HBCU football Week 1 delivered exactly the mix fans wanted from Labor Day weekend. Marquee classics, a walk-off comeback, and a coaching debut nearly turned into program history. Games stretched from Thursday’s MEAC openers through Sunday’s Orange Blossom Classic. By the time the weekend ended, several conference races already looked different than they did a week earlier.
South Carolina State Sends a Message in Miami
No result carried more weight than South Carolina State’s 31-13 win over Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic. The Bulldogs entered as the nation’s top-ranked HBCU program. They left looking every bit the part. Running back Mason Pickett-Hicks rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns. The SC State defense held FAMU to negative-one rushing yard for the entire game. It was a rough Power Four-style beatdown for new Rattlers coach Quinn Gray in his signature early test. The result played out in front of a full weekend of Miami festivities built around the game itself.
Sunday’s other marquee matchup went almost as one-sided. Prairie View A&M routed Texas Southern 52-14 in the Labor Day Classic. Quarterback Tevin Carter accounted for five total touchdowns, and Jahbari Kuykendall opened the scoring on a 90-yard kickoff return. Prairie View never trailed. The win kept the Panthers on track in their SWAC title defense.
A Walk-Off Field Goal and a Near-Miracle Comeback
The best individual game of HBCU football Week 1 didn’t even involve two HBCUs going head to head, but it delivered the weekend’s most dramatic finish anywhere on the slate. Tuskegee trailed Fort Valley State 23-7 in the fourth quarter of the Port City Classic. The Golden Tigers then scored 17 unanswered points, capped by a 35-yard walk-off field goal from Lorcan Ryans. Quarterback Bryson McGrew threw three second-half touchdown passes to fuel the rally. Tuskegee escaped Mobile with a 24-23 win that instantly becomes the signature result of its season so far.
Howard nearly delivered a comeback of its own. The Bison trailed No. 23 Richmond 20-0 at halftime. Howard cut the margin to one score twice in the second half before ultimately falling 28-21. It was Howard’s first real test under second-year coach Ted White since his debut win over Alabama A&M the week before. The fight the Bison showed says more about the program’s direction than the final score does.
Clark Atlanta and Terry Sims Win the Battle of the AUC
New coach Terry Sims picked up his first win at Clark Atlanta in about the biggest spot available. The Panthers beat crosstown rival Morehouse 31-21 in the inaugural ATL HBCU Labor Day Classic. Quarterback Xzavier Jackson found receiver Chry’shawn Sellers twice for touchdowns. That included a 51-yard score with 11:40 left that put the game away for good. Clark Atlanta won despite Morehouse holding the ball for over 35 minutes, a testament to how much explosive plays mattered across the weekend’s biggest results.
Elsewhere in the SWAC and SIAC, Jackson State handled Edward Waters 66-14. Alabama State shut out Lane 34-0 to open its season on a strong note. Grambling State outlasted Central State 48-26. Southern beat Kentucky State 34-15 in a game with more separation on the scoreboard than there was on the field for long stretches.
Hampton Gets a Reality Check Against Maryland
Not every HBCU storyline came from an HBCU-versus-HBCU game. Hampton’s first-ever matchup against a Power Four opponent went about as expected. The Pirates fell 62-0 at Maryland, a game in which the Terps outgained Hampton 646-85. Head coach Van Malone was candid afterward. He said his players quickly realized the speed of the game was faster than anything they’d seen before. It’s the kind of result that stings in the box score but tends to matter less once conference play begins in earnest.
Beyond the headline games, HBCU football Week 1 was full of lopsided results that still shaped early-season storylines. Jackson State’s win over Edward Waters and Alabama A&M’s 38-23 victory over Miles kept both programs unbeaten heading into Week 2. Meanwhile, Virginia Union’s 49-20 win over Livingstone and Virginia State’s 42-13 win over Bowie State gave the CIAA two statement results of its own on the same Saturday slate.
Full HBCU Football Week 1 Scoreboard
Here’s every score from September 3-6, organized by day.
Thursday, September 3
| Winner | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 54-14 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| UCF | 73-6 | Bethune-Cookman |
| Roanoke | 37-7 | Virginia-Lynchburg |
Friday, September 4
| Winner | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia State | 59-10 | North Carolina A&T |
Saturday, September 5
| Winner | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| William & Mary | 22-15 | Delaware State |
| North Carolina Central | 27-6 | Elizabeth City State |
| Old Dominion | 31-10 | Norfolk State |
| Arizona State | 70-7 | Morgan State |
| Richmond | 28-21 | Howard |
| Southern Miss | 49-3 | Alcorn State |
| Alabama State | 34-0 | Lane |
| Jackson State | 66-14 | Edward Waters |
| Southern | 34-15 | Kentucky State |
| Alabama A&M | 38-23 | Miles |
| Sacramento State | 52-0 | Mississippi Valley State |
| Grambling State | 48-26 | Central State |
| Maryland | 62-0 | Hampton |
| Georgia | 63-3 | Tennessee State |
| Florida Memorial | 38-31 | Allen |
| Tuskegee | 24-23 | Fort Valley State |
| Concord | 26-22 | Bluefield State |
| Virginia State | 42-13 | Bowie State |
| West Chester | 21-13 | Lincoln (Pa.) |
| Virginia Union | 49-20 | Livingstone |
| Fayetteville State | 10-7 | UNC Pembroke |
| Shaw | 23-13 | Barton |
| Mars Hill | 17-0 | Winston-Salem State |
| Arkansas Baptist | 30-19 | Texas College |
| Louisiana Christian | 70-14 | Langston |
| Clark Atlanta | 31-21 | Morehouse |
| Benedict | 24-20 | Shorter |
| Robert Morris | 29-9 | West Virginia State |
| Johnson C. Smith | 27-7 | Albany State |
Sunday, September 6
| Winner | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Prairie View A&M | 52-14 | Texas Southern |
| South Carolina State | 31-13 | Florida A&M |
Taken together, HBCU football Week 1 confirmed some early hierarchy while scrambling a few assumptions along the way. South Carolina State and Prairie View A&M look like the class of the sport right now. Tuskegee’s comeback and Howard’s near-upset suggest this season won’t lack for dramatic finishes as conference play ramps up in the weeks ahead.
