The top-four showdown in Huntsville was close for exactly half. No. 3 Alabama A&M trailed No. 4 Grambling State 17-3 in the second quarter, then scored 44 straight points to win 61-31 in a Homecoming rout. Jaylan Bean caught four touchdown passes, Cornelious Brown IV threw for 417 yards, and David Faulk kicked a 56-yard field goal at the halftime horn, setting a school record.

In Jackson, a Homecoming crowd of 44,173 watched Jackson State fall behind Florida A&M in the third quarter and then score the final 15 points to win 27-17. In Greensboro, North Carolina A&T honored the late Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. before kickoff and then built a 27-0 lead on Chicago State before holding on for its second straight win.

In Nashville, Tennessee State stunned new No. 1 Morgan State 25-16 at its Homecoming. Alabama State won a top-10 matchup in Pine Bluff with a goal-line stand and two late interceptions; Bethune-Cookman’s Jaden Davis had three interceptions and a fumble-return touchdown; Prairie View A&M won a shootout with Alcorn State on a late field goal; and Howard earned its first home win of the season at Homecoming. Here is how every game played out.

Alabama A&M Scores 44 Straight to Rout Grambling State

For most of the first half, Grambling State looked like the team that had just knocked off Jackson State. Christen Williams intercepted Brown on Alabama A&M’s first possession, and after a 21-yard punt gave the Tigers the ball at the Bulldogs’ 27, Jacobe Robinson hit Tyson George for a 10-yard touchdown. Faulk and Diego Alfaro traded field goals, and Robinson’s 47-yard completion to Nae’Saan Dickerson set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Andre Crews, giving the Tigers a 17-3 lead with 13 minutes left in the half.

Grambling did not score again until late in the third quarter. Brown ran for an 8-yard touchdown, then found Bean down the left sideline for a 61-yard score. Faulk missed the extra point, but with 3.1 seconds left in the half, he drilled a 56-yard field goal to put Alabama A&M ahead 19-17. The kick was the longest in school history and tied the SWAC record set last season by Mississippi Valley State’s Marko Jovisic.

The third quarter was a 35-point avalanche. Bean caught a 6-yard touchdown on the opening drive. On the ensuing kickoff, Tristan Butler forced a fumble that John Robinson recovered at the Grambling 19, and Kolton Nero scored on a 14-yard run two plays later. Tony Phillips Jr. appeared to answer with a kickoff-return touchdown, but Alabama A&M challenged, and replay ruled he fumbled at the 1, resulting in a touchback. Three plays later, Brown hit Bean for a 67-yard touchdown.

Preston Clendenin intercepted Robinson on the next drive, and Bean’s fourth touchdown, a 19-yarder, made it 47-17. Phillips finally scored on a 100-yard kickoff return, but Brown answered with a 46-yard strike to Jarel Williams as the quarter ended. Tyler Thomas added a 52-yard touchdown run on his only carry.

Brown completed 22 of 38 passes for 417 yards and five touchdowns, one shy of Aqeel Glass’ school record. Bean caught 10 passes for a career-high 240 yards, and Williams added five catches for 112 yards. Alabama A&M piled up 669 yards and 29 first downs and held Grambling to 241 yards. Marcellius Johnson made 14 tackles for the Tigers, and George caught seven passes for 93 yards.

The 61 points and 30-point margin were Alabama A&M’s best ever against Grambling, and the Bulldogs’ first 60-point game since 2019. Alabama A&M (6-2, 3-1 SWAC) is 5-0 at home and has won five straight Homecoming games. Sam Shade is one win shy of 50 for his career, and he gets his next chance after an open week in the Magic City Classic against Alabama State on Oct. 31 at Legion Field. Grambling State falls to 4-3 and 2-2.

Tennessee State Stuns No. 1 Morgan State at Homecoming

Morgan State came to Nissan Stadium as the new No. 1 in the Black College Football Poll and No. 24 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. Tennessee State came in at 1-5. The Tigers sent their Homecoming crowd home happy, beating the Bears 25-16 and holding them scoreless in the fourth quarter. Tennessee State is now 5-0 all time against Morgan State.

