By Donald Hunt | For The Birmingham Times
Welcome to the first weekend of Alabama historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) and all four schools will be in action – Miles College, Tuskegee University, Alabama A&M and Alabama State. The season opener gives each school a chance to pick up an early victory along with taking a good look at its strengths and weaknesses.
Miles College will visit West Alabama on Saturday, Aug. 31 with a 6 p.m. kickoff. Sam Shade, Golden Bears head coach, has a terrific wide receiver in Jaih Andrews who had 30 receptions for 462 yards and three touchdowns last season. Andrews was a preseason selection to the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) first team. He was also named to the 2024 Black College Football Player of the Year Watch List from the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
In addition to Andrews, Miles has two other pass catchers with wide receiver Jaylin Peterson and tight end Travaunta Abner who can make some big plays. Peterson had 232 receiving yards and two TDs last season. Abner finished with 22 receptions for 386 yards and five TDs.
On defense, the Golden Bears will lean on defensive lineman Jamichael Rogers up front. Rogers can play the run and rush the passer. He’s coming off a spectacular year where he had 21 solo tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
Miles College should be one of the teams to watch in the conference.
In other SIAC action, Tuskegee University will battle Johnson C. Smith on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Red Tail Classic. The game will take place at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, AL.
Tuskegee University features a strong defense this season. The Golden Tigers are led by linebacker Malik Moore and defensive back Mikael King. King was selected as the preseason SIAC Defensive Player of the Year. Moore and King received preseason first team all-conference honors.
Tuskegee University finished with a 7-3 record last year. The Golden Tigers should be one of the league’s best defensive teams.
In the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Alabama A&M will face Auburn on the road Saturday, Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m. Auburn plays in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. This could be a tough matchup for AAMU.
The Bulldogs will rely on two offensive standouts — running back Donovan Eaglin and wide receiver Jacolby Hewitt. Last season, Eaglin rushed for 765 yards on 142 carries averaging 5.4 yards a carry. Hewitt had 32 receptions for 516 yards. He averaged 16.1 yards a catch.
The Bulldogs’ offensive lineman Carson Vinson will be a key blocker. Vinson was named to the Senior Bowl Watch List.
Elsewhere in the SWAC, Alabama State will play North Carolina Central on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. in the Orange Blossom Classic. The game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL.
The Hornets will depend wide receiver Robert McMinn and linebacker Rico Dozier for some consistent play on both sides of the football. McMinn and Dozier have earned preseason third team All-American honors from Stats Perform.
Alabama State is picked to win the SWAC East. North Carolina Central is the preseason favorite to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. This should be a great HBCU non-conference matchup.
