MEAC
Howard at Rutgers - It looks to be another tough day for Howard (0-1) who were manhandled by Maryland 52-13 last week. They face another Big 10 team in Rutgers (0-1) who will be looking to lick their wounds from a 48-13 blowout against the Pac 10's Washington. MEAC Rookie of the Week Kyle Anthony caught seven passes for 78 yards and two TDs. Howard will use two quarterbacks, Kalen Johnson and Jason Collins, both of who threw for at least 100 yards against Maryland.
Monmouth at Delaware State - It was a tough opener for Delaware State (0-1) as they fell 56-14 to Delaware. But they did see their junior college transfer wide receiver, Mason Rutherford, have a nice first game as he hooked up with quarterback Daniel Epperson six times for 83 yards and a touchdown. Rush defense was a big problem for the Hornets last week as they gave up 395 yards and four TDs on the ground. Monmouth (1-0) rushed for nearly two hundred yards in their win last week, with Lavon Cherry accounting for 119 of them.
Savannah State at Southern Miss - It's a welcome back to HBCU football for Southern Miss' head coach Jay Hopson. The first year Southern Miss coach was the sucessful coach at Alcorn State the past few years before taking this job this year. He started out with a bang, defeating SEC Kentucky in Lexington last week with a balanced offense that amounted for 520 on the day. Savannah State (0-1) was completed outmanned against neighboring Georgia Southern 54-0 last week. This may be an even tougher challenge for the Tigers, who will play three quarterbacks again this week, two of them freshmen.
Norfolk State at Richmond - Good win last week for Norfolk State (1-0) over Division II Elizabeth City State, but this week they get the FCS' second-ranked team in Richmond - a substantial opponent upgrade. Quarterback Greg Hankerson will need another big performance after throwing two TDs last week. Richmond defeated ACC Virginia last week behind a big day by quarterback Kyle Lauletta who threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns.
Kent State at North Carolina A&T - One thing North Carolin A&T (1-0) will find out quickly is Kent State (0-1) is not the St. Augustine team they dominated 62-0 last week. Kent State lost to Penn State, but this is a team that knows how to run the ball. A&T will counter with superstar runner Tarik Cohen, who had a quiet game as he rushed only eight times for 65 yards and two TDs. A&T's stingy defense will get an early test.
Morgan State at Marshall - This is Marshall's season-opener, so they will come out fired up against a Morgan State (0-1) squad that gave up 51 points in a loss to Holy Cross last week. Marshall, an FBS team, was 10-3 last season and has won at least ten games the last three seasons. They have a balanced offense with quarterback Chase Litton (23 passing TDs last season) leading the way. Morgan State's Chris Andrews looked solid in his first start at quarterback for the Bears last week, completing 21 passes for 240 yards and a TD.
William & Mary at Hampton - Hampton (0-1) couldn't stop a good Old Dominion team last week while William & Mary (0-1) were manhandled by the ACC's North Carolina State. While the Pirates defeat is searching for answers, the offense didnt play too badly. Jaylian Williamson threw for 200 yards and TD while Rashawn Proctor caught nine passes for 161 yards. William & Mary is no slouch though. They are ranked 163h in FCS football and Hampton has not beaten William & Mary in six previous meetings in which the Tribe has averaged nearly 38 points a game.
South Carolina State at Louisiana Tech - Both of these teams started the season with losses last week, but different kinds of losses. Louisiana Tech (0-1) barely lost, 21-20, to the SEC's Arkansas while South Carolina State (0-1) was drilled 38-0 by an FBS Central Florida team that had not won a game since 2014. SCSUs offense sputtered, with Caleb York leading the way on 138 yards passing and 38 yards rushing. But All American linebacker Darius Leonard had 16 tackles.
