HBCU football Week 9 delivered a little of everything: a rivalry trophy changing hands, a 56-0 start, two overtime finishes, and a 5-0 final. Alabama A&M beat Alabama State 31-28 in the Magic City Classic, according to HBCU Gameday, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff routed Bethune-Cookman 63-21. Delaware State rallied past Norfolk State in Philadelphia. And the weekend ended with a serious note after the Classic.

HBCU Football Week 9: The Marquee Results

Alabama A&M ended a four-game losing streak to Alabama State and won its first rivalry game since 2021, per SI’s HBCU Legends. Running back Kolton Nero broke a 61-yard run and scored from 4 yards out with 3:47 left to make it 31-21. Alabama State answered to cut it to 31-28, but the Bulldogs held on. Linebacker DJ Barber made 13 tackles. Alabama A&M is 7-2 and 4-1 in the SWAC.

Meanwhile, Arkansas-Pine Bluff did the loudest damage. The Golden Lions led 28-0 after one quarter and 49-0 at the half, and they scored the game’s first 56 points. They intercepted five Bethune-Cookman passes and returned two for touchdowns. It came one week after the Wildcats upset top-ranked Jackson State. UAPB is 5-3 and 3-2 in the SWAC.

SWAC Notes

Southern, meanwhile, ended a 25-year drought at Bragg Memorial Stadium with a 42-14 win over Florida A&M. Running back Trey Holly rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns, including a 65-yard score, and passed 1,000 rushing yards for the season. Michael Williams II added a 98-yard interception return. Alcorn State thrashed Mississippi Valley State 52-17, and quarterback Jaylon Tolbert threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns.

Overtime and Comebacks

Texas Southern beat Grambling State 23-20 in overtime a week after beating Southern on a last-second field goal. Running back Athean Renfro Jr. rushed for 232 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, with runs of 75 and 86 yards. Quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy scored the winner from 6 yards out. The Tigers lost the turnover battle 3-0 and still won, SI noted.

In the CIAA, Johnson C. Smith beat Virginia State 39-33 in overtime. Fabian Duncan carried 39 times for 203 yards and scored the winner on a 19-yard run. Virginia State’s quarterback threw for 476 yards, and the Trojans piled up 614 yards. Still, they lost.

Delaware State’s comeback was just as dramatic. The Hornets trailed Norfolk State 33-19 entering the fourth quarter, then scored the last 17 points in a 36-33 win at Lincoln Financial Field. Quarterback Marqui Adams threw four touchdown passes. It was a meeting of two former NFL stars, DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick, as head coaches.

MEAC and CAA

South Carolina State kept its grip on the MEAC. The Bulldogs beat Morgan State 51-10 on Thursday, outgained the Bears 509-150, and have won 12 straight MEAC games under Chennis Berry. North Carolina Central shut out Howard 34-0 and held the Bison to 114 yards. And North Carolina A&T edged Elon 13-10 on its centennial homecoming. Hampton, meanwhile, lost to Towson 44-13. Tennessee State was shut out 27-0 at Lindenwood.

Division II and the SIAC

Virginia Union routed Lincoln (Pa.) 62-0 at the Linc, and it’s 8-1 overall and 7-0 in the CIAA. Elizabeth City State beat Winston-Salem State 5-0, a score neither team’s fans will forget. Bluefield State’s Rishon Holmes accounted for six touchdowns in a 45-42 win over Shaw. In the SIAC, Central State beat Edward Waters 35-28, Benedict shut out Savannah State 23-0, Allen edged Morehouse 26-23, and Albany State topped Clark Atlanta 21-17.

Standings Snapshot

Alabama A&M now leads the SWAC East, and Jackson State, which was idle Saturday, is still alive but no longer controls its own path. The SWAC West is a mess. Prairie View A&M, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Alcorn State are tied at 3-2, with Grambling State, Southern, and Texas Southern one game back. In the MEAC, which has no title game, South Carolina State and North Carolina Central are both 2-0. SI’s BC+ power rankings put South Carolina State No. 1, followed by Alabama A&M, Jackson State, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Four teams, North Carolina Central, Virginia Union, Benedict, and Elizabeth City State, shut out an HBCU opponent.

After the Magic City Classic

The weekend carried a heavy footnote. Birmingham police reported a shooting near Legion Field around 7:50 p.m. Saturday, after the Magic City Classic, SI reported. Authorities said one person was killed and eight others were wounded, and the investigation was ongoing Sunday morning. SI’s Kyle Mosley wrote that it’s another incident this season involving gun violence around an HBCU football event. HBCU Buzz covered the FAMU homecoming shooting earlier this fall, and the pattern is drawing attention across HBCU sports.

South Carolina State visits Howard on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPNU. On Saturday, Alabama A&M goes to Prairie View A&M, Arkansas-Pine Bluff visits Grambling State, and North Carolina Central plays at Norfolk State. Virginia Union visits Virginia State in a CIAA showdown with championship seeding at stake. The CIAA title weekend is Nov. 13-14 in Durham, and the SIAC championship game is Nov. 14.

Bethune-Cookman will have to bounce back after the blowout, and the full HBCU football Week 9 recap shows how fast things change.