MikeCheck: Picked in preseason to finish last, Arkansas-Pine Bluff now poised to turn SWAC upside down
Michael WallaceMEMPHIS – In no way does Cedric Thomas hide from the fact that his program was on the wrong side of college football history this time a year ago.
Actually, Thomas embraces it as a necessary part of the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s journey to get here. But back then, barely a month into his first season coaching his alma mater, Thomas was in the midst of serious “house cleaning” with some demotions or outright dismissals of players he inherited.
Arkansas Pine-Bluff running back Taeyler Porter running down the sideline against Jackston State University. Photo by UAPB Athletics.
By the third week of that 2018 season, UAPB was relying on newcomers and true freshmen in key positions. That degree of internal house cleaning set up a merciless stretch of waxings.
Over a span of three September games, the Golden Lions were thrashed by a total score of 207-28. That included essentially a felony committed on the football field on Sept. 15, 2018, when South Dakota State set a school record for points by trouncing UAPB 90-6. After piling up 926 total yards, just shy of an FCS single-game record, South Dakota State’s coach made national headlines when he apologized for not showing more restraint and respect for an obviously overmatched opponent.
In response, Thomas took the high road then.
And looking back now, he’s fond of the fortitude those difficult days forged for his team.
“You had to push all your chips to the table and say, ‘If you want to be part of this, you’re going to have to do things right,’” Thomas told Grind City Media this week of that pivotal point for his program. “We had a lot of kids that didn’t want to follow the mission and the vision. We had a lot of kids that wanted to have recess, but didn’t want to go to school. We had to let those guys go. We were forced to play some freshmen. Those babies got beat up and had to understand college football is a tough game.”
The bumps and bruises UAPB’s “babies” took then have molded them into “big boys” now. This September, the Golden Lions have emerged as the most surprising team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference if not all of HBCU football. At 3-1, UAPB is off to its best start since its SWAC championship season in 2012. Its explosive offense has scored 52, 53 and 37 points during the three-game win streak.
We had a lot of kids that didn’t want to follow the mission and the vision. We had a lot of kids that wanted to have recess, but didn’t want to go to school. We had to let those guys go.
Cedric ThomasTwo of those victories came on the road at Alabama A&M and Tennessee State. Last week, the Golden Lions drove 75 yards in the final 50 seconds for the touchdown that capped a 37-31 win in Nashville. UAPB’s lone loss was at FBS-level Texas Christian University in the season opener, when the Golden Lions trailed 22-7 late in the third quarter before falling 39-7.
What’s been the biggest factor in UAPB’s turnaround? Thomas insists that answer starts off the field.
Arkansas Pine-Bluff running back KeShawn Williams leaving Alabama A&M defenders behind him. Photo by UAPB Athletics.
“Discipline,” Thomas points to first. “This is a great game, but we have to apply it to life. I’m not worried about wins and losses in football. It’s about going to class. The biggest thing is they’re going to school. We’ve got 100 percent attendance in study hall and they’re out helping in the community. The football gods are starting to bless us for doing it the right way. We’ve always been tough here. It’s just now they’re understanding the analytics, understanding the whys behind the Xs and Os in what we’re doing.”
The Golden Lions are also doing it with a deeper roster boosted by a dozen transfers from either FBS-level schools or junior college programs. Yet overall, there’s still a youth movement with 60 underclassmen on the roster, including 44 freshmen.
They’re all meshing quickly and successfully. UAPB is the only team ranked in the top four of the SWAC in both total offense (second) and total defense (fourth). So, there’s balance to go with that discipline.
The football gods are starting to bless us for doing it the right way. We’ve always been tough here. It’s just now they’re understanding the analytics, understanding the whys behind the Xs and Os in what we’re doing.
Cedric ThomasOffensively, they are powered by the SWAC’s best tailback tandem in Taeyler Porter and KeShawn Williams, who have each rushed for more than 300 yards this season and have a combined eight touchdowns. UAPB also plays a two-quarterback system. Returning sophomore starter Skylar Perry and junior college transfer Patrick Shannon each complete better than 60 percent of their attempts, and each has tossed six touchdowns against just two interceptions.
Arkansas Pine-Bluff wide receiver Harry Ballard III stiff arming an Alabama A&M defender. Photo by UAPB Athletics.
Six different receivers have caught at least one touchdown through four games. Current SWAC Newcomer of the Week Harry Ballard III, a transfer from the University of Missouri, leads the conference in receiving yards (437) and TD catches (five) while ranking second in receptions (20).
Mix in a defense that ranks second in the SWAC in sacks and has forced eight turnovers – plus one of the league’s top kicking games – and it’s easy to see how the Golden Lions have commanded attention.
“Now, they got it together,” Alabama A&M coach Connell Maynor said of UAPB. “They added another couple of pieces, another running back and another wide receiver. But the biggest thing is they’ve got confidence. They played very well against TCU earlier. Then they came in here, and got up on us and kept scoring. And that confidence hasn’t wavered. They believe. And they’re going to be tough to beat.”
The Golden Lions can no longer sneak up on anyone. There are legitimate expectations now as they carry momentum into a crucial four-game homestand that starts Saturday against defending SWAC West Division champion Southern University.
