By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
It's the first big week of the 2017 HBCU football season and, as usual, there are a number of FCS/FBS match-ups that look to be uneven on paper. Ask Florida A&M, what's that like after they were pushed aside by Arkansas of the mighty Southeastern Conference Thursday night. But then again, Tennessee State spoiled Georgia State's stadium-opening party with a big win, so anything is possible.
MEAC
Bethune-Cookman at Miami - Expectations are high at "The U" as Miami heads into the season ranked 18th in FBS football. The Canes were 9-4 last season, but are starting a new quarterback in Malik Rosier. He has an 1,100-yard rusher from 2016, preseason All-ACC pick Mark Walton, to hand off to. The Canes defense, especially their defense front, is stiff. Bethune-Cookman will have to get a great game from whomever starts at quarterback - last year's starter Larry Brihm Jr. or Arkevious Williams or two others - to slow down a tough Miami defense. They hope to get the ball to their two great receivers, Jawill Davis and Frank Brown. Bethune-Cookman has played Miami three times in the past, losing all three games including a 45-0 drubbing in 2015.
Duke vs. North Carolina Central - This battle of Durham is intriguing. On paper, it doesn't look like North Carolina Central would have the same kind of talent and depth that FBS ACC Duke would have. But North Carolina Central, the 24th ranked team in FCS football, returns much of a great defense from last year that helped them to go undefeated in the MEAC and allow only ten points to an explosive Grambling team in last season's Celebration Bowl. Still, they are starting a new quarterback in sophomore Micah Zanders. He will have two preseason All-MEAC runners to hand off to, Dorrel McClain and Ramone Sanders. Duke was 4-8 last season, but they throttled NCCU 49-6 last season, and 55-0 the year before. Daniel Jones is a talented sophomore quarterback who threw for 2,800 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. Linebackers Ben Humphries and Joe Giles-Harris combined for 213 tackles and 8.5 sacks last season. This one is could either be interesting or like the other blowouts in this series.
North Carolina A&T at Gardner-Webb - Tyrell Maxwell will tell the story in this game. The Gardner-Webb quarterback threw for 1,657 yards and ran for 955, so how he goes, the Gardner-Webb offense goes. But he will be facing a feisty Aggie defense that was the MEAC's best in rushing defense. On offense, North Carolina A&T led the MEAC in 2016, but that was with superstar Tarik Cohen who is now electrifying things with the Chicago Bears. Marquell Cartwright will step into his spot, but Lamar Raynard, last season's fourth ranked MEAC passer, is back. The 25th ranked Aggis presents a huge challenge for Gardner-Webb of the Big South Conference.
Morgan State at Towson - It won't be hard to pick out Morgan State quarterback Elijah Staley - he is 6' 7" and will be making his first start for Morgan State after a year in junior college and a short stint at Mississippi State. They will need him to lift an offense that struggled last year. He will have running back Herb Walker Jr., a 2014 star who basically lost a year to academic issues and then most of last year to injury. Towson is a team that was great at moving the ball last year. Morgan Mahalak split quarterback duties, but threw for 890 yards and four touchdowns. The Towson defense returns nine starters from a team that gave up 27 points per game.
Virginia State at Norfolk State - This is the renewal of a popular battle from when Norfolk State was in the CIAA with Virginia State. The Trojans will be replacing some key parts of last year's 9-2 team. Qiarterback Nico Johnson, who was the starter two years ago, is battling Corderal Cook for the starting job at VSU. But they will be able to hand it off to Trenton Cannon, a proven, 1,200-yard rusher last season. Norfolk State is trying to decide who is going to lead the offense - either sophomore Tyree Givers-Wilson or freshman Tripp Harrington. They will be throwing to proven receiver Marcus Taylor, a 5' 8", 160 pound dynamo who had 1,130 all-purpose yards last season.