Tennessee State struck on its opening drive when Jaden Jones threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Cam Bulluck, his only pass of the night. Rymen Mosley intercepted Cameron Edge twice in the first quarter, and Preston Hurless’ 25-yard field goal capped a 13-play drive for a 9-0 lead.

Morgan State fought back. Keith Jenkins Jr. broke a 28-yard touchdown run, and Gavin Fetty’s 22-yard field goal gave the Bears a 10-9 lead with 2:02 left in the half. Tennessee State answered with an 84-yard drive, and Daylin Lee hit Brock Montgomery for a 19-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left for a 15-10 halftime lead. Edge found Joseph Towler for a 30-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, putting Morgan State back in front 16-15.

Then Tennessee State took over. An 18-play, 65-yard drive ate 7:31 off the clock and ended with Hurless’ 27-yard field goal for an 18-16 lead. Late in the quarter, Hurless missed a 33-yard try, but a roughing-the-kicker penalty kept the drive alive, and Lee found Francisco Pratts III for an 11-yard touchdown with 13 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Tiger defense closed it out. Morgan State ran for minus 3 yards in the fourth quarter and turned it over on downs at the Tennessee State 41 with 6:51 left. After Hurless missed a 37-yard field goal, the Bears drove to the Tennessee State 48, but Edge’s fourth-and-11 pass fell incomplete with 1:17 left.

Lee completed 17 of 34 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 63 yards. Bulluck caught six passes for 105 yards, and Montgomery added two catches for 53. Brendan Hale led the defense with eight tackles, and the Tigers sacked Edge three times.

Jenkins ran for 113 yards on 11 carries and caught six passes for 37 yards. Edge completed 16 of 30 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions, and Towler caught three passes for 56 yards. Bryce Djossou made seven tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, and Anthony Chuman had two tackles for loss. Morgan State falls to 5-2 before opening MEAC play against Howard on Oct. 24, and Tennessee State improves to 2-5.

Jackson State Scores the Final 15 Points to Beat Florida A&M

Florida A&M led and had the momentum entering the fourth quarter at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Jackson State had the final word, scoring twice in 2:32 to win 27-17 in front of a Homecoming crowd of 44,173.

The first half was a grind. Caron Tyler ran for an 8-yard touchdown, and Armond Parker answered with a 5-yard scoring run. Gabriel Caison and Andrew Ivaniciuc traded field goals, and Jackson State added a kickoff-return safety after Ivaniciuc’s 31-yarder for a 12-10 halftime lead. Florida A&M took the lead early in the third quarter when Jamal Hailey broke an 81-yard touchdown run on the first play of a drive.

Jackson State answered with a 58-yard drive early in the fourth quarter. Jared Lockhart, who left the Grambling game at halftime, threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jabari Jones and ran in the two-point conversion for a 20-17 lead with 12:21 left. On Florida A&M’s next possession, Parker fumbled the snap, and Terrance Hibbler Jr. recovered at the 29. Nate Blount IV scored from 2 yards out four plays later.

The final 10 minutes became an interception trade. B.J. Washington picked off Parker, Anthony Baxter intercepted Lockhart at the Florida A&M 1, and the Rattlers drove to the Jackson State 28 before Mikey Johnson intercepted Parker in the end zone with 1:34 left.

Li’Darious Pryor ran for 80 yards, Blount added 63, and Lockhart threw for 98 yards on 13 of 24 completions. Jackson State held the ball for 36:13 and ran 86 plays to Florida A&M’s 58, overcoming 11 penalties for 105 yards. Washington had two of the Tigers’ three interceptions.

Hailey ran for 111 yards on 12 carries, and Lawrence Wright IV caught two passes for 58 yards. Parker threw for 163 yards with three interceptions. Denzel Johnson made 11 tackles, and Justin Bostic added eight. Jackson State (6-1, 3-1 SWAC) remains level with Alabama A&M in conference play, and Florida A&M falls to 2-5 and 1-2.

