2023 HBCU football: Schedule, scores, rankings and updates

Week 5 of HBCU football saw overtime thrillers and great games across the board. Here's a look at what you may have missed from NCAA Digital's Stan Becton.

Conference games

Alcorn State defeated Alabama State in overtime after the Hornets missed a game-tying field goal. The Braves forced overtime after a back-and-forth affair. Alcorn State kept Alabama State's passing game in check, only allowing 96 yards from two different quarterbacks.

Meanwhile, Southern handled its business with a shutout win and Hampton won its second-ever CAA conference game with a solid win over Richmond. See results from all HBCU conference games below.

• Hampton 31, Richmond 14
• Southern 27, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0
• Alcorn State 23, Alabama State 20 (OT)
• Grambling State 35, Prairie View A&M 20
• No. 18 Florida A&M 31, Mississippi Valley State 7
• UT Martin 20, Tennessee State 10

Nonconference FCS showdowns

No. 13 North Carolina Central won an overtime thriller over Campbell, giving the Eagles redemption from last year's blowout last. After blocking an extra point in overtime, North Carolina Central kicker Adrian Olivo won the game with his extra point after a bruising touchdown run from running back Latrell Collier.

Elsewhere, North Carolina A&T picked up its first win of the season over Norfolk State.

• Howard 35, Robert Morris 10
• Yale 45, Morgan State 3
• North Carolina A&T 28, Norfolk State 26
• No. 13 North Carolina Central 49, Campbell 48 (OT)

HBCUs vs. Non-DI opponents

Three HBCUs played against non-DI opponents, with Alabama A&M and Texas Southern playing their homecoming games . Click or tap any of the games to see stats.

• Delaware State 48, Virginia Lynchburg 10
• Alabama A&M 58, Tuskegee 3
• Texas Southern 52, Lincoln (CA) 0

HBCU football standings

SWAC

MEAC

CAA

Big South-OVC

HBCU football in the FCS continues with Week 5 action. Click or tap here for a live scoreboard.

Full Week 5 HBCU football schedule

All times Eastern. All rankings via FCS Coaches Poll . Click any of the games below for stats.

Teams with Byes: Bethune-Cookman, Jackson State, South Carolina State

Saturday, Sept. 30

• Howard 35, Robert Morris 10
• Yale 45, Morgan State 3
• Delaware State 48, Virginia Lynchburg 10
• North Carolina A&T 28, Norfolk State 26
• Hampton 31, Richmond 14
• Alabama A&M 58, Tuskegee 3
• Texas Southern 52, Lincoln (CA) 0
• No. 13 North Carolina Central 49, Campbell 48 (OT)
• Southern 27, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0
• Alcorn State 23, Alabama State 20 (OT)
• Grambling State 35, Prairie View A&M 20,
• No. 18 Florida A&M 31, Mississippi Valley State 7
• UT Martin 20, Tennessee State 10

Click or tap here to see every 2023 HBCU football classic in the FCS

Week 5 HBCU football Game of the Week

Here is Week 5's HBCU football Game of the Week from NCAA Digital's Stan Becton.

HBCU game of the week: North Carolina A&T at Norfolk State

This week's HBCU game of the week sees North Carolina A&T battle Norfolk State. North Carolina A&T is coming off a bye week after starting the season 0-3, while Norfolk State has won two of its last three games after a season opening loss to a DII opponent. The Aggies and Spartans are former conference foes, both looking to pick up a key win over a former rival to gain momentum entering conference play.

Florida A&M Athletics

Two top-25 ranked teams walked away with a victory and five FCS HBCU teams faced conference opponents in Week 4 of HBCU football. Here's a look at what you may have missed from NCAA Digital's Maya Ellison.

Conference games

Five teams faced their conference foes in Week 4.

No. 22 Florida A&M now holds a 17-game home winning streak after defeating Alabama State 23-10, ending the contest with a 40-yard pick-six from Isaiah Major vs. Alabama State. Elsewhere, a late touchdown and 21 second-half points helped Grambling State escape a Texas Southern upset, while Alcorn State fell in their first conference matchup of the season after Prairie View A&M made a 50-yard field goal.