The last time UAPB showed this much promise, they finished 10-2 and beat Jackson State in overtime to win the SWAC title. Thomas knows the next step to get back to that level is to perform consistently. The pieces are in place. It’s now about putting together the puzzle, week by week.
They added another couple of pieces, another running back and another wide receiver. But the biggest thing is they’ve got confidence.
Alabama A&M Coach Connell Maynor“This whole journey has been about ourselves,” Thomas said of UAPB, picked at SWAC Media Day in July to finish last in the conference. “We just have to understand how we got where we are. That’s by doing things right. It’s also them believing they’re good enough. I ask them all the time, ‘Do you believe we’re good enough?’ And I can look them in their eyes now and know they have every right to believe it.”
A year ago, the Golden Lions were making the wrong kind of history.
Now, they’re poised to make a surprising run in the SWAC.
Next Stop on JSU’s Road Warriors Tour: Circle City Classic
Jackson State probably owns a distinction no other NCAA football team can claim. A month into the schedule, the Tigers are believed to be the nation’s only program yet to play a traditional home game.
Our fans do a great job supporting us everywhere we go. When we come onto the field, we come like we’re at home and it’s our place. That has to be our mindset when we go into every game we play.
JSU Coach John Hendrick“We don’t prepare any differently,” said JSU coach John Hendrick, whose team plays its home opener Oct. 5 against Grambling – six weeks into the season. “Every week we line up, it’s a new contest and it doesn’t matter if you’re home or you’re away. You have to play well enough to beat people.”
That unique journey continues Saturday, when JSU (1-2) travels to a fourth different city in five weeks. This time, it’s to play Kentucky State (1-1) in the Circle City Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Tigers have been compensated for taking their shows – an exciting brand of football and the thrilling Sonic Boom of the South marching band – on the road.
So far, JSU has made stops in Atlanta for the ESPN-televised MEAC-SWAC Challenge for the season opener. Then it was on to Mobile for a “guarantee game” against FBS-level South Alabama before beating Tennessee State in Memphis on Sept. 15 at the Southern Heritage Classic.
The Boom paid homage that night by shifting its formation from Jackson’s 601 area code to the 901 Memphis area code before taking a dig at rival TSU:
JSU has traveled with one of the nation’s top fan bases. The MEAC-SWAC Challenge set its attendance record at 23,333. South Alabama drew more for its game against JSU (15,411) than it did the following week against Memphis (12,373). And the Southern Heritage Classic announced a crowd of 48,000 fans.
In essence, JSU’s road games have felt a bit like Veterans Memorial Stadium, where the Tigers led all of FCS football with an average home attendance of nearly 25,000 fans last season. With one more stop to make before heading home, JSU is focused on being road warriors instead of road weary.
Every week we line up, it’s a new contest and it doesn’t matter if you’re home or you’re away. You have to play well enough to beat people.
JSU Coach John Hendrick“We prepare every week like we’re going to go into that stadium and make it our stadium,” Hendrick said. “Our fans do a great job supporting us everywhere we go. When we come onto the field, we come like we’re at home and it’s our place. That has to be our mindset when we go into every game we play.”
Grind City Media’s HBCU Player of the Week: The Braves
Let’s just make it plural this week, seeing that Alcorn State nearly swept the SWAC’s weekly honors after a scintillating 45-41 home win over Prairie View in last Saturday’s conference opener.
Alcorn State linebacker Solomon Muhammad dominates and grabs the Defensive player of the week award. Photo by Alcorn State Athletics.
The Braves account for three of the four players named to this week’s league honor roll. Quarterback Felix Harper snagged Offensive player of the week, linebacker Solomon Muhammad grabbed Defensive player of the week and placekicker Corey McCullough netted Specialist of the week.
It was a miraculous performance from defending SWAC champion Alcorn, considering it was without starting quarterback Noah Johnson. The SWAC’s preseason Offensive player of the year sat with a shoulder injury sustained in the previous week’s loss at McNeese State. But Harper came off the bench to account for three touchdowns, and helped the Braves score on all six of their red zone possessions.
Muhammad, also the SWAC’s preseason Defensive player of the year, tallied a career-high 18 tackles as the Braves won their eighth straight conference opener and extended their home win streak to five games. McCullough scored nine points on kicks, including his 37th made field goal to set a school record.
HBCU Shoutouts To …
None other than Stephen A. Smith and ESPN’s entire First Take crew for taking their popular show on the road to Wilmington, Delaware for ‘HBCU Week.’
Smith launched last Friday’s First Take in a flamboyant fashion, fitting of the occasion.
Hall of Famer Magic Johnson was also a guest on the show, which was on location to help celebrate the legacies of historically black colleges and universities. Smith attended Winston-Salem State University and played basketball for the same HBCU program that produced iconic NBA guard Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe. Johnson has partnered his various business ventures with several HBCUs, most recently to develop a food services program at Grambling State.
It continues a recent trend of high profile celebrities and athletes using their resources and platforms to showcase academics, athletics and culture at HBCU campuses across the nation. Let’s keep it going.
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Published on Sep 25, 2019
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