Hampton at Ohio - Hampton's All-MEAC running back Yahkee Johnson will have to deal with a stiff Ohio defense, one that was the top rushing defense in the Mid-American Conference last season. But big things are expected out of Johnson this season, after he rushed for nearly 800 in 2016. The Bobcats are expected to win the MAC East again this season and they don't want to do what they did last year - lose the opening game against an opponent they were heavily favored to defeat (Texas State beat them). Look for Ohio to run the ball as they are still fairly undecided at quarterback, but know that A.J. Oullette and Dorian Brown will be looked to key a solid running game.
Howard at UNLV - Mike London kickoffs his tenure as Howard head coach and the former Virginia head man has some very intriguing parts on his offense. First, running back Anthony Philyaw, the MEAC's preseason Offensive Player of the Year, returns after rushing for more than 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns in 2016. Receiver Kyle Anthony is a second-team preseason All-MEAC pick after a season in which he caught 40 passes for 535 yards and six touchdowns. And thirdly, the person throwing to Anthony will likely be freshman Caylin Newton, Cam's little brother. Newton graduated from high school a semester early and started classes this past spring. A dual threat, Newton last year in high school threw for 3,300 yards and 33 touchdowns and ran for 1,000 yards and 13 TDs. UNLV is also starting a new quarterback, Armani Rogers, he has an All-Conference receiver to throw to, and they have a great running game, 16th nationally, to help him out. Defense will be the key. Both teams are looking to improve defenses that were near the bottom of each of their conferences.
SIAC
Elizabeth City State at Central State - Central State does not look like the same time from last season. Quarterback Lavon Meeks is now a receiver as junior college transfer Trent Mays is taking his place. The defense, especially the linebacking corps, is new. But they look pretty confident in a group of running backs led by Darian Nelson and Moses Vines Jr. Elizabeth City State went 5-5 last season and Ernest Wilson was the CIAA Coach of the Year but was picked to finish seventh in the conference this season. Don't tell that to Wilson's squad. Daquan Neal returns at quarterback and the Vikings look to be more comfortable with Wilson's scheme.
Slippery Rock at Kentucky State - Kentucky State football is on a high after a 2016 in which a second half spurt saw an upset of national power Tuskegee and an appearance in the SIAC title game. Running back Lavelle Cloyd looks to build on a strong second half of 2016. He'll get the ball from a a new signal-caller in junior college transfer Paul Campbell. Last year's starter, SIAC Freshman of the Year Jules St. Ge, is now a wide receiver. Slippery Rock, a 7-4 team last season, is a young team with a reputation for being tough against the run. Interestingly, the entire starting linebacking group are true freshmen. A new quarterback Tanner Garry, will line up for the Rock. His running back group will be a good one, as last year's second team All-Conference running back Isiah Neely has been beaten out for the top back role by up and coming redshirt freshman Chacar Berry.
Livingstone at Benedict - Xavier Longerbeam is back for Livingstone at quarterback, bringing something they didn't have last year at the signal-caller slot - experience. It showed in last season's 5-3 loss in opener to Benedict. Longerbeam has his two top receivers back, as well as solid running back Jarius Richardson. Experience is also a big plus for Benedict - they return 18 starters from a 5-6 team. Ten players were named to the SIAC's preseason All-Conference team. But they do have to replace George Myers Jr at running back and will be starting a new quarterback - either Dominique Harris who hasn't played much since throwing for nearly 2,400 yards in junior college in 2012 or Christian Lisby a passer from Denmark. This is a team with a really experienced and good defense, especially up front.
Valdosta State at Albany State - Gabe Giardina gets a tough game in his debut as Albany State's head coach. He will have a squad that will focus on defense before he can fully get his high-flying offense implemented. They will have a new quarterback and feature running back, but the "Dirty Blue" defense, led by Zavondric Shingleton and Nick Scott, will be their calling card. Valdosta State is ranked 11th in the country, been to the NCAA Division II playoffs three straight years and has the Gulf South Conference's top quarterback in Adam Robles. A team with a good defense, VSU is mainly an offensive squad. Valdosta State is 17-1 against Albany State, but survived ASU 16-7 last season.