PICK-6 from Isaiah Major. TOUCHDOWN RATTLERS.

FAMU - 23
ASU - 10
📺https://t.co/e5ChHZddWw#FAMU | #Rattlers | #OurTime pic.twitter.com/CMnWxDAuyQ

— Florida A&M Football 🏈 (@FAMU_FB) September 24, 2023

 Also in the SWAC, Jackson State's dominating defense helped win the W.C. Gorden Classic over Bethune-Cookman. In the win, kicker Leilani Armenta made "HERstory" as the first female player in program history.

Leilani Armenta becomes the 1st woman player in Jackson State Football history! 🐅 @LeilaniArmenta #HerStory 📸: @gojsutigersfb

🎥: ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/n60Iwu2gZ7

— LIGHT ON COLLEGE SPORTS (@LightOnSports) September 23, 2023

• Alabama A&M 31, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 24
• Grambling State 35, Texas Southern 23 
• Florida A&M 23, Alabama State 10 
• Prairie View A&M 23, Alcorn State 20
• Jackson State 22, Bethune-Cookman 16

Nonconference FCS showdowns

No. 18 North Carolina Central flew through today's matchup against Mississippi Valley in the Circle City Classic and backup quarterback Harris Walker etched his name in the record books, accounting for five touchdowns and 263 yards. Norfolk State persevered on both sides of the ball in a win over Towson for their second win against a CAA opponent this season. 

• North Carolina Central 45, Mississippi Valley State 3
• Norfolk State 21, Towson 14
• South Carolina State 31, The Citadel 10 
• Albany 23, Morgan State 17 (2OTs)

HBCUs vs. FBS opponents

• Miami (OH) 62, Delaware State 20

HBCU football standings

SWAC

MEAC

CAA

Big South-OVC

HBCU football in the FCS continues with Week 4 action. Click or tap here for a live scoreboard.

Full Week 4 HBCU football schedule

All times Eastern. All rankings via FCS Coaches Poll or FBS AP Poll. Click any of the games below for stats.

Teams with Byes: Hampton, Howard, North Carolina A&T, Southern, Tennessee State

Thursday, Sept. 21

• Alabama A&M 31, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 24

Saturday, Sept. 23

• North Carolina Central 45, Mississippi Valley State 3 (Indianapolis, IN in the Circle City Classic)
• Grambling State 35, Texas Southern 23 
• Miami (OH) 62, Delaware State 20
• Norfolk State 21, Towson 14
• Florida A&M 23, Alabama State 10 
• South Carolina State 31, The Citadel 10 
• Albany 23, Morgan State 17
• Prairie View A&M 23, Alcorn State 20
• Jackson State 22, Bethune-Cookman 16

Click or tap here to see every 2023 HBCU football classic in the FCS

Week 4 HBCU football Game of the Week

Here is Week 4's HBCU football Game of the Week from NCAA Digital's Stan Becton.

HBCU game of the week: Saturday, Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. | Texas Southern at Grambling State | HBCU GO

This week's HBCU game of the week sees Texas Southern battle Grambling State. Texas Southern is already 0-1 in conference play and the health of standout quarterback Andrew Body is a question mark for the Tigers entering Week 4. Yet, the Tigers can't afford another conference loss if they wants to keep their SWAC West division hopes alive. Meanwhile, Grambling State is opening conference play after a decisive win over Florida Memorial. A win for Grambling will continue to build momentum in coach Hue Jackson's second year.

Two FCS HBCUs played each other in Week 3 as Hampton rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit to defeat Howard in the Battle for the Real HU. Then, Southern avoided an 0-3 start with a strong win over Alabama A&M in a game where the Jaguars led by two touchdowns in the second half.

Tennessee State and North Carolina A&T each opened conference play in Week 3. Tennessee State picked up one of the biggest wins of head coach Eddie George's tenure, knocking off a Gardner-Webb team that was on the edge of the FCS Coaches Poll. Meanwhile, North Carolina A&T fell to 0-3 as its offense continues to struggle, averaging just 8.33 points and 43 passing yards per game.

