Tennessee State needed a touchdown with 51 seconds left to finally beat Florida A&M. Norfolk State needed one half to turn the Battle of the Bay into a laugher, then a punt returner to have the best day of his life and make it a rout. And Morgan State needed a 95-yard kickoff return to put away a Towson team that would not go away quietly. Those three games headlined a full Saturday of HBCU football, and here is how each one, and the rest of the slate, played out.

Tennessee State Ends It on the Final Play

Daylin Lee found Brenton Paul for a 20-yard touchdown with 51 seconds remaining, capping a nine-play, 75-yard drive that lifted Tennessee State to a 29-26 win over Florida A&M at Bragg Memorial Stadium. It was Tennessee State’s first win of the season, its seventh straight over the Rattlers, and it pushed the all-time series to 32-24 in the Tigers’ favor.

Lee completed 18 of 27 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Paul accounted for all three of Tennessee State’s offensive touchdowns, rushing 26 times for 92 yards and a score while catching four passes for 36 yards and two more touchdowns. Cam Bulluck led the receivers with four catches for 84 yards, including a 63-yard reception, and Jayden Guy added four catches for 62 yards.

Florida A&M outgained Tennessee State 449 to 390 and twice rallied from double-digit deficits. Armond Parker threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard strike to Jaquan Lee that cut a 26-20 deficit to 26-22 after Rymen Mosley blocked the extra point attempt and Syncere Safeeullah returned it 97 yards for two points. Jalen LaBranche had put Tennessee State ahead in the third quarter with a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown off a Parker pass. Florida A&M reached its own 45-yard line on the final possession before time ran out.

Tennessee State improved to 1-3, and Florida A&M fell to 1-3. The Tigers have an open date before beginning OVC play at Western Illinois on October 3.

Norfolk State Takes Back the Bay

Jason Wonodi returned two punts for touchdowns and rewrote three Norfolk State records in the process; Marco Peery made a school record five field goals, including a career-long 48-yarder, and the Spartans scored 32 unanswered points to beat Hampton 42-21 in the 61st Battle of the Bay before 17,239 fans at William “Dick” Price Stadium.

Hampton took a 7-0 lead on Amari Pryear’s opening-drive touchdown run and led again, 14-10, on a Tre’Von Taylor-to-Noah Colon score early in the second quarter. It was the last time the Pirates would lead, and the last points they would score for more than 42 minutes of game clock. Peery hit a career-long 48-yard field goal, then closed the first half with a 26-yarder, added kicks from 46 and 27 yards in the second half, and finished 5 for 5, accounting for 18 of Norfolk State’s 42 points.

Wonodi turned the game with a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter, then added a 57-yard return for a score with 2:59 remaining. His three returns went for 170 yards, a Norfolk State single-game record both individually and as a team total, breaking a mark that had stood since 2000. “It doesn’t really surprise me, because I’ve known all my life that I had it in me to do something like this,” Wonodi said. “Especially to make history at NSU.” Wonodi missed all of last season with an injury. “If I hadn’t gotten hurt last year, that would have been my last season ever playing college football,” he said. “So after I got hurt, I had to put in the work and get back healthy. Scoring two touchdowns for 170 yards means everything to me.”

Norfolk State ran for 240 yards on 51 carries and held the ball for nearly 35 minutes, with Jalyn Daniels carrying 22 times for 102 yards and Deljay Bailey completing 17 of 25 passes for 184 yards without an interception. The defense sacked Taylor six times and held him to two net rushing yards on 15 attempts, and Norfolk State did not turn the ball over. Head coach Michael Vick called it his first win over a Division I opponent as a head coach and his first in the rivalry. “This was excellent in all three phases,” Vick said. “I was really impressed with our team, especially after going down 7-0. They came out, and they took the momentum away from us. We went right back down, and we got three.” He credited a week of special teams emphasis. “My one point for this week was, if we get one big play out of special teams, I think that would be the difference in the game,” Vick said. “And I just didn’t know we were going to have two. So I asked for it, and I got it. They delivered.”

Hampton coach Van Malone credited the Spartans afterward. “I’d like to give congratulations to the Norfolk State team,” Malone said. “Coach Vick, those guys played extremely hard, and it was a hard-fought victory.” He said starting quarterback Jalen Woods missed the game with a concussion, with Taylor getting the start in his place. “Trey will tell you he struggled a little bit today,” Malone said. “But we still have great confidence in him. Everybody has a bad day at the office.” Safety Qwae Willis, who led Hampton with 11 tackles, pointed to missed tackles in the red zone. “Once they get inside the 20, we hold them to three about five times,” he said. “But on the downs we held them to three, we gave up the third down. Missed tackles. So one thing we can go back and do is fix the tackling.”

Norfolk State improved to 2-2, its best start through four games since 2023, and pushed its all-time series lead to 31-29-1. Hampton fell to 1-3.

Morgan State Wins the Battle of Greater Baltimore

Morgan State outlasted Towson 41-26 in the Battle of Greater Baltimore at Johnny Unitas Stadium, scoring the game’s first 24 points before holding off a second-half push from the Tigers. Cameron Edge threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Joseph Towler for a 40-yard score and Marquez Spells for a 6-yarder, while Dante Archie added a 37-yard touchdown pass to Justin Perry in relief. Jordan Barnett rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown, and Keith Jenkins Jr. broke the game open in the fourth quarter with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that made it 38-26.

