JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s an exciting Saturday ahead as HBCU football will be played in EverBank Stadium when Bethune-Cookman comes into town. Also, the Rattlers are back in action.
Here is your Week 8 Florida HBCU football preview:
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Bethune-Cookman (1-5, 0-3 SWAC) vs. Southern (3-3, 2-1 SWAC), Sat. 4 p.m.
Division I HBCU football is back in town as the Wildcats and Jaguars take over EverBank Stadium. The game is the first between the two teams since 2006, which was coincidentally also in Jacksonville. The Wildcats lost that game 30-29 in the 53rd Gateway Classic. The Wildcats have a 36-27-2 record in games played in Jacksonville. Will history prevail and lead to another Wildcats victory?
The Jaguars are coming off a rout of Lincoln University (Calif.) 45-18 in their homecoming game. They look to keep their momentum as they face the Wildcats, who have lost three in a row by six points or less. The Jaguars’ defense only allows 15.8 points per game. In comparison, the Wildcats have only scored 18.8 points per game. This will be a tough task for the Wildcats to get the win on Saturday. Their offense is going to have to find ways to make these close losses become close wins. But is there any momentum left for the Wildcats? The Wildcats will have to hope that the Jacksonville fans will give them all of the momentum to finally get their first SWAC win and first win against Southern ever.
N4J Prediction: Southern 28, Bethune-Cookman 17.
Edward Waters (4-3, 4-2 SIAC) vs. Albany State University (4-3, 4-1 SIAC), Sat. 6 p.m.
The Edward Waters football is firing on all cylinders right now. After a disappointing 0-3 start to the season, the Tigers have transformed the program into one of the hottest in the state. The Tigers are on a four-game winning streak and look ready to face anyone. After their Hail Mary win last Saturday against Tuskegee, Edward Waters has another tough test against Albany State.
Albany State comes into this game off a homecoming loss to Allen, which broke its our-game winning streak. The Golden Rams are going to look to rebound and contend for a SIAC title. The Golden Rams’ defense allows 20 points per games while the Tigers score 28.6 points per game. If the Tigers’ offense, led by quarterback Jyron Russell, can be perfect all game long, it will be tough seeing this go any other way than a Tigers win.
N4J Prediction: Edward Waters 35, Albany State 24.
No. 18 Florida A&M (5-1, 4-0 SWAC) at Texas Southern (2-4, 1-2 SWAC), Sat. 8 p.m.
The Rattlers are coming off a bye week, so the best HBCU team in the state had some time to work out any kinks that they had. Expect this team to be even better than before and they will be able to show that against a Texas Southern team that has allowed 40 points per game. The Rattlers should easily win this game. It is just a matter of how many points do they score in it.
N4J Prediction: No. 18 Florida A&M 42, Texas Southern 14.
Florida Memorial (3-3, 2-1 SUN) at Webber International (1-5, 0-3 SUN), Sat. 1 p.m.
It is homecoming week in Miami Gardens. The Lions are looking to end the week off right with a win after losing to St. Thomas last Saturday in the “Battle of Miami Gardens.” Their opponent, Webber, comes into this game with a five-game losing streak and it doesn’t look to be ending Saturday. In their last two outings, the Warriors have only scored 16 points while giving up 47. The Lions score 42 points per game and will most likely have a high-scoring affair from their offense once again.
N4J Prediction: Florida Memorial 56, Webber International 7.