"Tonight, it didn't matter," he said. "With McNeese coming here, being the No. 1, coming here, I think it was great."
Williams says that GSU has already contacted other schools about the date that McNeese State has filled for the past two seasons.
"There's a Classic that we have a possibility of playing in next year," Williams said. "It will either be this date or next. We are open next week."
He confirmed that those discussions include San Jose State, which held the very successful Literary Classic for the first time with the Tigers to open the season.
Missed tackle, missed opportunity: Turnovers again keyed McNeese State's win - though the Tigers did a better job in the rematch than they had in last year's blowout loss.
The 52-20 loss in Lake Charles featured five turnovers, while Saturday's loss only included two.
The difference in 2003 was the timing of the first mistake, as Grambling State was deep in the Cowboys territory, with a chance for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
"We turned it over at a very, very crucial time," Williams said.
But, with 4:30 left in the ballgame and down by only four points, Williams adds that the team still had a chance.
That is, until Grambling State defenders missed a key tackle on the ensuing possession, when the Cowboys were facing third-and-10. MSU's B.J. Sams converted with a 16-yard catch - setting up runner Vick King's 60-yard scoring run to seal the win three plays later.
"That wasn't a tackle. It was a body block," Williams said. "It's nobody's fault but ours. You've got to wrap up. If we tackle Sams, it's fourth down - and we get another shot."
Sharing the wealth: Calvin Colquitt, last week's leading receiver for GSU, missed the game because of injury - though Williams said the Tigers have enough emerging weapons like Tim Abney and Chris Day to account for his absence.
"I think the guys that can fill in played big," he said. "And that's the good thing about this football team. The guy that everybody watches is Tramon Douglas - and he still sets a record."
While Douglas set a new school mark against McNeese State with 17 catches, Moses Harris and Abney added another 12. Day had just two catches, but averaged 11.5 yards on each.
Seven different receivers touched the ball against the Cowboys, a week after Eugene passed to nine Tigers against Alabama A&M.
"Abney is making some big plays," Williams said. When you have guys like that who you can spread the ball around to, it makes it difficult for defenses."
Eugene rebounds in rematch: Bruce Eugene, despite the late turnovers, redeemed his shaky game last year against McNeese State.
"That was his first game to start," Williams said. "He got a whole year under his belt. It makes a difference when you've got a trigger man who has seen it."
Eugene finished 36-for-68 (both new school records) with 397 yards in the air and three touchdown passes. He also rushed eight times for 44 yards on Saturday.
Compare that with the 2002 loss to McNeese: 4-for-22 with just 125 yards in the air. He had two scores, and two interceptions. Eugene also ran seven times, but for a shocking minus-16 total.
Tiger bites: Grambling's offensive line didn't allow any sacks by the Cowboys. … Williams is not a big fan of the old-fashioned moral victory: "It's hard to take too much positive out of it, when you lose," he said. "But I've got to give the team a lot of credit. To sit here and say I'm not proud of the way they played? That wouldn't be fair to them." … McNeese State's King rushed for a career-high 215 yards.
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Ball control
GSU's Tramon Douglas does it all again, finally
September 24, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - A record-breaking receiving day for Grambling State's Tramon Douglas, in the end, didn't mean that much to him.
"I would rather have one catch and we win, than have all those catches in a loss," the senior receiver said. GSU fell 31-20 to McNeese State on Saturday, while Douglas set a new school mark with 17 grabs.
What it meant to the team, however, is something else entirely: As goes Douglas, so goes Grambling State.
And, like the offense, Douglas started slowly.
"He's giving us everything he has. He's made some tough catches for us," says Tigers coach Doug Williams. "But that little bruise on his knee hasn't always let him be Tramon Douglas."
He's talking about the Tramon Douglas who averaged nearly eight catches a game in his All-American junior season at Grambling State - on his way to breaking Jerry Rice's Southwestern Athletic Conference single-season receiving yards record with 1,704 yards.
After an opening loss in 2002 against McNeese, when Douglas had only one catch, the Tigers reeled off 10 straight wins - on the way to a third-straight SWAC championship.
But Douglas didn't practice much during the summer, hobbled by that nagging knee problem. The week before GSU's season opener, he wasn't even in pads at practice.
Douglas, of course, started - but again wasn't a factor in Grambling State's second-straight season-opening thrashing, pulling in just two catches for 30 yards as the Tigers were blanked 29-0.
"He's working hard every day. He's not sitting down on it," Williams says. "It's not that anything is torn. It's just one of those bruises that you can't shake."
The loss underscored the complementary nature of Douglas' success and that of his quarterback.
The longer it took Douglas to get healthy, the longer it clearly would take for Bruce Eugene to get on track this year.
The Tigers' impressive showing in this year's rematch against McNeese, the nation's top-ranked Division I-AA school, is just the latest example.
Douglas's 17 catches - only two fewer than all of the other GSU receivers combined - served to keep the game whisker-close until the very end. He broke the previous school record of 16 set by former wideout Nate Singleton against Virginia Union on Sept. 14, 1991.
"I knew the team needed me this game," Douglas says. "I wanted to step up and show them that Grambling can play with the best of them."
He was rewarded with the most rare of honors: Douglas has been named one of The Sports Network's Division I-AA players of the week - the first from the SWAC to receive that designation this season. He also was named one of I-AA.org's All-Stars and the SWAC's co-offensive player of the week.
Something interesting happened, however, as Douglas slowly found his footing.
Grambling State discovered some of its other receivers: Eugene threw to an astounding nine different people in a win over Alabama A&M - including scoring passes to juniors Moses Harris and Chris Day.
"The good part about it is, Moses Harris made some good plays for us," Williams says. "Tim Abney is making tough catches. We're getting a lot of people involved. I was glad to see Chris Day score a TD; that helped his confidence level."
While Douglas was smashing records against McNeese State, Harris and breakout freshman star Abney piled up 125 yards receiving combined.
"We knew coming into this, after Tramon had a breakout season last year, that he wasn't going to be able to get as many passes," Eugene says. "Our focus has been to get other people open, then come to Tramon. So far this year, that's what's been happening."
Still, without his go-to guy, Eugene sometimes looked tentative in the first two games - like he was thinking too much.
"You can't depend on just one guy," Williams says he told Eugene. "He was feeling it. You can't just look Tramon's way, especially when he's not there."
Then that first touchdown finally came - with nine seconds left in the half in Week 2 at Lorman, Miss. The 20-yarder was hauled in, of course, by Douglas.
Grambling State has played better every successive quarter since.
"The fact that Tramon is still not 100 percent has hampered us in certain situations," says Tigers offensive coordinator Melvin Spears. "Overall, though, we've got some guys who can come along. It's just that Bruce has to be a little more patient. Mechanically, he still was not always in a good throwing position. A lot of his pre-snap routine wasn't as good as it has been."
After having scored just that one touchdown in the previous game and a half, Eugene and the Tigers then exploded for 12 scores in the next eight quarters of play.
Eugene-to-Douglas accounts for five of them. Eugene has run in four more by himself.
And so it goes.
"It slowed him down, but one thing about Tramon: He's a fighter. He'll never quit. He'll never give up," Eugene says, sounding ever more confident. "Although the knee isn't 100 percent, he's still going to be out there giving it his all. We're grateful for that."
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