Week 8 Florida HBCU football recap: Edward Waters wins 5th straight with last-second TD

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Edward Waters made it five straight, while Florida A&M surged back to stay undefeated in SWAC play. Down south, Florida Memorial survived a thriller. And the Wildcats couldn’t win in Jacksonville again.

Here is your Week 8 Florida HBCU football recap:

Edward Waters 31, Albany State 27

We have said this multiple times but, the Tigers from the 904 are on fire. Week after week, Edward Waters (5-3, 5-2 SIAC) has won on the back of quarterback Jyron Russell. Last week, the quarterback threw a 46-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Arsiah McCorker to knock off Tuskegee. This week, down by three with just over two minutes left to play, Russell led the Tigers to another comeback win against Albany State (4-4 , 4-2 SIAC).

The 1-yard touchdown pass to Deven Thompson with 8 seconds remaining extended the Tigers’ winning streak to five. Russell threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers high-scoring offense was able to get Edward Waters’ first victory over Albany State since 1967. The Tigers will go on the road for the last time this season as they face Allen University this Saturday.

Southern 28, Bethune-Cookman 18

Bethune-Cookman (1-6, 0-4 SWAC) has a rich history in Jacksonville, and they added to that history by playing Southern (4-3, 3-1 SWAC) at EverBank Stadium last Saturday. While the Wildcats have a winning record in the River City, they have not had a winning record since 2019. The Wildcats came into Jacksonville with a four-game losing streak and the streak seemed to be in danger when the Wildcats opened the game with a touchdown and took a first quarter 7-0 lead.

That was the last time the Wildcats had a lead.

The Jaguars scored 14 unanswered points to take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. The Wildcats were able to cut the deficit to four points just before halftime, but the second half was all Southern. The Jaguars took a 28-10 lead in the fourth quarter to seal the win. The Wildcats set their focus on a trip to Louisiana this Saturday to play Grambling.

No. 16 Florida A&M 31, Texas Southern 21

The 16th-ranked Rattlers (6-1, 5-0 SWAC) had a week off coming into Saturday’s game with Texas Southern (2-5, 1-3 SWAC) and were looking to continue their trek towards a SWAC East title. But the well-rested Rattlers were caught off guard as the Tigers jumped out to an early 14-0 lead due to touchdown passes from quarterback Jace Wilson. The Rattlers cut the deficit to seven after a 58-yard touchdown pass from Jeremy Moussa just before halftime.

The Rattlers then showed the Tigers why they are the 16th-ranked team in the nation. Florida A&M scored 24 unanswered points to capture the victory. Moussa ended the game with three total touchdowns, two in the air and one on the ground. Running back Kelvin Dean also took a 49-yard run to the house. The win extends their winning streak to five as they head into homecoming week. The Rattlers face Prairie View A&M this Saturday.

Florida Memorial 34, Webber International 29

After last week’s tough loss to St. Thomas, the Lions (4-3, 3-1 SUN) were looking to right the ship with a homecoming win against Webber International (1-6, 0-4 SUN). Their homecoming game was a bumpy ride as they had to battle for all four quarters. The game was a back-and-forth affair. The Lions were able to edge out the Warriors after scoring a touchdown with less than seven minutes to go. Quarterback Cedquan Smith threw for 178 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The win keeps Florida Memorial in the hunt for the Sun Conference title as they are tied for second place. This week, they face one of the teams they are tied for second place with. Florida Memorial heads to Lakeland to play Southeastern on Saturday.