The Edward Waters Tigers had a chance to make a statement. Traveling from their home in Jacksonville, Florida, to Columbia, South Carolina, to meet up with the Benedict Tigers at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium, they entered the game ranked No. 2 through Week 6 of the HBCU D2 Football Coaches Poll, four spots ahead of No. 6 Benedict after an eye-opening 61-42 home victory over Kentucky State on Oct. 3.
Edward Waters took a four-game winning streak into their matchup with Benedict for a deserving spot behind then-No. 1 Johnson C. Smith. The best laid plans of mice and men, though … Benedict disrupted the other Tigers’ intentions with an overpowering first half, stunningly leading Edward Waters by 35-3 going into the locker room at halftime, and maintained their advantage until the final whistle for a 45-24 win.
The new poll in the lead-up to this week’s games has Edward Waters (5-2) dropping to No. 5, while Benedict (6-1) has risen to No. 4. Virginia State (7-1) jumped from No. 4 to No. 1, followed by Johnson C. Smith (6-1) at No. 3 and Virginia Union (6-1) at No. 3. The Virginia State Trojans are off this weekend and return on Oct. 31 to face Johnson C. Smith on the road.
FCS Morgan State (5-2) of the MEAC was upended by Tennessee State 25-16 to descend from No. 1 to No. 4 in the HBCU DI polls. Jackson State (6-1) is now back at No. 1 with Alabama A&M and South Carolina State, both 5-2, No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
Tennessee State, an HBCU that’s a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, is one of just three D1 HBCUs that are not part of a Black college conference. North Carolina A&T and Hampton, both of which were once members of the MEAC, are in the Coastal Athletic Association conference.
