JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A glance at how state HBCU teams fared on Saturday.
No. 14 Florida A&M 45, Prairie View A&M 7
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The Florida A&M Rattlers (7-1, 6-0 SWAC) have etched their names into the history books. The Rattlers have won their first SWAC East title after beating the Panthers (3-5, 3-2 SWAC) on homecoming weekend. Florida A&M will host the SWAC championship game on Dec. 2. They will face the winner of the SWAC West. Currently, Alcorn State and Southern are tied for first place in the division.
Tallahassee is buzzing after the Rattlers dominated the Panthers on Saturday. Quarterback Jeremy Moussa threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Running backs Terrell Jennings and Kelvin Dean each had a touchdown on the ground. Even the defense scored a touchdown as defensive back Tevin Griffey took an interception to the house to close out the historic win. The win extends the Rattlers’ winning streak to six games. Florida A&M will travel to Alabama next Saturday to face Alabama A&M.
Allen 59, Edward Waters 21
The last time Allen (7-2, 5-2 SIAC) beat Edward Waters (5-4, 5-3 SIAC) was back in the 1940s. The Tigers beat the Yellow Jackets last year 38-12 and were looking to continue their dominance over their conference rivals. However, in the fourth annual AME Classic, the Yellow Jackets were the ones to get the upper hand.
Allen completely dismantled Edward Waters in South Carolina. At halftime, the Yellow Jackets held a 31-14 lead. In the battle of prolific passers, it was Allen’s David Wright who came out on top. He threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns. Edward Waters’ Jyron Russell did throw for three touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. The Edward Waters Tigers’ winning streak stops at five games. The Tigers look to win next Saturday and finish with a winning record for the first time since 2004.
Grambling State 28, Bethune-Cookman 14
The Wildcats (1-7, 0-5 SWAC) have struggled this season to score and those offensive woes continue Saturday against Grambling State (4-4, 3-2 SWAC). The Tigers jumped out to a 21-7 lead after the first quarter. The Wildcats’ defense would score a fumble recovery touchdown in the second to cut the deficit to seven, but the offense failed to score for the rest of the game. Bethune-Cookman quarterbacks threw three interceptions. Running back Tink Floyd scored the only offensive touchdown for the Wildcats with a 58-yard run. The Wildcats were outgained 331 yards to just 177. Bethune-Cookman will hope to end their six-game losing streak as they host Mississippi Valley State on Thursday.
Florida Memorial 35, Southeastern 24
The Lions (5-3, 4-1 SUN) from Miami Gardens keep their NAIA playoff hopes alive after beating Southeastern (4-4, 3-2 SUN) Saturday. Coming into the game, both teams were tied for second place in the Sun Conference. After having a 20-10 lead at halftime, the Lions were facing a 24-20 deficit after the third quarter. Lions quarterback Cedquan Smith threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to come back and win the game on the road. He threw for 204 yards and had five total touchdowns. The Lions are now tied for second place in the conference with St. Thomas. The Lions lost to St. Thomas earlier in the season and hold the tiebreaker. Florida Memorial still decides their destiny as they face first place Keiser in two weeks. But before Keiser, the Lions will head to Thomasville, Georgia to face Thomas Saturday in a must-win game to keep their playoff hunt alive.