HBCU Football Games To Watch In Week 0

A preview of the HBCU football slate of games for Week 0 of 2024.

MEAC/SWAC Challenge / USA Today Sports

HOUSTON — The 2024 HBCU football season is ready to kick off in Week 0, with the reigning national champions from Florida A&M (0-0) facing Norfolk State (0-0) at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. Saturday's game will take place at 7:30 PM ET in Center Parc Stadium.   ABC will broadcast the game with veteran announcers Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Jay Walker (analyst) in the booth.

"But then when you get closer to it and you dig into the weeds, I think if Florida A&M comes in here thinking they're going to walk over to Spartans, they got a new thing coming to them," Jay Walker told HBCU Legends. "Although Norfolk State was 3 and 8 a season ago, in, like, 6 of those losses, they were within a touchdown. And they returned, 18 out of 21 starters on offense. So they got a lot of experience. So this is Dawson Odom's best team for {Norfolk] State."

Last season, Jackson State defeated South Carolina State, 37-7, to give the SWAC its first back-to-back victory in the annual inter-conference clash. The MEAC still maintains an 11-6 lead over the SWAC.

The Rattler's head coach, James Colzie III, named FAU transfer quarterback Daniel Richardson the new starter to open the 2024 season. He won the job over Junior Maratovic in a highly contentious struggle during the offseason. The FAMU quarterback has an NCAA career passing record of 643 completions on 1,055 attempts (60.9%) for 7,392 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions.

MORE ON FAMU

● Florida A&M went 12-1 last season, its most wins since also going 12-1 in 1978, the year it won the inaugural Division I-AA Championship (now FCS).

● The Rattlers current 11-game win streak in the second-longest active win streak in the FCS (South Dakota State – 29), and a win today would match the longest winning streak by a SWAC school in the last 25 years (Jackson State in 2022).

● Florida A&M was the only Division I team (FBS or FCS) to lead its conference defensively in rush yards per game (94.0), pass yards per game (165.7), third-down percentage (27.5), sacks (37) and interceptions (17) last season. The only other SWAC school to do this in the last 25 years was Texas Southern in 2010.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH (RATTLERS)

• RB Kelvin Dean

• DB Kendall Bohler

• QB Daniel Richardson

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Dawson Odums / Credit: MEAC/SWAC Challenge

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM NORFOLK STATE

FAMU's QB Richardson will match wits versus the Spartans JUCO transfer, now starting signal-caller Jalen Daniels. He will lead Norfolk State as projected starter Otto Kuhns will sit for four games mandated by the NCAA. Starting a new quarterback would derail veteran head coach Dawson Odums' plans to upset FAMU, but he's not at the game to lose.

"Behold the Green and Gold." Odums said at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Press Conference. "We're looking forward to put Norfolk State on a platform where we can showcase the greatness of our academic institution and our program that we're so proud to be a part of."

Odums knows how to win, but only has an 11-23 record leading the Spartans. The expectations are high for Norfolk State as they finished last season third in the MEAC posting a 3-8 record. In Season 4, NSU has a much more talented roster which should yield his first winning season as the Spartans leader.

Norfolk boasts a roster with thirteen players on the All-MEAC Preseason Team, which is the most of any team in the conference. Spartans defensive back Terron Mallory landed on the 2024 Aeneas Williams Award Watch List. While playing Delaware State last season, Mallory registered a hat-trick with three interceptions.

Since joining the SWAC in 2021, Florida A&M has gone 3-0 against its old conference mates from the MEAC. During their time shared with Norfolk State as members of the MEAC, the Rattlers went 15-3 against the Spartans.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH (SPARTANS)

• LB AJ Richardson

• DL Keshawn Lynch

• QB Jalen Daniels - (@Garden City Community College) Completed 120 of 210 passes (57.1%) for 1,282 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

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Delaware State quarterback Marqui Adams fakes a handoff to Marquis Gills during game with Bowie State in 2023. / Gary Emeigh/Special to Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

DELAWARE STATE VS. HAWAII

Another HBCU team had a rough start to its 2024 season when the Delaware State Hornets experienced a "bus fiasco" on their way to JFK airport, causing the team to miss their flight. Wertz Motor Coaches said an "internal scheduling malfunction" led to a delay, as reported by HBCU Gameday.

They finally arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, to battle the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors for Saturday's 11:59 PM ET kickoff at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.   ESPN+ will televise the game.

From the MEAC: "Saturday's meeting will be the first all-time matchup between the Hornets and Rainbow Warriors. Coach Hull enters his second season at the helm and is looking to build off a 2023 season that saw the Hornets go 1-10, 0-5. Their sole win of the season came against Virginia University of Lynchburg (48-10). The Hornets are 3-2 in season openers, dating back the last five seasons. The Hornets return 59 players from the 2023 lineup with Jordan Hull (WR), Edward Core (TE), Marquis Gillis (RB) and Marqui Adams (QB) highlighting the offense, while Charles Brown, Jr. (LB) and Darren Cook (DL) look to hold down the defense. The Rainbow Warriors, under the direction of third-year head coach Timmy Chang, have been picked to finish ninth in the Mountain West this season, a year after going 5-8 overall and 3-5 in league play. The Warriors return nine starters on offense, six on defense, and one specialist. The offense is led by quarterback Brayden Schager who has made 22 consecutive starts dating back to the 2022 season."

• Vegas sets the Hornets as a massive underdog, with a 39.5-point spread and an over/under of 56.5 points. Football Gameplan's and CBS Sports analyst Emory Hunt picks the Warriors.  

• Delaware State, 1-10 in 2023, has not defeated an FBS opponent since its big 52-26 win over Akron in 1987. The Hornets hope to break the 39-game losing streak against Hawaii.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH (HORNETS)

• QB Marqui Adams

• RB Marquis Gillis

• LB Charles Brown, Jr.

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The road to the 2024 Celebration Bowl will start and end in Atlanta. Can Coach Odums finally put together a winning squad and challenge for the MEAC title. Also, will Florida A&M have a second straight opportunity to hoist the championship trophy in December?

We shall see.

*Statistics provided by STATS PERFORM.

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