Southern Survives Scare, Hampton Upsets A&T

Saturday challenged a lot of what we thought we knew about HBCU football this season. Teams that were supposed to win either struggled or failed against supposedly inferrior opponents. Check out some of the  highlights.

Southern 20, Alabama A&M 17

Alabama A&M was supposed to be an easy opponent for Southern coming off a bye week. Apparently, neither team got the memo. Southern jumped out to a 14-0 lead with a Dray Joseph touchdown pass to Willie Quinn and a fumble recovery by Justin Bethancourt. 

The fourth quarter was one for the books.First, lightening delayed the game with 3:27 remaining. When play resumed, Alabama A&M came up with a short touchdown pass to give A&M a 17-14 lead. 

Southern responded with a Greg Pittman field goal as time expired to take the game in to overtime. Pittman would later hit the game-winning field goal in overtime to help the Jaguars escape with the win. 

Alabama State 48, Prairie View 42

On Friday, we predicted a shootout, and Alabama State and Prairie View delivered. The running game was big for Alabama State, as expected, but it was Malcolm Cyrus who ran all over Prairie View on Saturday. Cyrus rushed for a career-high 241 yards while replacing starter Isaiah Crowell, who got injured in the first half. 

Winston-Salem State 44, Johnson C. Smith 17

For one half of football, Johnson C. Smith played Winston-Salem State as well as anyone has since its season-opening loss to UNC-Pembroke. JCSU took a three-point lead early in the second half before WSSU kicked it into another gear, winning 44-17 in front of over 15,000 fans inside Bowman Gray Stadium.
 
An Eric Amaya field goal put the Golden Bulls up 17-14 with 9:09 remaining in the third quarter, stunning the homecoming crowd. The Rams responded in a big way, scoring 30 unanswered points to win their fifth consecutive game.
 
WSSU held Johnson C. Smith to a season-low 156 yards while gaining 501 yards. Rudy Johnson finished with four touchdowns, the fourth-straight game he hit that mark.
 

Hampton 28, NC A&T 26 

A little over a week ago, NC A&T looked like a legitimate contender for the MEAC championship. Two losses later, those hopes are diminishing fast. Hampton entered the game winless, but thanks to a big surge in the second quarter, HU took a 28-12 halftime lead. 

A&T attempted a rally in the second half, but ultimately fell short, handing Hampton its first win of the season to the delight of its homecoming crowd. 

 

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