• Hampton 35, Howard 34
• Southern 20 Alabama A&M 10
• Elon 27, North Carolina A&T 3 
• Tennessee State 27, Gardner-Webb 25

Nonconference FCS games

A trio of HBCU played against nonconference, non-HBCU FCS opponents. Alcorn State stood out with its impressive win over McNeese where the Braves didn't allow a touchdown. Meanwhile, Delaware State couldn't become the second HBCU to knock off Richmond this year and Morgan State lost in the Battle for Greater Baltimore for the sixth straight time.

• Richmond 38, Delaware State 6
• Towson 20, Morgan State 10 
• Alcorn State 17, McNeese 3 

HBCUs vs. small school opponents

Four HBCUs played non-DI opponents. Grambling State and Florida A&M fought close early before pulling away down the stretch. Meanwhile, Arkansas-Pine Bluff needed a missed extra point to prevent Miles from knocking off its second FCS HBCU of the season. Mississippi Valley State lost to its second DII opponent in 2023, losing by four touchdowns to Delta State.

• Grambling State 58, Florida Memorial 22
• No. 24 Florida A&M 31, West Florida 10
• Arkansas-Pine Bluff 21, Miles 20
• Delta State 35, Mississippi Valley State 7 

HBCUs vs. FBS teams

No HBCU was able to knock of an FBS team this week. Here are the results:

• Temple 41, Norfolk State 9
• No. 24 UCLA 59, No. 17 North Carolina Central 7
• SMU 69, Prairie View A&M 0 
• Rice 59, Texas Southern 7 
• Texas State 77, Jackson State 34
• No. 22 Miami (Fla.) 48, Bethune-Cookman 7

HBCU football standings

SWAC

MEAC

CAA

Big South-OVC

HBCU football in the FCS returns as Week 3 action stretches across two days. Click or tap here for a live scoreboard.

Full Week 3 HBCU football schedule

All rankings via FCS Coaches Poll or FBS AP Poll. Click any of the games below for stats.

Teams with Byes: Alabama State, South Carolina State

Saturday, Sept. 16

• Temple 41, Norfolk State 9
• Grambling State 58, Florida Memorial 22
• Richmond 38, Delaware State 6
• Hampton 35, Howard 34
• No. 24 UCLA 59, No. 17 North Carolina Central 7
• Arkansas-Pine Bluff 21, Miles 20
• No. 24 Florida A&M 31, West Florida 10
• Towson 20, Morgan State 10 
• Elon 27, North Carolina A&T 3 
• Tennessee State 27, Gardner-Webb 25
• Alcorn State 17, McNeese 3 
• SMU 69, Prairie View A&M 0 
• Southern 20 Alabama A&M 10
• Rice 59, Texas Southern 7 
• Delta State 35, Mississippi Valley State 7 
• Texas State 77, Jackson State 34

Thursday, Sept. 14

• No. 22 Miami (Fla.) 48, Bethune-Cookman 7

Click or tap here to see every 2023 HBCU football classic in the FCS

Week 3 HBCU football Game of the Week

Here is Week 3's HBCU football Game of the Week from NCAA Digital's Stan Becton.

HBCU game of the week: Saturday, Sept. 16 at 3:30 p.m. | Howard at Hampton | ESPN+

This week's HBCU game of the week takes us to the Battle for the Real HU in the Truth and Service Classic as Howard visits rival Hampton. Both teams enter 1-1, but Howard has yet to play an FCS opponent. Meanwhile, Hampton is playing its third straight HBCU opponent to open the season before entering conference play. Week 3's HBCU football game of the week will reveal which one of these teams belongs in the upper echelon of HBCU football teams.

HBCU football in the FCS returns with rivalry games, classics and more. Click or tap here for a live scoreboard.

Week 2

All rankings via FCS Coaches Poll or FBS AP Poll.Click any of the games below for stats.

