Week 2 delivered a rough weekend for HBCU Football programs testing themselves against FBS competition, with two instant classics in the Aggie-Eagle Classic and the Southern Heritage Classic, and several lopsided results elsewhere on the slate. Here’s a full rundown of how the week unfolded, plus a look at the numbers.

Six HBCU Programs Test Themselves Against FBS Competition

Six HBCU programs faced Football Bowl Subdivision opponents this week, and all six came up short, with five of the six losses coming by at least 17 points.

Howard Falls 55-0 at No. 5 Indiana

Howard traveled to Bloomington and was shut out 55-0 by defending national champion Indiana in front of 54,376 fans at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers, ranked in the top five nationally, dominated from the opening snap, holding Howard to just 57 total yards in the first half and 1 of 8 third-down conversions for the game.

Indiana’s running game set the tone, with Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. combining for 161 of the team’s 179 rushing yards, while quarterback Josh Hoover was nearly perfect through the air, completing 6 of 11 passes for 146 yards and four touchdowns as the Hoosiers built a 41-0 halftime lead. “You can see why they have lost only two games in the past two years,” Howard head coach Ted White said after the game. “They are solid in all three phases of the game, and they make you pay for your mistakes. They have a very good program, and this is the kind of program we are trying to build here. It was a great opportunity for us. We will learn from this and move on.”

Howard, now 1-2, gets an early-season bye before traveling to face Rutgers on September 25.

Alabama State Falls to Troy, 34-17

Alabama State battled back in the second half but couldn’t complete the comeback, falling 34-17 to Troy at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Troy struck first on a 73-yard touchdown pass from Goose Crowder to TK Keyes, and Alabama State answered immediately when Jamarie Hostzclaw broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run to tie it at 7. Jaheim Merriweather took over from there, scoring on runs of 69, 6 and 1 yards to help stake Troy to a 31-7 halftime lead.

Alabama State’s defense forced back-to-back turnovers on downs to open the second half, and the Hornets capitalized both times, with Andrew Body finding John Austin for a 19-yard touchdown and Andrew Abu-Akel adding a 37-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 31-17. But Troy answered with a 47-yard Ethan Head field goal to restore the final margin. Merriweather finished with 127 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while Body completed 13 of 24 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown to go with 13 rushing yards. Alabama State falls to 2-1.

Southern Overwhelmed 77-6 at No. 22 Houston

No. 22 Houston scored touchdowns on each of its first 10 possessions and routed Southern 77-6 at TDECU Stadium, holding the Jaguars to 121 total yards and minus 6 yards rushing on 22 carries. Southern converted just 1 of 13 third downs while Houston went 8 for 8, and two lost fumbles set up short fields that Houston turned into quick scores. Houston’s quarterbacks, C. Weigman and K. Henderson, combined to complete 15 of 19 passes for 203 yards and five touchdowns without an interception, while the Cougars ran for 388 yards and six more touchdowns, including a 54-yard scoring run from Henderson himself.

Southern avoided the shutout on its biggest play of the night, a 79-yard touchdown pass from Wyatt McCauley to Wydell Clark Jr. in the third quarter. McCauley finished 2 of 3 for 85 yards and the score.

Southern head coach Marshall Faulk didn’t mince words afterward. “That wasn’t really a game,” Faulk said. “That was kind of a preseason crash dummy test for Houston to work around their good plays, and we didn’t show up.” Faulk credited Houston’s talent and resources for the gap, adding, “They got players everywhere, and they got a really nice budget. In today’s landscape, we don’t have the budget to compete against them.” He also said protecting his players’ health factored into pulling starters and shortening the fourth quarter to a running clock. “You got to know when to say uncle,” Faulk said. “They deserve to walk out these games healthy.” Asked about the McCauley-to-Clark touchdown, Faulk brightened: “I’m excited to watch the two young guys connect. That’s part of our future.”

Prairie View A&M Manages Only a Field Goal in 44-3 Loss at Baylor

Prairie View A&M took an early 3-0 lead on a 25-yard field goal from E. Eddins, but Baylor answered with 44 unanswered points at McLane Stadium in Waco. N. Bennett threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns for Baylor, connecting with J.McGowan on a 33-yard score and D.Miller on a 22-yarder, while also running for a touchdown himself. McGowan added a rushing touchdown of his own, and Baylor kicker R.Armstrong chipped in three field goals.

Prairie View’s offense managed just 110 total yards, 74 through the air and 36 on the ground, and quarterback T.Carter completed 14 of 25 passes without a touchdown. The Panthers’ defense had a better day, intercepting three passes, but the offense couldn’t turn the takeaways into points. Prairie View falls to 1-3.

Texas Southern Falls 51-10 at UTEP

Texas Southern’s only points came on a first-quarter Athean Renfro touchdown run and a Miguel Arana field goal, and UTEP pulled away from there for a 51-10 win at the Sun Bowl in El Paso. UTEP quarterback E.J. Colson Jr. threw for 239 yards and four touchdowns, including an 83-yard strike to Kam Thomas, and Tavorus Jones added a 33-yard rushing score. Raymond Moore III capped the scoring with a 79-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

UTEP outgained Texas Southern 491 total yards to 211 and held a lopsided edge in first downs, 21 to 13. Texas Southern falls to 1-2.