North Carolina A&T Honors Rev. Jesse Jackson, Then Wins Its Second Straight

Before North Carolina A&T and Chicago State met for the first time on Saturday, A&T paid tribute to the late Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., a civil rights icon with strong ties to North Carolina A&T and to Chicago. Chancellor James R. Martin II presented an official proclamation to Jackson’s family, and the coin toss featured a commemorative coin with Jackson on one side and the logos of North Carolina A&T and Chicago State on the other.

Jackson, a two-time candidate for President of the United States, moved to Chicago in 1964 on a Rockefeller grant to study at Chicago Theological Seminary before being ordained as a minister. The following year, he and a group of students drove from Chicago to Selma, Alabama, to join Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in a voting rights campaign. He was with King in Memphis in 1968 when King was assassinated. He founded many of the organizations he led as a civil rights leader in Chicago.

The nation mourned Jackson’s death on Feb. 17, 2026. He visited A&T frequently over the past 60 years, often returning for the Greatest Homecoming on Earth to reconnect with classmates and old friends.

Then the Aggies went to work in the rain and a 14 mph wind at Truist Stadium. Jayden White returned the opening kickoff 70 yards to the Chicago State 30, and four plays later Kevin White found J.T. Smith for a 22-yard touchdown. Rory Jones-Amen-Hetep recovered a muffed kickoff at the Chicago State 23, and Asher Holland’s 42-yard field goal made it 10-0.

The defense set up the next two scores. Jonathan Kimbrough-Campbell intercepted Ashton Pannell and returned it to the Chicago State 27, and two plays later, White hit Michael Carlock-Williams for a 25-yard touchdown. With 1:36 left in the half, Mykell Harvey picked off Pannell at the A&T 16, and the Aggies went 84 yards in 53 seconds. Jayvonne Dillard made a 30-yard catch, and Carlock-Williams caught his second touchdown, a 21-yarder, with 43 seconds left to give the Aggies a 24-0 lead.

A&T stopped a 14-play Chicago State drive on downs at its own 14 in the third quarter, then drove 75 yards for Holland’s 28-yard field goal and a 27-0 lead. The fourth quarter was a different story. A&T’s offense stalled, Chicago State recovered its own muffed punt and returned it to midfield, and Pannell threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Tre’ Hartwell. The Cougars then recovered a short kickoff at the A&T 38, and Pannell found Develle Barksdale for a 9-yard score with 6:18 left. Chicago State failed on both two-point tries, and after a Tareq Council interception, the A&T defense stopped the Cougars on fourth down at the 25 with 3:12 left.

“I told them when I walked in the locker room, you know, their heads were down. I said, don’t you ever apologize to anybody for winning. Winning is hard,” head coach Shawn Gibbs said. “It’s a fact that half the teams in the country are gonna lose today, and we ain’t one of them.”

Gibbs did not hide his frustration with the second half. “You’re up 27 nothing, and when you’re a really good program, that’s when you really put them away,” he said. “Consistent, reliable performance is more important than sporadic greatness. I tell them that all the time.”

White completed 15 of 26 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns, with an interception, and Carlock-Williams caught two passes for 46 yards and both touchdowns. Elijah Kennedy caught five passes for 50 yards. The Aggies ran for 87 yards on 32 carries, and Gibbs made clear he wants more. “We’ve been known around here for running backs forever, and we need to get a 100-yard rusher,” he said.

Kimbrough-Campbell led the defense with 11 tackles and an interception; Tyrek Brown made nine tackles, including four for loss; and Harvey added an interception and two pass breakups. Pannell threw for 171 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions, and Armani Itote made 10 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks for Chicago State.

A&T (3-5, 2-2 CAA) has an open date before hosting Elon at Homecoming on Oct. 31. “It’s good to beat, you know, one more win than last season, but we should have had more than we have right now anyway,” Gibbs said.

Alabama State Holds Off Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a Top 10 Matchup

Arkansas-Pine Bluff outgained Alabama State 407 to 226 and ran 79 plays to the Hornets’ 43 at its own Homecoming. Alabama State still left Pine Bluff with a 21-15 win, because its defense came up with the biggest plays near its own goal line.

