No celebrations yet for UAPB

UAPB quarterback Benjamin Anderson (11) and the Golden Lions travel to Grambling State today for a 2 p.m. game.
UAPB quarterback Benjamin Anderson (11) and the Golden Lions travel to Grambling State today for a 2 p.m. game.

— The charter bus carrying the Arkansas-Pine Bluff football team back to its campus from Houston was a raucous place last Saturday - for a short time, at least.

“For the first 15 minutes, it was fun,” running back Justin Billings said. “But everybody died from exhaustion after that.”

The Golden Lions were probably due a little extra rest.

UAPB’s 49-3 victory over Texas Southern last Saturday capped a five-week sprint in which it won four consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference games to clinch the SWAC Western Division title for the first time since 2006.

But if there’s a downside to doing so a bit early, it’s that the Golden Lions still have two regular-season games left that, when it comes to winning a conference title, don’t mean a whole lot.

By virtue of its division title, UAPB (7-2, 6-1) is assured of a spot in the Dec. 8 SWAC Championship Game in Birmingham, Ala. But before it gets there, the Golden Lions play at Grambling State (1-7, 0-8) at 2 p.m. today and host Prairie View A&M (3-6, 3-4) on Nov. 17.

Lose those games, but beat the Eastern Division representative in the title game - either Alabama A&M, Alabama State or Jackson State - and UAPB still wins the conference title.

But Coach Monte Coleman said he isn’t interested in seeing his team coast to Birmingham. To help prevent that, the fifth-year coach has altered his team’s goals a bit. If accomplished, UAPB’s season could become even more historic.

Among the reasons for motivation over the final two regular-season games:

Heading into the SWAC Championship Game with momentum that comes from a six-game winning streak, while trying to win the school’s first outright conference title in school history - it shared the SWAC title in 1966.

Victories in its final three games would ensure UAPB of its first recognized 10-victory season in school history. The 1990 team won 10 games, but those victories were forfeited after going on NAIA probation.

A 10-2 record could also put UAPB in the running for the Black College National Championship, a title given to the team that tops the Sheridan Broadcasting Network’s poll at the end of the season, and which UAPB has never won. UAPB is ranked No. 3.

“It’s a collective thing, as an entire family, a football family,” Billings said. “We expect to win. Losing is not acceptable. Finishing the [regular] season anything but 9-2 is like a failure.”

It’s an attitude that began to develop a year ago, when UAPB was sitting on top of Western Division with four games left.

But the SWAC suspended 25 UAPB players over a three week period for their involvement in a post-game fight against Southern University of Baton Rouge. With the depleted roster, UAPB lost home games to Grambling State and Alabama State, knocking the Golden Lions from the top of the division standings.

UAPB still had a chance to reach the championship game, but needed Southern to beat Grambling State in the season finale. Grambling State won and went on to win the SWAC championship.

“It was a hurtful feeling to watch someone play somebody just for them to lose,” senior defensive end Brandon Thurmond said. “We didn’t want to go through that this year. All of us made our minds up.”

The only hiccups this season have been a 14-10 loss to Alabama A&M and a 40-13 loss at Tennessee State. But since that loss Sept. 22, there have been home victories over Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State and road victories over Southern and Texas Southern.

And with a similar mindset, Coleman said he hopes to head to Birmingham with the longest winning streak of his head-coaching tenure. If UAPB wins there, then it can celebrate.

There’s plenty more to do until then.

“I told them we will have time later. Once we finish the goal at hand,” Coleman said. “The goal at hand is winning the next football games. ... They’re reading the same script music I’m reading.”

TODAY’S GAMES All times Central Prairie View at Miss. Valley State, 1 p.m.

UAPB at Grambling, 2 p.m.

Texas Southern at Alcorn State, 2 p.m.

Alabama A&M at Jackson State, 4 p.m.

Alabama State at Southern, 6 p.m.

At a glance ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF AT GRAMBLING STATE WHEN 2 p.m. Central today WHERE Eddie Robinson Stadium, Grambling, La.

RECORDS UAPB: 7-2, 6-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference; Grambling State: 1-8, 0-7 COACHES UAPB: Monte Coleman (26-27 in fifth season); Grambling State: Doug Williams (61-30 in eight season) RADIO KUAP-FM, 89.7, in Pine Bluff INTERNET uapblionsroar.com

Sports, Pages 21 on 11/10/2012

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