HBCU notebook: South Carolina State's Javon Hargrave makes statement

Donald Hunt

Sep 10, 2015, 02:30 PM

The first full week of college football boasted a number of great performances, but few were as notable as Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State's outstanding defensive end. Hargrave had 7 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks to lead South Carolina State in a 35-7 win Sunday over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the 11th annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney in Orlando, Florida.

For his efforts in the Bulldogs' season opener, Hargrave, the MEAC preseason defensive player of the year, was named the game's most valuable player and ESPN.com's HBCU player of the week. The 6-foot-2, 295-pound senior showed off his strength and quickness against the Golden Lions' running attack and in the passing game.

For South Carolina State head coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough, and others who have followed Hargrave's playing days in the MEAC, this isn't a surprise.

"Javon is a special player," Pough said. "He's just so good. He continues to amaze me. We can't block him in practice. He's in the best condition he's ever been in. It really shows with the way he's covering a lot of ground. He's a heck of a kid, too."

A year ago, Hargrave shattered a school record for sacks in a game while tying the FCS Division I-AA National and MEAC record with his six-sack performance against Bethune-Cookman. He led the country in tackles for loss with 23.5, and finished second in sacks with 16. The solid NFL prospect had eight quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup.

South Carolina State (1-0) will host powerhouse Coastal Carolina (1-0) on Saturday in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The Chanticleers are ranked No. 1 in the FCS Coaches' Poll after a 38-35 victory over Furman last weekend.

MEAC Players of the Week: Hampton wide receiver Twarn Mixson was chosen as the MEAC Offensive Player of the Week after seven catches for 135 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Pirates' 35-20 victory over Kentucky State on Saturday. South Carolina State defensive end Javon Hargrave was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, with 7 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss (16 yards) and 2.5 sacks in the 35-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the 11th annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney.

SWAC Players of the Week: Prairie View A&M quarterback Trey Green was selected as the SWAC Offensive Player of the Week. Green tallied three touchdowns and 248 yards of offense in the Panthers' 38-11 win over Texas Southern. He threw for 167 yards and a TD and gained 81 yards while scoring two touchdowns on the ground. Prairie View A&M defensive end Ahkeem Barton was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Week after five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks for the Panthers.

Semicentennial: The NFL will celebrate the 50th Super Bowl this season. The SWAC had back to-back MVPs in two Super Bowls – in Super Bowl XXII, quarterback Doug Williams (Grambling State) led the Washington Redskins to a 42-10 win over the Denver Broncos. Williams passed for 340 yards, a Super Bowl record at the time. He also threw four touchdown passes. In Super Bowl XXIII, wide receiver Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) led the San Francisco 49ers to a 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Rice had 11 catches for a Super Bowl record 215 yards. Rice was also named to the Football Writers Association of America's 75th anniversary team.

ETC.:

SBN Sports Network Black College Football Poll

1. Alcorn State

2. North Carolina A&T

3. South Carolina State

4. Grambling State

5. Bethune-Cookman

6. Southern

7. North Carolina Central

8. Tuskegee

9. Tennessee State

10. Hampton