Grambling State Overwhelmed 63-7 at TCU

Grambling State’s lone score came on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Reginald Johnson to Byron Eaton Jr. in the second quarter, sandwiched between a barrage of TCU touchdowns in a 63-7 loss at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. TCU quarterback Jaden Craig threw for 391 yards and four touchdowns, connecting with Kari Ashley seven times for 119 yards and two scores, and cornerback Teon Parks added a 67-yard interception return touchdown in the fourth quarter.

TCU outgained Grambling 676 total yards to 210 and forced three turnovers. Grambling falls to 2-1.

Around the Rest of the Slate

Delaware State Grinds Out 21-6 Win Over Bowie State

Delaware State leaned on a 224-yard rushing performance and three ground touchdowns to beat Bowie State 21-6 at Alumni Stadium in Dover. Shaun Boykins Jr. led the way with 87 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and Ui Ale added another rushing score. Bowie State’s lone touchdown came on a 31-yard pass from Kyle Hawkins to Konner Blount-Foster, though the extra point was blocked, and the Bulldogs finished 0 for 3 in the red zone while missing both of their field goal attempts. Wayne Favors III and Khalil Travers each intercepted a pass for Delaware State, which improved to 2-1 while Bowie State fell to 0-2.

Bethune-Cookman Cruises Past Stetson 43-18 in First-Ever Meeting

In the inaugural meeting between the two programs, Bethune-Cookman never trailed after the first quarter and pulled away for a 43-18 win over Stetson at Daytona Municipal Stadium, outscoring the Hatters 29-8 in the second half. Rashon Brown carried the load early with three rushing touchdowns, and Isaiah Daniel added two more, including the game’s final score on the last play. Bethune-Cookman got a 45-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Amari Jones to Josh Evans to open the fourth-quarter scoring outburst, and Myron Shafer III sealed the win with a fourth-quarter interception. Tre Rigby set up much of Bethune-Cookman’s early offense with 103 kickoff return yards, including a 73-yard return. The Wildcats improved to 2-1, while Stetson fell to 1-3.

Morgan State Rolls to 55-0 Shutout Over Virginia-Lynchburg

Morgan State scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions and cruised to a 55-0 win over Virginia-Lynchburg in its home opener at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore. Quarterback Cameron Edge was nearly flawless, completing 17 of 19 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to Justin Perry, who finished with six catches for a season-high 122 yards. Morgan State’s defense got in on the scoring too, as Darius Searles returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. “It’s good. Anytime you get a win, it’s good,” Morgan State head coach Damon Wilson said after the game. “For us to come home and open up a home season, it’s good to get a win and get a shutout, and bounce back from the game from last week.”

South Carolina State Blanks Virginia State 66-0

South Carolina State scored in every quarter and rolled to a 66-0 win over Virginia State at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, improving to 3-0 on the season. The Bulldogs forced five turnovers and turned them into 31 points, while piling up 480 total yards to Virginia State’s 114. Mason Pickett-Hicks led the ground attack with 112 yards on just 10 carries, an average of 11.2 yards per attempt, and also caught a touchdown pass, finishing with 143 all-purpose yards. South Carolina State used three different scorers through the air, with Keely Watson and Ronnie Robinson combining to throw for three touchdowns, and safety Zan Dunham capped the rout with a 25-yard interception return touchdown. Virginia State fell to 2-1.

Mississippi Valley State Outlasts Lincoln 31-20 in Chicago Football Classic

Mississippi Valley State picked up its first win of the season, holding off Lincoln (Pa.) 31-20 in front of 15,274 fans at Soldier Field in the Chicago Football Classic. Josh Brown was named the game’s Offensive MVP after throwing for 243 yards and three touchdowns while adding 46 rushing yards, and Dayvian Bluitt delivered 259 all-purpose yards, including a 79-yard touchdown catch that put the game away in the third quarter. Lincoln pulled within 24-20 late in the third before Mississippi Valley State answered in just 43 seconds on the Brown-to-Bluitt score, and the Delta Devils’ defense shut the door from there, closing the door on a fourth-down sack by Deondri Clark Jr. Mississippi Valley State improved to 1-2.

Also This Week

Five games already got the full write-up treatment this week. No. 7 Miami scored on 11 of its first 12 possessions and piled up 856 total yards to rout Florida A&M 77-7 at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday, building a 49-0 halftime lead before FAMU avoided the shutout on a fourth-quarter fumble return touchdown.

No. 25 Virginia routed Norfolk State 59-3 on Friday in the first-ever meeting between the two programs, with an added storyline: Virginia head coach Michael Vick faced the school where he played his final college season.

North Carolina Central held off a fourth-quarter rally and intercepted a fourth-down pass in the end zone as time expired to beat North Carolina A&T 30-22 in the Aggie-Eagle Classic, a game delayed by rain that stretched into the night. Plez Lawrence ran for three touchdowns to lead the way for NC Central.

Alabama A&M turned an early interception into a fast start and routed Tennessee State 30-3 in the Legacy Series, Alabama A&M’s second straight win in the series. Cornelious Brown IV threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns.

Alcorn State outlasted Arkansas-Pine Bluff 53-51 in double overtime in the Southern Heritage Classic, winning after the Bulldogs missed a two-point conversion that would have tied it in the second extra period. Jaylon Tolbert threw for 488 yards and five touchdowns in the shootout.

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