Coming off a loss to Southern in the Southwestern Athletic Conference on Sept. 16, Alabama A&M faced a stiff test entering its last game five days later.
Playing on Thursday, Sept. 21, meant the Bulldogs had a short week to prepare. Starting 0-2 in the SWAC would greatly diminish their championship hopes.
But they met that challenge in their home opener, earning a hard-fought victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 31-24, on ESPN. AAMU head coach Connell Maynor said their backs were against the wall, and they must win their remaining conference games to control their own destiny.
Before we begin, I’d like to welcome newbies who jumped aboard
this Coach Prime Bandwagon as it’s bulldozing sports and pop culture.
Many of you never imagined staying up to watch such a thing, but
there you were on Sept. 16, when Colorado vs. Colorado State kicked off at 10 p.m.
ET and became ESPN’s fifth most-watched college football game
ever. Tuning in for last
Saturday’s game didn’t require sleep deprivation but it was emotionally taxing
to see Oregon stomp Colorado, 42-6.
Most who watched the thrilling overtime win a week earlier likely endured the depressing blowout, too. Although the Buffaloes are 3-1, the Prime Effect has yet to lose – that game against Oregon on ABC marked the largest Neilsen-measured audience all season. Up next on Saturday is another guaranteed ratings bonanza, a game with star QB/Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams pitted against star QB/Coach Prime’s son Shedeur Sanders.
Grambling State and Texas Southern took turns on the scoreboard
Saturday in their Southwestern Athletic Conference clash. Neither team put up
points without a response from the opponent. Back and forth they went, first
the hosts scoring and then the visitors from Texas scoring, in a one-possession
contest entering the final quarter.
But Grambling’s punishing ground attack ground paid off during
the Tigers’ game-clinching drive, making head coach Hue Jackson seem prophetic.
“I like our offensive line, what we’re doing and where we are right now,” Jackson said prior to Grambling’s 35-23 victory. “I think those guys kind of know each other a little bit better. We have a good group of guys who are starting to gel.”
Now in his fifth season at Texas Southern, head
football coach Clarence McKinney has overseen gradual improvement in the
victory column. His team went from zero wins in his first two years, to a pair
in 2021 and five in 2022.
Though his Tigers have opened this season with three
consecutive defeats, McKinney can see progress in their back-to-back blowouts
against Football Bowl Series foes. The Tigers scored a mere field goal and lost
by 68 points against Toledo.
Last week, they scored a touchdown and lost by 52 points against neighboring Rice.
“We went across the street and played a really tough opponent for us,” McKinney said Monday during the Southwestern Athletic Conference media call. “It gave us an opportunity to work on some things and come together as a team. Our guys fought from the opening kick to the final whistle versus a quality opponent.”
BOWIE, Md. –The crowd for Bowie
State’s home opener was slow to arrive Saturday and barely seated for a
game-defining special teams play. But the Bulldogs’ side was packed at the end
on a beautiful sunny afternoon, celebrating a 21-7 victory against Shaw
University.
“We had a full house and a good
spirit and everything,” Bowie State head coach Kyle Jackson said on the field
after his team improved to 2-1 overall, 1-0 in the Central Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference. “I wouldn’t expect nothing less from Bulldog Nation.
That’s kind of how we do things.”
Jackson helped create Bowie State’s culture as a starting linebacker from 2007–2010 and later as an assistant coach under his predecessor, Damon Wilson. The Bulldogs won three consecutive CIAA championships, ending in 2021, after which Wilson departed for Morgan State, and Jackson was named interim coach, inheriting a program that made history 35 years ago.
Facing a new opponent in the
Southern Heritage Classic for the first time since 1993, Tennessee State prevailed
to snap its three-game losing streak in the event. But the closing minutes Saturday
night were tenser than head coach Eddie George anticipated before TSU beat Arkansas-Pine
Bluff, 24-14, in Memphis.
The Tigers kept UAPB in check throughout the first half and enjoyed a 17-0 lead entering the fourth quarter. “ I thought we were going to pitch our first shutout,” George said after the game, which drew 32,518 fans to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. However, the Golden Lions found their stride and began driving the field, eventually lining up for a 31-yard field goal that would’ve tied the score with 54 seconds left. The kick was blocked and TSU linebacker James Green sprinted down the right sideline for a 92-yard scoop-and-score return.
For those who don’t know better, particularly lifelong northerners, the Southern Heritage Classic sounds like it might not be welcoming to Black people.
But, in fact, it’s among the longest-running and most impactful cultural celebrations on the HBCU calendar. More than 40,000 fans typically attend the annual game in Memphis, while non-ticket holders flock to “Bluff City” for the adjacent activities. The three-day event featured a Gladys Knight concert Thursday night and a college and career fair. Saturday’s festivities include a tailgate, parade, a battle of the bands and a brunch and fashion show.
The scene is old news for Tennessee State University, a participant every year since the event’s inception in 1990. But it’s all new for University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, making its debut and replacing Jackson State University, which is absent from the SHC for the first time since 1993. TSU has lost the last three Classics, but won six consecutive matchups beforehand.
In his New York Times bestseller, “The Cruelty is The Point,”
Adam Serwer makes the case that President Trump and his supporters find
community in the suffering of those they hate and fear.
Replacing a few words in that assertion explains the disruptions roiling major college sports. The shifts have been seismic and unmistakable, flipping players and conferences from coast to coast. As usual explanations from the industry’s double-dealing powerbrokers are filled with half-truths and whole lies. But Colorado football coach Deion Sanders knows the game inside and out, on and off the field. He’s calling them on their B.S. and putting it in their face.
Unlike a few foes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Mississippi Valley State can’t put checkmarks on two prestigious football lists, one for SWAC championships and the other for Hall-of-Fame alums.
The Delta Devils came close to snagging a ring in the ‘80s as their star wideout, future NFL great Jerry Rice, shattered NCAA records in a historically prolific offense. But Walter Payton’s alma mater (Jackson State) won six titles outright that decade, and Doug Williams’ school (Grambling State) won or split three. Steve McNair hadn’t arrived yet, but Alcorn State balled out to capture the remaining crown.
However, Mississippi Valley can always point to NFL legend Jerry Rice as evidence of past greatness. No one has to explain the possibilities to first-year coach Kendrick Wade. The two-time graduate was a star player who later served as an assistant coach before returning to accept the top job in December. He has a direct connection to the glory days, as his high school coach AND his coach at Valley was Willie Totten, the Black College Hall of Famer who passed the ball to Rice at what’s now named Rice-Totten Stadium.
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