Bethune-Cookman at North Texas - Bethune-Cookman will have season opener Part Deux after their game with Alcorn State last week was canceled due to weather during the second quarter last week. It's the third straight year the season "opens" with a FBS opponent - they lost to Miami in 2014 but defeated Florida International last year. North Texas (0-1) lost to SMU last week, but this is a team that likes to run a lot of plays. They averaged 2.73 plays per minute on offense last week. But they started super slow, falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter with huge defensive issues before coming back late.
Western Michigan at North Carolina Central - Things won't get much easier for North Carolina Central (0-1) this week. After getting dominated by Duke last week, the Eagles take on another FBS team in Western Michigan that has won eight games each of the past two season and defeated the Big Ten's Northwestern last week. Western Michigan had 416 yards of offense last week. NCCU gave up 535 yards of offense to Duke last week.
Florida A&M at Costal Carolina - Florida A&M (0-1) has a big challenge in front of them. Coastal Carolina (1-0) is one of the best teams in FCS football, while FAMU is just looking for a bright spot after getting hammered at Miami 70-3 last week. Coastal is the 16th ranked team in FCS football but had to come back to win 38-14 last week. They feature running back De'Angelo Henderson, who has rushed for at least 100 yards in 19 straight games.
CIAA
Elizabeth City State at Fordham - Elizabeth City State (0-1) looked solid against Norfolk State in their loss 20-12 loss to Norfolk State last week. Consistency and offensive line play were problems for the Vikings. Fordham (0-1)was blown out 52-16 by Navy last week and will be looking for better play against competition a little closer to their level.
Tusculum at Virginia State - Virginia State (1-0) looked good on both sides of the ball against an outmanned Lenoir-Rhyne last week. Tusculum (0-1) lost in double overtime, 13-10, to Virginia-Wise. Their defense will have their hands full with VSU senior quarterback Tarian Ayers who looked good last week.
Edward Waters at Livingstone - Edward Waters (0-1) is an NAIA team that is definitely on the come-up. Last week, Morehouse needed a last second play to defeat EWC who held Morehouse to 19 points and had 334 yards of offense against last season's top SIAC defense. Livingstone (0-1) must find some offense. They lost 5-3 to Benedict last Saturday and only had eight yards rushing.
Winston-Salem State at Catawba - Winston-Salem State (0-1) started fast against UNC-Pembroke last week in jumping out to a 17-3 lead. But they lost steam and fell 20-17. Quarterback Rod Tinsley only had 85 yards passing. Catawba (0-1) is one of the top 25 teams in Division II, but offensively they struggled against the second-ranked team in the country in West Georgia, scoring only three points. But their defense had a respectful day against a powerful team.
St. Augustine's at Carson-Newman - Last week, St. Augustine (0-1) were demolished 62-0 by a great FCS North Carolina A&T team they weren't expected to challenge. This week, they will play a Division II team, albeit one of the top teams in the country in Carson-Newman (0-1). CN lost in the last 44 seconds to Humboldt State, the 7th ranked team in the country, last week 52-45. Scoring is not a problem, obviously. They rushed for 464 yards. St. Augustine has had problems on offense and lean on quarterback DJ Johnson for a spark.
Lincoln (Pa) at Lincoln (Mo.) - Both teams had tough losses last week. Lincoln (Pa) (0-1) fell late to a Cheyney team that hadn't won a game in four years. Lincoln (Mo.) (0-1) hung tough against a solid Langston squad, falling only by a touchdown. Quarterback Dennis Vinson threw two TD passes to Anthony Townsend and accounted for most of the Blue Tigers offense. The Lincoln (Pa) Lions will be led by running back Stephen Scott who rushed for 108 yards against Cheyney.
Wingate at Shaw - Shaw (0-1) will have to find some offense, especially on the run as they had minus-17 yards rushing against Limestone. They also had eight turnovers that led to two Limestone touchdowns. Wingate (1-0) used a strong rushing game to defeat Johnson C. Smith last week as Lawrence Pittman rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns and Blake Hayes ran for 72 yards.
