Football

Complete Game Notes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Saturday's MEAC matchup will feature the Bison of Howard University versus the Hornets of Delaware State. The Bison (4-6 overall, 2-5 in the MEAC) are coming off a 37-26 home loss to Bethune-Cookman while the Hornets (9-1 overall, 7-0 in the MEAC), captured the regular season MEAC title with a thrilling, come-from-behind win over Norfolk State in its last time out.  It is the regular season finale for Howard while Delaware State advances to the first round of the Football Subdivision Championship playoffs which get underway next Saturday.

THE COACHES: Howard University is coached by Carey Bailey (Tennessee, '92), who is in his first season after serving as defensive line coach at the University of Minnesota.  Bailey has paid his dues after stints at Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Middle Tennessee State, Louisiana Lafayette and VMI as an assistant coach.  Delaware State is coached by Al Lavan (Colorado State, ‘68), who is in his 4^th season and has a 28-15 record to date there.  His overall record is 30-16 5-plus in years as a head coach. 

ON THE AIR: The game will be webcast live on www.howard-bison.com...Ty Miller is doing the play-by-play and Tony McGee and Ron Harris are handling color commentary...the game will be broadcast tape delayed over the local Comcast Cable in the Dover, DE...Gary Laing will be doing play by play and Gary Clark will be doing color commentary...The game will also be broadcast on the Hornets' Network with Dennis Jones providing play by play and Fred Reynolds handling the color commentary.

THE SERIES: The Bison scored a 20-17 upset win over the then 23^rd ranked Hornets last year at Howard that snapped a four-game skid.  DSU holds a 32-31 advantage in the series which dates back to 1941.

Delaware State
Offensively, the Hornets are led by junior QB VASHON WINTON (127 of 216, 1,377 yards, 12 TDs, 5 interceptions; 90 carries, 238 yards, 5 TDs), junior RBs KAREEM JONES 147 carries, 618 yards, 1 TD; 15 receptions, 104 yards) and CHRIS STROTHER (91 carries, 295 yards, 1 TD; 16 receptions, 124 yards), senior WRs SHAHEER MCBRIDE (46 receptions, 580 yards, 9 TDs) and DERRICK MCNEIL (17 receptions, 271 yards) and sophomore WR LARONNE MOORE (8 receptions, 103 yards).

Defensively, DSU is led by red-shirt senior LB RUSSELL REEVES (39 solos, 23 assists, 9.0 tackles for losses, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles), senior CB AKEEM GREEN (41 solos, 17 assists, 6.0 tackles for losses, 3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries), senior  DE KELLY ROUSE (28 solos, 29 assists, 9.0 tackles for losses, 4 sacks), sophomore LB JOSH POPE (30 solos, 26 assists, 8.0 tackles for a loss), junior DT RONN SPINNER  (24 solos, 25 assists, 9.0 tackles for losses, 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries) and senior FS RYAN ROBINSON (28 solos, 12 assists, 2.0 tackles for losses, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery).

Howard
Offensively, Howard is led by senior QB BRIAN JOHNSON (172 of 293, 2,053 yards, 20 TDs, 8 interceptions; 126 carries, 439 yards, 4 TDs), junior TBs TERRY PERRY (96 carries, 432 yards, 2 TDs) and KARLOS WHITTAKER (97 carries, 381 yards, 5 TDs; 11 receptions, 160 yards), senior WRs JARAHN WILLIAMS (53 receptions, 652 yards,14 TDs) and LARRY DUNCAN (35 receptions, 442 yards, 1 TD) and junior WR ARLANDUS HOOD (22 receptions, 286 yards, 2 TDs).

Defensively, the Bison are led by senior All-American DE RUDY HARDIE (38 solos, 20 assists, 22.5 tackles for losses, 10.0 sacks, 8 QB hurries, 2 forced fumbles), senior S RANDELL MEANS (25 solos, 44 assists, 7.0 tackles for losses, 4 pass breakups), red-shirt sophomore LB ROBERT PARKER (28 solos, 17 assists, 5.0 tackles for losses, 2.0 sacks, an interception), senior LB ROBERT DOWDY (41 solos, 41 assists, 7.5 tackles for losses, a sack and a fumble recovery), junior LB ENDOR COOPER (46 solos, 35 assists, 7.0 tackles for losses, 3 forced fumbles), junior CB MARTIN DECEMBERT (26 solos, 13 assists, 4 pass breakups), senior DE JARRETT BURGESS (11 solos, 19 assists, 4.0 tackles for losses) and junior DT JAMES CARTER (10 solos, 13 assists, 3.5 tackles for losses, a sack).

HORNET STINGS

DSU is 7^th nationally in pass efficiency defense, tied for 10^th in scoring defense and 22^nd in turnover margin...in the MEAC statistics, the Hornets lead the conference in scoring defense, in kick returns, in turnover margin, in third down conversion defense, in least sacks allowed, in field goal percentage and in kickoff coverage...DSU is second in pass efficiency and in least penalized and is third in time of possession...Peter Gaertner ranks 4^th nationally in field goals, converting 17 of 23, four of which have either come at the end of regulation to send the game into OT or outright game winners....Vashon Winton is 2^nd in the MEAC in pass efficiency and 4^th in passing...Kareem Jones is 6^th in rushing...Laronne Moore is 6^th in kick returns...Gaertner is 5^th in scoring...Kelly Rouse is 2^nd in forced fumbles...Josh Pope is tied for 6^th in forced fumbles...it will be a reunion of sorts for DSU assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Ray Petty and several members of the Bison team... Petty served as head coach of the many of the current Bison players before moving on to Delaware State...former defensive line coach and Bison standout Bobby Jones is also a member of the Hornets' staff.