Lane at Texas College - Lane head coach Derrick Burroughs and his Dragons have been aching to get back into action to fix things from a 5-5 season last year in which they believe they were a much better team. They lean heavily on Marcus (Holiday) and Marcus (Reynolds), with running back Reynolds rushing for 1,126 yards last season and quarterback Holiday running for 446 and throwing for 674 and seven TDs. They've lost the SIAC Defensive Player of the Year Whitney Richardson who is now in the NFL, but return Ray Taylor, and his 5.5 sacks, to a feisty defense. Texas College is looking to do better than the 44-6 drubbing they got at Lane last season. The NAIA team had the Central States Football League's worst offense (16.7 points a game) and defense (50 points per game) last season.
SWAC
Grambling at Tulane - DeVante Kincaide, Grambling's star quarterback, leads a loaded team into Tulane for a game that can be very interesting. Grambling is the best team in HBCU football and one of the best in FCS. They are strong on offense and defense, even though graduation has resulted in changes. They've just reloaded. Tulane is starting a new quarterback in junior college transfer Jonathan Banks and they return experience at running back and in the offensive line. Nine starters return to a defense ranked 31st in the nation. So the question is can Kincaide and running back Martez Carter poke holes in a tough Green Wave "d"? It's the first meeting ever between the two Louisiana schools, so this is going to be a very interesting FCS/FBS battle.
Alabama A&M at Alabama-Birmingham - UAB is making their re-emergence after the football program was shut down after 2014. So emotions will be high in Birmingham. Alabama A&M was up 14-0 before UAB took over big time in the last matchup in that 2014 season. This year, Aqeel Glass will be starting his first game as quarterback at A&M, but he'll have running back Jordan Bentley, the SWAC's Freshman of the Year, to take some of the pressure off him. The Bulldogs will use a tough running game and a solid defense to try to slow down a deeper UAB team.
Jackson State at TCU - In the first meeting between these two schools, Jackson State will have to muster some offense from quarterback Brent Lyles and running back Jordan Johnson for the Tigers to stay in this one against the FBS Horned Frogs. TCU has senior quarterback Kenny Hill who will be looking to score often on the JSU defense, which actually was the SWAC's second best and tops in pass defense in 2016. Keontre Anderson is the preseason SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. TCU will be looking to knock out Jackson State early in this FCS/FBS matchup.
Mississippi Valley State at North Dakota State - This one might get ugly. Mississippi Valley State, one of the most underfunded FCS teams in the country, takes on perennial powerhouse North Dakota State, the nation's reigning FCS playoffs semi-finalists. Quarterback Easton Stick leads NDSU, threw for 2,300 yards and 19 touchdowns and ran for 685 last season. Their defense only allowed 16 points a game last year and this team is ranked No. 2 in the country. Mississippi Valley State won one game last year, gave up nearly 49 points a game and are just looking to rebuild their program. The Delta Devils do have some talented veterans in the secondary in All-SWAC pick Everett Nicholas and Mark Pegues. But this looks to be a mismatch.
Tuskegee at Alabama State - After advancing to the NCAA Division II playoffs' second round last year, Tuskegee comes into 2017 with questions, albeit, talent too. Kevin Lacey is gone as quarterback, but his backup Jamarcus Ezell is back, though Ahmad Deramus will also get some snaps. The SIAC's top defensive player, linebacker Osband Thompson returns for his final season, will lead the conference's top defense. Alabama State will be starting a new quarterback and will have to replace a star running back. Alex Anderson looks like a solid running back for ASU. Last year on defense, they had one of the SWAC's top scoring defenses. Andre Wilson had six sacks last year while Darron Johnson had 67 tackles.
Morehouse at Arkansas-Pine Bluff - This Division II-FCS match-up is intriguing. UAPB has struggled the last few years in the SWAC, as has Morehouse in the SIAC. But Morehouse is sporting a new high octane offense that they believe will match their solid defense, led by David Smith, Voris Bryant and Antonio Johnson. UAPB has revamped a line-up that finished 1-10 with junior college transfers, while getting back a number of players, particularly on he offensive line, who were injured last year. Brandon Douglas returns at quarterback for a team that was at the bottom of most offensive categories last season. The last time these two teams played - 2015 when UAPB held off Morehouse in three overtimes.