Trey Glymph kicked two first-quarter field goals to give the Golden Lions a 6-0 lead. Arkansas-Pine Bluff then drove 73 yards in 16 plays in the second quarter, but Thad Parson stuffed Jack Schierholz on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Jareese Howard scored on 7- and 34-yard runs in the quarter, and Schierholz’s 7-yard touchdown pass to D’Avery Robinson with 13 seconds left in the half made it 14-12 after a failed two-point try.

Jamarie Hostzclaw’s 3-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter capped an 11-play, 78-yard drive and made it 21-12. The Golden Lions drove to the Alabama State 12 on their next possession, but Zach Williams intercepted Schierholz at the 2. Glymph’s third field goal cut the lead to 21-15 with 4:36 left, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff got one more chance from its own 8 with 1:51 left. On fourth and 3 at its own 44, Ta’Shaun Sims intercepted Schierholz with 25 seconds left.

Aaron Frye completed 15 of 16 passes for 105 yards, and Howard ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Corey Lucius made 12 tackles, and Mitchell Robinson Jr. added nine. Schierholz threw for 243 yards, Demetric Whitlock Jr. caught six passes for 107 yards, and Robinson caught seven for 81. Alabama State (4-3, 2-2 SWAC) snapped a two-game skid and is now 6-0 all-time in Pine Bluff, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff falls to 3-3 and 1-2.

Jaden Davis Takes Over as Bethune-Cookman Wins in Itta Bena

Mississippi Valley State struck first at its Homecoming when Josh Brown broke a 47-yard touchdown run on the Delta Devils’ opening drive. Then Bethune-Cookman’s Jaden Davis took the game over, and the Wildcats won 34-14 for their fifth straight win in the series.

Davis intercepted Brown three times, and with 50 seconds left, he scooped up a Brown fumble and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown. He also had a sack and nine tackles.

Tyler Jefferson accounted for all four of Bethune-Cookman’s offensive touchdowns. He threw 23-yard touchdown passes to Rickie Shaw II in the second and fourth quarters and ran for 2 and 12-yard scores. The Wildcats scored 28 straight points after Brown’s opening run before Brown found Dayvian Bluitt for a 35-yard touchdown with 10:44 left.

Jefferson completed 7 of 15 passes for 109 yards, Shaw caught five passes for 80 yards, and Rashon Brown ran for 69 yards on 22 carries. The Bethune-Cookman defense sacked Josh Brown six times, with Joseph Evans recording two sacks and three tackles for loss. Bluitt caught six passes for 133 yards, Norman Taylor ran for 87 yards on nine carries, and Javieane Stevens had two sacks. Bethune-Cookman improves to 4-3 and 2-1 in SWAC play. Mississippi Valley State’s two-game winning streak ends, and the Delta Devils fall to 3-5 and 2-2.

Prairie View A&M Outlasts Alcorn State on a Late Field Goal

Prairie View A&M snapped a two-game skid at its Homecoming, beating Alcorn State 41-38 when Ethan Eddins made a 37-yard field goal with 1:56 left.

The Panthers scored less than two minutes in when Malik Gucake stripped Jaylon Tolbert on a sack and returned the fumble 61 yards for a touchdown. Tevin Carter threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Rodny Ojo and broke a 54-yard touchdown run to lead 21-7 in the first quarter. Tolbert kept answering. He threw 13- and 63-yard touchdown passes to Fredrick Robertson, a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Temple and a 13-yard touchdown pass to Damien Jones, the last tying the game 28-28 with 1:27 left in the half. Eddins’ 31-yard field goal at the horn sent Prairie View to the locker room ahead 31-28.

Robertson’s third touchdown catch, a 16-yarder, put Alcorn State ahead 35-31 in the third quarter. Elijah Ruffin intercepted Carter at the Alcorn State 7 later in the quarter, but Prairie View went 91 yards in four plays to retake the lead. Jahbari Kuykendall ripped off 46- and 27-yard runs, and Carter ran in from 18 yards out with 11:06 left.