Towson quarterback Andrew Indorf kept the Tigers within reach, completing 33 of 44 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Aaron Enterline, who caught seven passes for 92 yards. Towson pulled within 38-26 with just over six minutes left before a late Alex Amaya field goal and a fourth-quarter interception by Joshua Narh sealed the win for Morgan State. Morgan State improved to 3-1, and Towson fell to 0-4.

The W.C. Gorden Classic and the CAA

Jackson State pulled away from Tuskegee in the second half, winning 41-7 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium behind four touchdown passes from Jared Lockhart, who threw for 376 yards. Nate Blount IV was named offensive MVP after totaling 149 yards from scrimmage, and Michael Johnson Jr. earned defensive MVP with two of Jackson State’s four sacks. The Tigers outscored Tuskegee 31-7 after halftime, held the Golden Tigers to 35 rushing yards on 34 attempts, and improved to 3-0.

Campbell opened CAA play with a 42-14 win over NC A&T at Barker-Lane Stadium, led by JJ Cowan’s 185 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, including a 90-yard touchdown run that is the longest in Campbell’s modern history. Kamden Sixkiller threw four touchdown passes and completed 23 of 25 attempts for 341 yards. NC A&T got 281 combined passing yards from Champ Long and Kevin White, with Elijah Kennedy catching seven passes for 65 yards and a touchdown, but the Aggies fell to 0-4.

NC Central lost its second straight, falling 44-20 at Gardner-Webb, which earned interim head coach Pete Bennett his first win. Cole Pennington threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, and Hunter West sealed it with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown. NC Central’s Plez Lawrence scored on the ground, and Nelson Layne did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time all season. NC Central fell to 2-2.

SWAC Results

UAPB held off a late Central State rally to win its home opener 41-35, scoring touchdowns from five different players and putting up 502 yards of total offense, 315 of it on the ground. Za’Marion Webber, Jack Schierholz and Jaylen Jennings all scored on the ground, and the Golden Lions built a 34-7 lead before Central State scored 16 unanswered points late to make it interesting. “We rushed for over 300 yards tonight, and when you’re running the ball that well, it creates opportunities for the guys on the outside,” UAPB head coach Alonzo Hampton said. UAPB improved to 2-2, and Central State fell to 1-3.

Alcorn State’s rally fell short in its first-ever meeting with North Alabama, a 38-20 loss at the Lions’ new Bank Independent Stadium. Alcorn trailed 14-0 before pulling within 21-17 early in the third quarter, but North Alabama answered with 17 of the game’s final 20 points. Quarterback Destin Wade accounted for four touchdowns for North Alabama. Alcorn returns to SWAC play next week, still unbeaten in conference at 1-0.

Homecoming and the Delta Classic

Bethune-Cookman rolled to a 62-3 homecoming win over Virginia Lynchburg, piling up 655 total yards, 530 of them on the ground, and scoring seven rushing touchdowns plus a defensive score. Rashon Brown scored three touchdowns for the second straight game, and Sam McCall added a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown. The Wildcats improved to 2-1.

Delta State beat Mississippi Valley State 21-6 in the eighth playing of the Delta Classic at Rice-Totten Stadium. Nick Clark rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown for the Statesmen, Jordan McKnight returned a punt 12 yards for a score, and Lawrence Armstrong added a 26-yard touchdown catch. Mississippi Valley State’s Luka Sari kicked two field goals, but the Delta Devils’ offense managed only 180 total yards. Mississippi Valley State fell to 1-3.

Ranked Results

South Carolina State survived at Furman, winning 20-17 after Furman’s L. Shields caught a 67-yard touchdown pass with 2:47 remaining to cut a 17-3 deficit. Keely Watson threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to D. Maultsby, and Josh Shaw ran for a score to put the Bulldogs ahead early, and Jett Jackson’s two field goals proved to be the difference. South Carolina State improved to 4-0, and Furman fell to 2-2.

Prairie View A&M could not keep pace with Stephen F. Austin at home, falling 31-10 as the Lumberjacks extended their win streak. Gavin Rutherford threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns for Stephen F. Austin. Prairie View A&M managed just 117 passing yards from Tevin Carter, with K. Smith scoring the Panthers’ only touchdown on the ground.

Also Around the HBCU Ranks

Alabama A&M routed Bowie State 45-3 at Louis Crews Stadium behind a huge first half from Cornelious Brown IV, who completed his first 14 passes and finished 25 of 32 for 350 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Chambers-Smith caught seven passes for 147 yards and two scores, and Jeremiah Hudson-Davis returned a blocked field goal 82 yards for a touchdown, Alabama A&M’s first blocked field goal return for a score since 2005. Alabama A&M improved to 3-1.

Southern returned to the win column, beating Louisiana Christian 50-31 at A.W. Mumford Stadium behind a career night from Trey Holly, who rushed for 200 yards. Holly and Mike Franklin combined for 330 rushing yards as Southern jumped out to a 21-7 first-quarter lead and never looked back.

Delaware State fell to South Florida 59-17 in Tampa, but it was a competitive first half. U. Ale hit N. Stewart for a 90-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 7-7 early in the first quarter, and after South Florida answered to lead 21-7, Delaware State scored 10 straight points of its own, a P. Fisher-Butler field goal and a 20-yard touchdown pass from Ale to J. Terzado, to get back within 17-21. South Florida scored on the final play of the second quarter to take a 28-17 lead into halftime, then closed the game on a 38-0 run spanning the second, third and fourth quarters. Ale finished 16 of 22 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. D. Crowther rushed for 101 yards and three touchdowns for the Bulls, and M. Van Buren Jr. threw for 300 yards and a touchdown in relief.