The opening weekend of HBCU football is in the books and we learned a lot about what players and teams have to offer that will make for an exciting season.
Here are the 5 Biggest Takeaways from Week 1 of the HBCU football season.
1. Andrew Body is back and better than ever
There was a lot of dynamic individual performers in the first week of HBCU football that would warrant being named Performer of the Weekend.
Virginia State quarterback Rahsaan Matthews threw for 343 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start, Jackson State running back torched Hampton for 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and South Carolina State linebacker Michael Lunz produced 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in a win over Wofford.
However, as impressive as these performances were, they pale in comparison to Alabama State quarterback Andrew Body’s masterful display put up against FBS opponent Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Returning to the football field after suffering a season-ending injury in last year’s Orange Blossom Classic, Body reintroduced himself to HBCU football, nearly leading the Hornets to a rare FCS over FBS upset.
The Texas Southern transfer finished with 312 passing yards, completing 75% of his passes, and scoring four passing touchdowns. he also recorded 119 rushing yards on 16 attempts and a touchdown.
Before the start of the season, Body made the bold claim to the Montgomery Advisor that “fans can expect the greatest show on turf,” when he and the Hornets step on the football field.
If this debut performance is any indication, this assessment may not be too far off.
2. Down-to-the-wire finishes
Those with a flare for the dramatic would love some of the finishes to these week one games, with multiple contests coming down to go-ahead and walk off scores.
The most notable came in the Labor Day Classic, when Prairie View A&M culminated the debut of head coach Tremaine Jackson with a touchdown pass from Cameron Peters to Rodny Ojo as the clock hit all zeroes to beat Texas Southern.
Howard pulled off an upset win over Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic on a game-winning 43-yard field goal by Matt Conord.
South Carolina State clinched a win over Wofford with a go-ahead 12-yard passing touchdown in the game’s final minute.
Finally, North Carolina A&T had it’s game-tying field goal attempt, that would have sent its game against Tennessee State to overtime, blocked at the buzzer .
3. Statement wins
While many of the FCS HBCU games were more exciting and competitive, the same can not be said about the Division II HBCU games, with many conference favorites opening their seasons with statement victories.
In a battle of defending conference champions in the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic, Virginia Union staked its claim as the favorite to claim a third straight title, knocking off Miles 45-3.
Virginia State began the week with a near shutout win over Barton College while CIAA competitor Johnson C. Smith toppled Morehouse 45-9 in the Essence HBCU Classic.
SIAC favorite Albany State showed why they should be penciled in to win the conference, mowing throw Shaw in a 51-7 win.
Edward Waters showed why they are a darkhorse to win the SIAC, scoring 41 unanswered points en route to a win over Savannah State.
The race at the top of the respective Division II HBCU conferences will be tight if these scores keep up.
4. Rough week for debuting coaches
In a week packed with HBCU coaches making their debuts with new teams, the results were not very kind to them in the end.
New HBCU coaches went 1-8 in the season’s first week, with Prairie View A&M being the only team coming away victorious (not including interim coach Brian Jenkins Jr. and Edward Waters’ win over Savannah State).
To be fair, several teams fought valiantly in defeat, including DeSean Jackson’s Delaware State Hornets against Delaware and Shawn Gibbs’ North Carolina A&T Aggies against Tennessee State.
Even the teams that were blown out can take solice in the fact that it’s only up from here, with plenty of time to make adjustments as the season progresses.
Each of these teams have either set a barometer or have identified their floor, with the question now being will these teams ascend or descend going forward.
5. Florida Memorial nearly completes epic comeback
In one of the more under-the-radar games of the weekend, Florida Memorial nearly pulled off an epic comeback in its season-opener against Reindhardt.
Serving as the coaching debut of Michael Jones, the Lions fell behind 26-6 at halftime, with the deficit growing to 42-6 through three quarters.
Penalties were a big problem for FMU, being flagged for 17 in the contest, compared to just eight penalties by Reindhardt.
From there, however, Florida Memorial began making a comeback, scoring touchdowns on four of its next five possessions, to trim its deficit to 42-35 in the fourth quarter.
Though Reindhardt was able to stop the bleeding, scoring a touchdown to put the game away for good.