Johnson C. Smith at Bowie State - Speaking of Johnson C. Smith (0-1), the Golden Bulls showed some moxie in overcoming a slow start to make their battle with Wingate a three-point game in the fourth quarter before falling 38-28. Quarterback Jordan Lane was solid with 227 yards and two touchdowns passing, but he was sacked five times. JCSU was also minus-20 in rushing. Bowie State (0-1) couldn't stop Seton Hill last week in their 50-48 loss. Amir Hall had a big day, passing for 427 yards and five touchdowns, but the BSU defense gave up 447 yards through the air.
Virginia Union at Newberry - Virginia Union (0-1) could only muster one touchdown in their two-point loss to LIU-Post, but the defense was solid in only allowing 228 yards of offense. LB Eddie Johnson had 16 tackles and forced a fumble while Willie Bailey had 12 stops and a forced fumble. Newberry (0-1) hung with a solid Florida Tech team for a half, but was overwhelmed in the second half of a 42-28 loss. Raleigh Yedell had a huge day, passing for 447 yards and four TDs and rushing for 49 yards.
Campbell at Chowan - Chowan (1-0) did just enough to defeat Fayetteville State last week, but they will have to have more than 102 yards of offense to defeat Campbell (1-0) a team that throttled Bluefield State 59-7. They will need Nate Wyche to have another strong day after he had three sacks against FSU, as well as Dakota Baer who had nine tackles, an interception, half a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Campbell rushed for 411 yards last week with two players, De'Shawn Jones and Jared Joyner, rushing for at least 100 yards.
Fayetteville State at UNC-Pembroke - UNC-Pembroke (1-0) will be looking to start out faster than they did last week in their win over Winston-Salem State. They were down 17-0 at halftime before scoring 20 unanswered to win. The star duo of quarterback Patrick O'Brien and All American wide receiver B.J. Bunn hooked up for seven passes for 73 yards and a TD. FSU (0-1) did everything they needed to do to win last week, except finish. They held Chowan to minus-9 yards rushing and was led by CIAA Back of the Week Stevie Green's 136 yards rushing. But second half turnovers doomed them.
SWAC
Prairie View A&M at Texas A&M - While Prairie View (1-0) may be one of the better teams in the SWAC, they will be heading into one of the toughest Division I FBS places to play at the SEC's Texas A&M. The Aggies are also flying high after a big overtime win last week over UCLA. PVAM has to figure out how to slow down quarterback Trevor Knight and running back Trayveon Williams. This could be a long day for Prairie View.
Southern at Tulane - Southern (0-1) will need another big Leonard Tillery game this week. Tillery rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown in their loss to Louisiana-Monroe. Tulane's defense may be up for the challenge as they only gave up seven points against ACC Wake Forest in a 7-3 loss last week. They will be looking to run the ball first and throw secondly, though more effectively than their 134 yards last week.
Jackson State vs. Tennessee State (Southern Heritage
Classic, Memphis) - It will be Tennessee State's (1-0) second straight SWAC opponent after they blanked Arkansas-Pine Bluff 44-0 last week. TSU looked solid in every phase of the game as quarterback O'Shay Ackerman-Carter threw for 259 yards and two TDs, including one to WR Partrick Smith who had six catches for 100 yards. Jackson State (0-1) was drilled by UNLV 63-13 last week, but that was expected. JSU struggled to run the ball. La Montiez Ivy did throw for 134 yards and a TD.
Alabama A&M at Mississippi Valley State - Alabama A&M (0-1) had a tough time out in a blowout loss to FBS Middle Tennessee last week. They now jump into SWAC play against Mississippi Valley State (0-1). Interesting fact: today A&M quarterback and running back coach Willie Totten will be the first head coach to coach a game in an opposing stadium that's named after him. The other is Amos Alonzo Stagg.