BISON HOOVES

Howard leads the country in time of possession and is tied for 28^th in sacks...Hardie is second in the country in tackles for losses and 5^th in sacks...the Bison lead the MEAC time of possession, in pass efficiency defense and in first downs...they are second in passing offense, in scoring offense and in total offense and are 3^rd in rushing defense and in Red Zone offense....Brian Johnson leads the MEAC in pass efficiency and in total offense and is 2nd in passing...Jarahn Williams is tied for the lead in scoring in the MEAC and is tied for 23^rd nationally...he is second in both receiving yards per game and receptions per game...Larry Duncan is 7^th in receiving yards per game and he is 5^th in receptions per game...Williams has caught a TD pass in every game this season, a school record...he now holds the school single-season record for TD receptions with 14...Howard has been outscored in every quarter except the fourth where it holds a 99-73 advantage...Larry Duncan now has 103 receptions in his career at Howard...he also has over 1300 career receiving yards...it will also be a homecoming for Howard defensive coordinator Andre Creamer, who served in the same capacity for the Hornets and running backs' coach Jamar Mason, who is a former player for DSU.

Nice Recovery
After sitting out the past year and a half recovering from a serious shoulder injury, Jarahn Williams was written off by many as probably never playing for the Bison again.  But the 5-10, 180-pound senior wide receiver from Miami, Fl never stopped working and believing in himself.  It has paid big dividends for him as Williams is having the best season of his career.  He leads the team in receiving (53 receptions), receiving yards (652), touchdowns (14) and scoring (84 points).  One of his three receptions has gone for a TD.  He holds the record for single-season TDs and the record for consecutive games with a TD catch (10).

Hitting Stride
There was a lot of concern over the play of All-American candidate Rudy Hardie when he got off to a slow start.  The 6-2, 270-pound senior from Hartford, CT, who ranked among the nation's leaders in sacks and tackles for losses, went the first three games with neither a sack or a tackle for a loss.  Then suddenly in the Winston-Salem State game, a light bulb went off and Hardie became his old self again, wreaking havoc against opposing offenses.  A pre-season All-American and all-MEAC candidate, Hardie has 58 tackles including 22.5 for losses and 10 sacks in the past seven games.  He now has 42.5 tackles for losses and 20 sacks in the past 21 games.

Keeping Up the Tradition
Howard University has long been recognized for its outstanding linebacker play, but there were questions on whether it would be able to maintain its tradition coming into the season.  After all, the Bison lost all but one of the starters and reserves due to graduation or off the field problems.  But due to the steady and consistent play of Robert Dowdy, the smooth transition of Endor Cooper from defensive line to the middle linebacker and the emergence of Robert Parker, III, Howard's tradition is alive and well, thank you.  Dowdy, a 6-2, 220-pound senior from Fayettevile, NC is one of the most intelligent players at the position in recent memory.  He currently ranks second on the team in tackles with 82 to go along with 7.5 tackles for losses, a sack and a fumble recovery.  Cooper, a 6-3, 245-pound junior from Woodbridge, VA, had an outstanding season last year after moving over to defensive end from the linebacker spot.  Then when the Bison needed someone to plug the middle, in came Cooper.  He leads the team in tackles with 85 and has 7 tackles for losses and 3 forced fumbles.  Parker is a 5-10, 200-pound red-shirt sophomore from Tampa, FL who was used sparingly last season a special teams' player.  But he had a fine spring and earned a starting spot.  He is fifth on the team in tackles with 45 and 5 for losses and an interception return for a TD.

Quietly Getting the Job Done
Randell Means is considered a bit on the small size for a safety by most standards.  The 5-8, 175-pound senior safety from Detroit, MI, makes up for his lack of size with tenacity and intelligence.  That combination has made him one of the best safeties in the MEAC.  Means is third on the team in tackles with 69 and has 7.0 tackles for losses.

Making the Most of an Opportunity
Brian Johnson served notice last season when he emerged from the musical chairs at the quarterback position and impressively led the Bison to a 4-1 start.  Despite his strong finish, his name was not even mentioned when it came to pre-season posturing.  But the 6-0, 190-pound senior signal caller from Gardenia, CA has shown all that last season was not a fluke.  Johnson leads the MEAC in pass efficiency and in total offense and is the main reason the Bison lead the country in time of possession, holding the ball over 35 minutes per game.  "BJ" as his called by his teammates, is completing almost 60 percent of passes and has passed for 2,053 yards, 20 TDs and only 8 interceptions while also leading the team in rushing with almost 500 yards and 4 TDs.  Not bad for a player who started his career at Howard 4^th on the depth chart.

Mash Unit
Coach Bailey has had to tweak his lineup each week due to injuries.  During the course of this season, the Bison have lost three running backs, three wide receivers, four offensive linemen, both starting cornerbacks and two defensive linemen to injuries.  At least seven have had or are slated for surgery.