Alcorn State reached the Prairie View 3 on its next drive, but Bruce Uperesa sacked Tolbert and forced a fumble that Tolbert recovered at the 9, and the Braves settled for a 25-yard Kenyon Bowyer field goal to tie it 38-38. Prairie View answered with a seven-play, 47-yard drive that ended with Eddins’ winning kick. Alcorn State’s last drive reached its own 45, where Jalen O’Neal broke up a fourth-down pass with 1:20 left.

Tolbert threw for 356 yards and five touchdowns without an interception, and Robertson caught three passes for 92 yards and three scores while running for 105 yards. Carter completed 14 of 18 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 80 yards and two more. Kuykendall ran for 89 yards on 10 carries, and Prairie View ran for 235 yards. Gucake finished with eight tackles, two tackles for loss, and a touchdown. Alcorn State outgained Prairie View 505 to 397 but fumbled twice. Prairie View A&M improves to 3-5 and 3-2 in SWAC play, and Alcorn State falls to 4-4 and 2-2.

Howard Pulls Away From Morehouse for Its First Home Win

Howard gave its Homecoming crowd at Greene Stadium what it had been waiting for, beating Morehouse 31-17 for its first home win of the season. The game was tied 10-10 at halftime and 17-17 in the third quarter before the Bison scored the final 14 points.

Matt Conord’s 34-yard field goal opened the scoring, and Morehouse answered with a 9-yard touchdown run by Miles Scott. Ja’Shawn Scroggins ran for a 16-yard touchdown, and Cyar DeBose’s 34-yard field goal tied the game at halftime. Eden James broke a 61-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but Scott hit Noah Rhodes for a 10-yard touchdown to tie it again.

Howard took control with a 12-play, 67-yard drive that ate 5:33 off the clock and ended with Scroggins’ 1-yard touchdown run with 6:50 left. J. Augustus Olidge then intercepted Scott and returned it 35 yards to the Morehouse 45, and Travis Kerney sealed it with a 7-yard touchdown run with 48 seconds left.

James ran for 120 yards on 13 carries, and Scroggins completed 17 of 27 passes for 128 yards and ran for two touchdowns, as Howard ran for 201 yards. The Bison overcame three lost fumbles. Kyle Dillon had two tackles for loss, and Dorsett Edwards added a late sack and forced fumble that Ryan Odita recovered. Scott completed 17 of 44 passes for 179 yards, and Jeremiah Gibson caught four passes for 84 yards. Howard (3-4) opens MEAC play against Morgan State on Oct. 24, and Morehouse falls to 3-5.

Sacred Heart Pulls Away From Hampton in the Second Half

Hampton struck first at Sacred Heart when Tre’Von Taylor found Sejhe Jackson for a 1-yard touchdown on fourth and goal, capping a 12-play, 59-yard drive. The Pioneers scored 35 of the game’s final 49 points and won 35-21.

Two missed chances in the first half proved costly. Poochie Snyder’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Nick Gentilella tied the game, and Hampton later drove inside the 1 with Xavier Brookins at quarterback but turned it over on downs. Late in the half, the Pirates muffed a punt, and Sacred Heart recovered at the Hampton 16; Chuck Webb then ran for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 14-7 at halftime.

Snyder ran for a 5-yard touchdown to open the second half, and Taylor answered with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Smith. Snyder scored again from a yard out late in the third quarter, and Webb’s 3-yard run made it 35-14 with 10:08 left. Brookins broke a 38-yard touchdown run to seal the win.

Taylor completed 7 of 9 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and Brookins completed 8 of 15 for 98 yards. Cam Sturdifen made nine tackles, and Tyher Howard Thompson had two tackles for loss. Snyder completed 18 of 21 passes for 198 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and Webb ran for 89 yards and two scores. Hampton (1-6, 0-3 CAA) plays its first game at Armstrong Stadium this season when it hosts Monmouth for Homecoming on Oct. 24.