Saturday, Sept. 9

• Army 57, Delaware State 0
• Georgia Tech 48, South Carolina State 13
• Toledo 71, Texas Southern 3
• Bethune-Cookman 31, Savannah State 6
• Miles 21, Alabama State 17
• Akron 24, Morgan State 21
• Norfolk State 31, Hampton 23
• Howard 65, Morehouse 19
• No. 18 North Carolina Central 30, North Carolina A&T 16
• Tennessee State 24, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 14
• Alabama A&M 51, Lane 13
• Abilene Christian 45, Prairie View A&M 16
• Stephen F. Austin 38, Alcorn State 10
• South Florida 38, No. 21 Florida A&M 24
• Jackson State 27, Southern 14
• No. 14 LSU 72, Grambling State 10

Click or tap here to see every 2023 HBCU football classic in the FCS

Week 2 of HBCU football in the FCS is continues an exciting start to the 2023 season.

Here is Week 2's game of the week from NCAA Digital's Stan Becton.

Sunday, Sept. 3

HBCU game of the week:  Jackson State at Southern | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+

This week's HBCU game of the week takes us to the Boombox Classic as Jackson State visits rival Southern. Both teams are looking to avoid going 0-2 in conference play in Week 2, with a loss almost assured to knock the losing team out of the SWAC divisional race.

Players to watch

• Jackson State
  • QB Jason Brown
  • RB Irv Mulligan
  • WR Rico Powers
  • TE D.J. Stevens
  • DT Devonta Davis
  • CB Jaheem Hazel
  • S Esaias Guthrie
• Southern
  • QB Harold Blood
  • RB Gary Quarles
  • RB Kobe Dillon
  • WR Kendric Rhymes
  • LB Jalen Campbell
  • DE Tahj Brown
  • DB Jordan Carter

Honorable mention games: 

• 6 p.m. | Norfolk State at Hampton | FloFootball
• 7 p.m. | No. 18 North Carolina Central at North Carolina A&T | FloFootball

--

Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since served as an FCS, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat reporter. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships and Men's Frozen Four. Additionally, he covered the 2021 Celebration Bowl. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, earning a degree in Professional Writing and playing football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.

HBCU football returned with a full slate of games in Week 1. Here's what you may have missed.

Morgan State lands the ranked upset

Morgan State defeated No. 16 Richmond 17-10 in Richmond to land the ranked upset. The win is the biggest nonconference win by any HBCU so far this season and the most notable win of the Damon Wilson era at Morgan State.

Big time wins come from HBCU Classics

Whether it was Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic or Alabama State and Prairie View A&M in the two different Labor Day Classics, Week 1 saw some exciting FCS HBCU matchups. The SWAC standings will surely be impacted throughout the season by the aforementioned classics, but the inaugural Brick City Classic between Hampton and Grambling State saw the Pirates hand the SWAC a nonconference loss.

• Hampton 35, Grambling State 31
• Alabama State 14, Southern 10
• Prairie View A&M 37, Texas Southern 34 OT
• Florida A&M 28, Jackson State 10

HBCUs contend but can't prevail against FBS teams

No HBCU was able to pull off an FCS-over-FBS upset. In fact, no FCS team has won a game against an FBS opponent through Week 1. Here are the results of all the HBCU vs. FBS games.

• UAB 35, North Carolina A&T 6
• Tulsa 42, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7
• Eastern Michigan 33, Howard 23
• No. 13 Notre Dame 56, Tennessee State 3
• Charlotte 24, South Carolina State 3
• Vanderbilt 47, Alabama A&M 13
• Southern Miss 40, Alcorn State 14
• Memphis 56, Bethune-Cookman 14

FCS HBCUs fall to DII HBCUs

Delaware State, Norfolk State and Mississippi Valley State all lost to Division II HBCU programs in Week 1. On the bright side, defending Celebration Bowl champion North Carolina Central handled its business against its DII opponent.

• Bowie State 22, Delaware State 11
• Virginia State 33, Norfolk State 24
• Central State 24, Mississippi Valley State 21
• North Carolina Central 47, Winston-Salem State 21

Florida A&M defeated Jackson State 28-10 to win the Orange Blossom Classic. The Rattlers ended a four-game losing streak to the Tigers with the win, and won their first Orange Blossom Classic since its revival in 2021.

With the win, Florida A&M moves to 1-0 on the season and in the SWAC, picking up a pivotal divisional win in the SWAC East. Jackson State falls to 1-1 and will need the Rattlers to lose at least one conference game to win the SWAC East division.

Click or tap here for more from the game