Oklahoma Panhandle at Arkansas-Pine Bluff - UAPB (0-1) would rather get last week's drubbing at Tennessee State out of their heads. Nothing went right in that 44-0 loss. But Brandon Duncan did average 6.3 yards a pass play in completing 19 passes for 119 yards. Still, he was their leading rusher with 35 yards. OPSU ran into one of the nation's top teams in Sam Houston State and were overmatched. The Division II Aggies many of the same struggles as UAPB did last week. They only had 55 yards rushing and gave up 59 points. But quarterback Shane Truelove did throw for three TDs and 219 yards.
Alabama State at Alcorn State - Alcorn State will try again at opening the season after last week's game with Bethune-Cookman was canceled after the second quarter because of Hurricane Hermine. Alcorn's Fred McNair will again be making his head coaching debut after taking over for the departed Jay Hopson. But he retuns most of his high flying offense in tact. Alabama State (0-1) fought hard against Texas-San Antonio, an improving program with a new coach, before falling 26-13. The Hornets defense forced four turnovers.
Houston Baptist at Texas Southern - Fast start, slow finish. That's the story of last week's Texas Southern (0-1) loss to a strong Prairie View team. The offense was balanced, but they just didn't finish. This week, Houson Baptist (0-1) will try to knock off their new cross-town rival in the first meeting of the two schools. HBU features Garrett Dolan, who had 18 tackles and a fumble recovery in last week's 50-13 loss to Central Arkansas.
Grambling at Arizona - Grambling (1-0) will REALLY see how good they are this week. Last week's 72-12 win over Virginia-Lynchburg was just a tuneup. These are the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac 12. They will need all of the four touchdowns (two passing and two rushing) by Devonte Kincaid. Arizona (0-1) is hungry for a win after their 18-16 loss to Brigham Young last week. Head coach Rich Rodriquez likes to score, so....
SIAC
Fort Valley State at Lane - Lane got an easy 44-6 win over NAIA Texas State last week, but the bar is raised this week as Fort Valley State (0-1) rolls into Jackson. The Wildcats jumped on a strong Miles team early, 21-3 at halftime, but couldn't maintain the momentum in the second half in losing 34-21. So finishing will be the important for FVSU. Lane wasn't tested much, but quarterback Marcus Reynolds looked great in throwing for 160 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 71 yards and a TD. The other Marcus, running back Marcus Holliday, ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Kentucky State at Morehouse - Morehouse has two quarterbacks, Kivon Taylor and Monquavious Johnson, the latter who has been the team's starter for the last three years and who had the game winning TD run last week against Edward Waters. Taylor has outplayed Johnson and earned the starting job last week before leaving the game because of illness. KSU head coach John L. Smith will have his first more even matchup against as they play an SIAC team after being blown out by one of FCS' top teams in Charleston Southern. KSU will use the legs of Reginal Harris, who rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown last week. But they face a defense that was the SIAC's top squad last season.
Albany State at Tuskegee - Albany State (0-1) won't get much of a chance to lick their wounds from last week's close loss to Valdosta State. But they head into Tuskegee (1-0) feeling good offensively as quarterback Caleb Edmonds was solid last with with 156 yards rushing and 157 passing and they feature running back Jarvis Small. Tuskegee is ranked 15th in the nation and cruised to a good win over Clark Atlanta. They've won the last four meetings with ASU.
Limestone at Benedict - Benedict (1-0) did a couple of good things last week. They got their first win since 2014 and they limited Livingstone to three points. What they didn't do well is score. They won 5-3. Limestone (1-0) held Shaw to minus-17 yards rushing last week in their win last week. They are looking for the new program's first consecutive wins.
Clark Atlanta vs. Central State (Chicago Football Classic) - Both of these teams are looking for a spark to get their years cranking. CAU (0-1) played gamely against Tuskegee last week, and rushed the ball well with quarterback DaShawn Blow and running back Matthew Daniels. CAU will also need to cut down on the penalties - they had 12 for 117 yards last week. Central State played well in their loss to FBS Dayton, but turned the ball over six times. They will again look to make their opportunistic defense to cause CAU problems.
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