Miles at Alcorn State - Miles will be without one key member - head coach Reginald Ruffin's wife Monica who lost her lost to breast cancer earlier this year. Ruffin was splitting a lot of time last season with his team and focusing on his family. This season, he will be back more focused on his team that finished 5-6 last season. Offense wasn't a problem for Miles. It was defense. They were next to last in the SIAC last season. Alcorn State returns eight starters on offense, including quarterback Lenorris Footman and De'Lance Turner. The Braves had one of the better defenses in the SWAC and Alcorn State is ranked among the best HBCU teams in the nation.
CIAA
Lincoln (Pa) at Cheyney - "In the Battle of the Firsts" last season, Cheyney grabbed a 21-20 overtime win for their only victory in 2016. But the person who threw, Dominick Trautz, and caught, Marcus Lyles, that game-winning TD return for the Wolves. But Cheyney is picked to finish last in their PSAC East division, a year after their defense gave up 50 points a game. Interestingly, Lincoln (Pa) won their next game after losing to Cheyney last season - against Lincoln (Mo.). And that was their only win. Lincoln is also picked to finish last in the CIAA, but they have an interim head coach in Reginald Byarse Jr., a 29-year-old who is the youngest head coach in Division II.
New Haven at Shaw - Last year, more than half of Shaw's roster were freshmen on a 2-8 team. This year, they are a little more experienced though they will need to shore up an anemic offense from last season. Timothy Abbott and Darron Downing have battled for the quarterback slot are splitting time last season. Downing was also their leading rusher, though he only picked up 435 yards. Defensively, they lost to graduation their leading tackler, but return linebacker Devon Hunt who had 89 stops as a freshman. New Haven, 7-4 last season, is going through a similar youth movement, with 47 new players on their squad in 2017. But they do return quarterback Ajee Patterson who threw for 2,541 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, and an experienced line in front of him. But their defense is young, though there are veterans in the secondary.
Bowie State at Seton Hill - Coming off a 5-6 season, Seton Hill feels like they are on the upswing. Offense is their forte, which they showed off in their wild 50-48 win over Bowie State last year. Christian Strong, who returns at quarterback, threw for 3,318 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. Bowie State is loaded. Their offense has quarterback Amir Hall who threw for 3,600 yards and 30 touchdowns, while running back Robert Chesson had 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns. On defense, they return eight starters. The linebacking corps suffered some losses from last season, but they have some key people on the defensive line and secondary returning.
Wingate at Johnson C. Smith - Johnson C. Smith, formerly Biddle University and part of the first black college football game 125 years ago is looking for a quick start in this big anniversary year. Their first order of business - slow down the Wingate running game. Blake Hayes is a Harlan Hill Award nominee who rushed for more than 1,100 yards last season. They also have Lawrence Pittman who rushed for 786 yards and 15 TDs. They have a new defensive front, but experienced linebackers and a deep secondary. JCSU's Carlo Thomas, who had a pick six in their 38-28 loss to Wingate last year, returns to key a Bulls defense. They are set at quarterback as Jordan Lane returns after missing most of last year with an injury, with his solid replacement, Harold Herbin still penciled in as the starter.
Fayetteville State at Chowan - Kane Banner, a Duke transfer, is set to start at quarterback for Fayetteville State, a team that already featured CIAA Offensive Rookie of the Year Stevie Green. So they are set on offense. Their defense is maturing, with a strong and feisty defensive line anchoring the Broncos. Chowan will be starting a new quarterback in freshman Bryce Witt, but they will be replacing a running back Tyree Lee, a 1,000 yard rusher last year. Chowan gave up the third-fewest points in the CIAA last season, but lost their two top tacklers to graduation. Chowan won last season's game 14-13, a game in which the two teams. Chowan has won the last three meetings between the two teams.
OTHERS
Lincoln (Mo) at Langston -
Charleston at West Virginia State -
