The start of the 2024 college football season is upon us. Of the seven Division I games played in Week 0, two of them have HBCU participants including the 2024 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff.
Florida A&M and Norfolk State face off in Atlanta for the first time since both teams were members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. At the same time, Delaware State will play outside the continental United States for the first time in program history.
Of the three programs, the Spartans are the most experienced with 16 starters returning from last season. However, the Hornets will have the only returning signal-caller from the previous campaign.
Here are my previews for the upcoming contests on Saturday night.
Florida A&M vs. Norfolk State
How to Watch
Date: Saturday, August 24
Game Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta, GA
TV: ABC
Fun Facts: Since 2015, none of the Challenge participants have ended that season playing in the Celebration Bowl, both are played in Atlanta. The MEAC is currently 11-6 all-time in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, but the SWAC has won four of the last six contests.
Here are a few things to look for in Saturday night’s contest:
When Florida A&M Has the Ball
Players to watch:
Rattlers: QB Daniel Richardson, RB Kelvin Dean, WR Jamari Gassett
Spartans: DL Keshawn Lynch, DB Terron Mallory, LB AJ Richardson
All of FAMU’s offensive leaders from a year ago are now gone. In their places, the 2023 Celebration Bowl Offensive Player of the Game (Dean), his fellow All-SWAC second-team selection (Gassett), and new starting quarterback Daniel Richardson will take over for a unit that averaged just under 31 points per game last season.
A transfer from FAU, Richardson passed for 2,001 yards and 13 touchdowns while throwing for 10 interceptions in 2023.
The Jimmys & Joes may be different for FAMU’s starting offense, eight to be exact, but the play-caller will remain the same. Joseph Henry returns for his third season as offensive coordinator at the Highest of Seven Hills.
For the Spartans, Lynch, Mallory, and Richardson will join a defense that returns eight starters from last season. Hopefully, the experience of playing alongside one another will help a unit that gave up close to 28 points per game against FCS opponents in 2023. If not, Dean and the Rattlers’ ground attack will have a field day against the 112th-ranked rushing defense from a season ago.
When Norfolk State Has the Ball
Players to watch:
Spartans: QB Jalen Daniels, RB Kevon King, WR Tavian Morris
Rattlers: DB Kendall Bohler, DL Allen Smith, DB Deco Wilson
Unlike FAMU, Norfolk State will enter this weekend’s matchup with seven returning offensive players, including running back Kevon King (429 running yards, 7 total touchdowns). However, head coach Dawson Odums will start his fourth season at NSU with his fourth offensive coordinator and a new starting quarterback.
Last season, the Spartans finished the year 19th in average time of possession (31:46), but new offensive coordinator Jason Phillips is focused on calling more explosive plays. While Phillips was a member of the offensive staff at Alcorn State between 2018-2022, the Braves averaged 28 points per contest. However, Alcorn would have its worst offensive output while Phillips was the OC, scoring 20.7 per contest albeit with diminished talent at quarterback.
This past Sunday, we learned that senior quarterback Otto Kuhns has been suspended for the first four games of the year due to an NCAA ruling. Enter sophomore Jalen Daniels. The one-time South Carolina recruit transferred from Garden City CC, where he passed for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns in eight contests.
The Rattlers’ Dark Cloud Defense, led by All-SWAC selections Bohler, Smith, and Wilson, will look to slow down the Spartans.
Prediction
How quickly can this new Florida A&M roster come together under Colzie? Have the more experienced Spartans improved since winning 11 games over three seasons under Odums? Which new signal-caller will gain a better understanding of their respective system quicker? I’m not sure, but Odums is winless in season openers at Norfolk. Look for the SWAC to win their fifth game over the last seven contests in this series.
My Pick: Rattlers 28, Spartans 24
Delaware State at Hawaii
Saturday, Midnight (Spectrum Sports PPV)
Lee Hull’s club will become the first HBCU to travel to Honolulu since Grambling State did it three times between 1972 and 1976. The Hornets, winners of three of their last four season openers, will face two daunting tasks when they take that 10-hour flight to the Aloha State — playing an FBS opponent on the road with a kickoff time set for Midnight EST.
Returning defensive linemen Darren Cook and Eric Montes will look to slow down Hawaii’s Run & Shoot offense, led by QB Brayden Schager and WR Steven McBride. Offensively, Delaware State will need improved play from RB Marquis Gillis and TE EJ Core if they aspire to score more than their 2023 average of 18 points per contest.
Rainbow Warriors 31, Hornets 14
