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HBCU Roundup: Jackson State Controls Its Destiny in the SWAC East, CIAA and SIAC Title Games Set

Jackson State routed Mississippi Valley State to take control of the SWAC East, South Carolina State and North Carolina Central set up a winner-take-all MEAC showdown, and the CIAA and SIAC championship matchups were set on the final Saturday of the HBCU regular season.

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1 hour ago

November 8, 2026

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North Carolina Central running back carries the ball against Norfolk State

The Celebration Bowl race came into focus on Saturday as Jackson State took control of the SWAC East, the MEAC race narrowed to a single showdown game, and both the CIAA and SIAC crowned the finalists for their championship games.

SWAC: Jackson State 38, Mississippi Valley State 7: Jared Lockhart completed 22 of 33 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns and added a 38-yard touchdown run as the Tigers (7-2, 4-2 SWAC) rolled on Senior Day. Lockhart opened the scoring with his touchdown run, then threw an 81-yard touchdown to Jency Riley Jr. and scoring passes to Li’Darius Pryor and Joanes Fortilien. With the win and Alabama A&M’s loss, Jackson State now controls its own destiny in the SWAC East, holding the tiebreaker over the Bulldogs with road games at Alabama State and Alcorn State remaining.

Prairie View A&M 31, No. 24 Alabama A&M 10: The Panthers (5-5, 4-2) knocked off the top-ranked HBCU team in the FCS poll, scoring the final 17 points after the Bulldogs pulled within four early in the third quarter. Prairie View piled up 437 total yards while holding Alabama A&M (7-3, 4-2) to 231.

Southern 45, Bethune-Cookman 17: Trey Holly rushed for 206 yards and the Jaguars scored 35 straight points, building a 38-3 lead early in the third quarter in Baton Rouge. Southern outrushed the Wildcats (5-5, 3-3) 381-146.

Alcorn State 38, Florida A&M 20: The Braves (6-4, 4-2) erased a 14-0 deficit by scoring 38 of the game’s final 44 points, rolling up 546 total yards in Lorman. Florida A&M fell to 2-8.

Alabama State 34, Texas Southern 31: Freshman quarterback Aaron Frye accounted for four touchdowns, including a go-ahead 76-yard touchdown run with 8:44 left, as the Hornets (5-4, 3-3) scored 27 second-half points in Houston. Texas Southern (3-6, 2-4) cut the lead to three with 3:12 left, but Alabama State ran out the clock.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff 35, Grambling State 32: The Golden Lions (6-3, 4-2) rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit behind Jaylen Jennings’ touchdown run and DaeDae Allen’s 76-yard punt-return touchdown. Grambling (4-5, 2-4) answered with a 78-yard touchdown pass in the final six minutes but could not complete the comeback. A postgame altercation between the two teams overshadowed the finish.

The SWAC West is a three-way tie at 4-2 between Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Prairie View A&M, with Southern still in the chase. The SWAC Championship Game is set for December 5, and the winner meets the MEAC champion in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta.

MEAC: North Carolina Central rallied from 21-3 down at halftime to beat Norfolk State 29-28 on Joshua Jones’ 26-yard touchdown pass to Mehki Wall with 27 seconds left, and Delaware State closed its home schedule with a 24-14 win over Morgan State. Combined with South Carolina State’s 35-28 win over Howard on Thursday, the Bulldogs and Eagles are both 3-0 in the MEAC, and they meet Saturday in Orangeburg with sole possession of first place and the inside track to the Celebration Bowl on the line. Delaware State sits at 2-1.

CIAA: Virginia Union claimed the regular-season crown at 8-0 in conference play with a 36-14 win over Virginia State, opening a 27-0 lead. Johnson C. Smith beat Livingstone 27-14 in the Commemorative Classic to lock up the other spot in the CIAA Championship Game, which matches Virginia Union and Johnson C. Smith on Saturday in Durham. In the rest of the finale, Fayetteville State rallied from 17-7 down in the fourth quarter to beat Winston-Salem State 23-17, Bowie State sent its seniors out with a 47-21 win over Lincoln behind three touchdowns from Jaylin Solomon, and Elizabeth City State routed Bluefield State 58-12.

SIAC: Benedict held off Central State 45-38 to reach the SIAC Championship Game, as Jett Peddy threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and Ethan Nation intercepted three passes. Kentucky State earned the other berth with a 34-10 win over Morehouse behind Juan Gainous’ 405 passing yards and five touchdowns. Benedict and Kentucky State, both 7-1 in the conference, meet for the title Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina, on ESPNU. Elsewhere, Albany State blanked Fort Valley State 49-0 in the Fountain City Classic behind Cameron Watts, who returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and added a 53-yard interception return score in the first minute. Miles rallied to beat Tuskegee 35-27 in the Golden Tigers’ homecoming game, and Allen edged Edward Waters 31-28 in the AME Classic in Jacksonville.

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Five Field Goals and a Fierce Defense Bring the Paul Bunyan Trophy Back to East Lansing

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16 minutes ago

November 8, 2026

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Michigan State players lift the Paul Bunyan Trophy after beating Michigan

Michigan State lifts the Paul Bunyan Trophy after beating Michigan in Ann Arbor. Photo via Michigan State Football.

Michigan State did not score a touchdown on Saturday, and it did not need one. Liam Boyd kicked five field goals for all 15 of the Spartans’ points, the defense strangled Michigan all afternoon, and Michigan State beat its rival 15-6 at Michigan Stadium to reclaim the Paul Bunyan Trophy for the first time since 2021.

Boyd was perfect on five tries. He connected from 26 and 38 yards in the second quarter to give Michigan State a 6-0 halftime lead. His third field goal capped one of the strangest and most telling drives of the season: a 17 play, 79 yard march that started at the Spartans’ own 1 yard line and ate 10 minutes and 41 seconds of the third quarter to make it 9-0. He added two more in the fourth quarter, including a 49 yarder with 4:09 left that pushed the lead to 15-0.

Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic completed 21 of 32 passes for 188 yards with no turnovers, playing with a brace on his throwing hand after missing the previous game. Brandon Tullis carried 25 times for 86 yards as Michigan State outgained Michigan 298 to 192, held the ball for 38 minutes and 7 seconds to Michigan’s 21 minutes and 53 seconds, won the turnover battle 4-0 and recorded five sacks.

Michigan quarterback Tommy Carr completed 14 of 26 passes for 138 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. The Wolverines ran for only 54 yards on 26 carries and managed 192 total yards, 75 of them on the final drive. Savion Hiter’s 1 yard touchdown run with 1:35 left avoided the shutout, but Carr was sacked on the two point try and the onside kick failed.

The win is Michigan State’s first over Michigan since 2021, snaps a six game losing streak and gives first year head coach Pat Fitzgerald his first Big Ten victory. Michigan State is 3-6 and 1-5 in the conference. Michigan falls to 5-4 and 2-4.