LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
There were a slew of down-to-the-wire finishes and outstanding individual offensive performances from last week’s black college football games.
Among them were 14 single-digit outcomes– buzzer-beating wins (Morgan State, 38-35 over Villanova, Jackson State, 31-28 over Alabama A&M, Grambling State, 63-59 over Alcorn State) – and losses (Robert Morris, 33-31 over Norfolk State, The Citadel, 34-31 over South Carolina State, Bryant, 31-30 over N. C.A&T) – upsets (Mississippi Valley State, 28-27 over Prairie View A&M, Morehouse, 30-28 over Tuskegee) – and much more.
There were three 400-yard passers – Tavion Faulk of Edward Waters (494), Cameron Edge of Morgan State (440) and Jaylon Tolbert of Alcorn State (411) – four others that topped 300 passing yards. Two QBs had five TD passes –Tolbert and Don Hudson of Fort Valley State – and three others had four TD passes – Faulk, Rahsaan Matthews Jr. of Virginia State and Jackson Wasik of Central State. There were two 200-yard rushers – freshman Rashon Brown of Bethune-Cookman (260) and junior Fabion Duncan of J. C. Smith (224).
When the dust cleared, here’s the picture.
Three teams – Virginia State (4-0),Virginia Union (4-0) and Johnson C. Smith (3-0) – are tied atop the CIAA without conference losses.
Morgan State (4-1) and S. C. State (5-1) are virtually tied with the best record in the MEAC as the league enters its final week of non-conference play.
Edward Waters (4-0) is the only undefeated team in SIAC play after Brian Jenkins Jr.’s Tigers beat up their closest challenger, Kentucky State, 61-42. KSU is now one of six teams in the SIAC with one conference loss.
Jackson State is now the only undefeated team in black college football at 5-0 and atop the SWAC East at 2-0. Bethune-Cookman, after knocking off Alabama State (16-10), is one of four in the East with one conference loss. Four teams are now tied for the SWAC West lead with one loss.
This Saturday, 13 homecomings are scheduled, four are in the SWAC with Florida A&M at Alabama State (3 p.m., HBCUGO. tv) and Mississippi Valley State at Texas Southern (2 p.m., SWAC TV) featured. The intriguing non-homecoming games have Prairie View A&M hosting Southern (2 p.m.), Jackson State in ‘The Hole’ at Grambling (4 p.m.) and Bethune-Cookman at Alabama A&M (6 p.m.),all on SWAC TV.
MEAC schools wrap up their very interesting and telling non-conference schedules this week, four with homecoming dates. Morgan State puts its 4-1 record on the line vs. Robert Morris (12 noon, ESPN+), Delaware State (3-3) hosts Franklin Pierce (1 p.m., MEACN), N. C. Central welcomes in William & Mary (1 p.m., ESPN+) and Norfolk State entertains Virginia-Lynchburg (2 p.m., ESPN+). SC State, coming off its first loss, is at Charleston Southern (6p.m., ESPN+) and Howard is at Penn (1 p.m.,ESPN+).
Amongst CIAA leaders, Virginia State has homecoming vs. Livingstone, J. C. Smith hosts Shaw, and Bowie State (2-1) is at Winston- Salem State, all at 1 p.m. on the CIAASN. Virginia Union is off.
In the SIAC, while first-place Edward Waters is off, the jockeying continues at 1 p.m. with Tuskegee at Central State’s homecoming and Miles at Kentucky State’s homecoming, and at 2 p.m. with Lane at Albany State’s homecoming and Benedict at Allen (SIACN).