HBCU Football: MEAC/SWAC Challenge offers opportunity for Spartans and Rattlers
You can't get much higher than the Florida A&M Rattlers did last season.
FAMU saw one of the most dominant and complete football teams in their recent memory, climb to the mountain top that is the HBCU Football National Championship.
The Rattlers beat Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Howard University 30-26 in the 2023-24 Celebration Bowl to claim the title of HBCU National Champion. A lot of constants from that Championship Team are now gone.
Former Head Coach Willie Simmons, one of the more prolific offensive minds on the FCS level, is now in ACC country, on staff at Duke University.
All-Southwestern Athletic Conference QB and Celebration Bowl MVP Jeremy Moussa has graduated, along with a plethora of ultra-talented skill position talent on both sides of the football.
There was also a good deal of turmoil that permeated Florida A&M's off-season preparation cycle, which saw the appointment of a new head coach in New Head Coach James Colzie, whose unanimous popularity among his players provided needed stability in the center of other administrative events outside of the football program.
While the distractions were a lot to take in, the talent level in Tallahassee looks to still be among the best HBCU Football has to offer, which places Rattler Nation back in position to reach the lofty heights the program obtained in 2023.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Norfolk State Spartans saw a high level of optimism turn into unfulfilled potential and underwhelming performances in what was supposed to be a program leap forward under the watch of Head Coach Dawson Odums.
Coach Odums was known for highly diverse and prolific offenses at his previous gig at Southern University (SWAC).
That prowess has had mixed results during his current tenure in Hampton Roads. The offense showed flashes of that explosiveness at times, including a win over Battle Of The Bay rival Hampton University.
However, the lack of defensive competence doomed Spartan hopes for a competitive shot at the MEAC title, dooming Norfolk State to a sub-500 record at 3-8, and growing restlessness from a fan base that wants to see satisfactory growth out of the football program.
The off-season cycle for Norfolk State was, in contrast to their SWAC counterpart, extremely stable. The Norfolk State staff has also navigated the transfer portal to inject much-needed talent on the defensive side of the ball.
Returning veteran QB Otto Khuns, listed as a pre-season All MEAC Selection, finds himself amid a fierce three-way competition for starting quarterback. Transfers Cameron Sapp (Florida A&M) and Jalen Daniels (Garden City Community College).
The outcome of that battle for starter will have a good deal of impact on the on-field offensive product we'll see out of the Spartans on August 24th.
Will the Norfolk State Defense be up to the task?
On paper, the Spartans face the daunting task of matching up against a plethora of offensive skill position talent across the board.
The key to dealing with that talent may lie with Florida A&M's own QB competition. Redshirt Jr. QB Junior Muratovic has looked impressive in practices leading up to this weekend.
FAU Graduate Transfer Daniel Richardson is also pushing for 1st team reps in what looks to be one of the deeper quarterback rooms in HBCU football coming into the season.
With that, the key to this game may be the potential for running the ball for the FAMU offense, as the Rattlers look to also have a formidable running back room as well.
Ultimately, the key to those offensive fortunes lies at the feet of new Offensive Coordinator Joseph Henry.
Will Norfolk State's youth take the next step?
As uneven as Norfolk State football was in the 2023-24 season, it wasn't indicative of the young talent contained on the roster. A lot of that talent resides on the offensive side of the ball.
The real key to Spartan success in the 2024-25 season lies with the evolution of the defensive product. Senior DB Devon Allen looks to be the heart and soul of a renewed and revamped Norfolk State defense that will look to go beyond the sum of their respective parts.
A heavy focus on recruiting Hampton Roads talent may very well pay dividends in this game and beyond.
Prediction: Who Wins the SWAC/MEAC Kick-Off Challenge?
Even with all of the questions swirling around the off-season administrative turmoil of the Florida A&M football program.
The program itself has done a tremendous job of placing the pieces in place to capitalize on a potential run back to the SWAC Championship and a possible 2nd Celebration Bowl berth.
As ominous as the previous season for Spartan Football was, this game may be a coming-out party of sorts for the younger talent contained on that roster.
The gelling of that talent will make this game a lot closer than it looks on paper.
FINAL SCORE: Florida A&M 25 - Norfolk State 21
Be sure to catch the SWAC/MEAC Kick-Off Challenge on August 24th, 2024!
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