Alcorn State, UAPB 2OT classic brought joy in an era of HBCU money games disappointment

As Sunday approaches, I just want to operate with gratitude. HBCU football has been overrun by conversations about money games, typically in the first couple of weeks of the season. HBCU programs are part of money games in one of two ways: they’re either playing FBS programs with significantly more resources and losing by large margins, or they’re playing Division II programs, with some pulling off upsets or near-upsets. But sometimes the matchups aren’t even, and in the first weeks of the season, that often leads to a level of boredom because of the lack of intrigue.

For the MEAC, conference play doesn’t start until mid-October, since there are only six football member institutions. The SWAC has more members and frequently plays more conference games against each other heading into the official start of conference play at the end of September and into early October, but the conference is also replete with money games and out-of-conference games that typically aren’t that interesting to follow.

Week 2 of the HBCU football season at the Division I level featured a lot of matchups that weren’t intriguing. But ironically enough, the Southern Heritage Classic stole the show. Many believe the Southern Heritage Classic became a shell of itself once Jackson State pulled out of the annual showdown in Memphis, Tennessee, following the 2022 season. Tennessee State stepped in to keep the Classic going until 2024, ultimately pulling out and making way for Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alcorn State to play each other last September. That game was close, with Arkansas-Pine Bluff pulling off a 24-20 victory, but it ultimately flew under the radar.

This year’s matchup didn’t. It was the only other Week 2 game on the SWAC slate without a non-SWAC HBCU opponent, aside from Tennessee State and Alabama A&M. I was skeptical about how this matchup would go. Even with the game broadcast on HBCU Go, synonymous with excellence in HBCU broadcasting, I still looked past it, believing Tennessee State and Alabama A&M would be the more impressive showing, with the battle between Daylin Lee and Cornelious Brown IV. But I was wrong, and rightfully so.

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff versus Alcorn State turned out to be a classic for more reasons than one. Alcorn State pulled off the 53-51 win in two overtimes, and the game aired to a national audience via HBCU Go and its new home on YouTube TV, with extended syndication on Amazon Prime Video. The game was a high-scoring affair. There seemed to be another modest output similar to what was seen in 2025, but after halftime, both Alcorn State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff turned on the scoring in a significant way. The teams combined for 1,127 yards of total offense.

Jaylon Tolbert had a standout game for Alcorn State, throwing for five touchdowns with two interceptions, along with seven carries for 36 yards. He had help in the running game from Ernest Temple, who turned in 144 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. Garrison Davis didn’t put up the gaudy passing numbers that Tolbert did, but he threw for four touchdowns and one interception, with Jaylen Jennings rushing for 98 yards and one touchdown, and Za’Marion Webber rushing for 85 yards and one touchdown.

It was everything that makes college football compelling: the high-scoring affair, the phenomenal defensive plays, such as Tolbert’s pass being intercepted by Michael Henderson for a 100-yard pick-six that seemed to all but secure the Golden Lions’ victory, and even some head-scratching plays and officiating drama that could very well have rivaled what occurred in Ann Arbor in Week 1 with Western Michigan and Michigan. But the game went to overtime, and Alcorn State proved to be the better team, behind the fearsome duo of Tolbert and Temple.

I don’t know what this game means for either Alcorn State or UAPB. Will this be the game that ignites Alcorn State back to its rightful place as a contender in the SWAC, where they challenge Prairie View A&M and Grambling later in the season? Will UAPB finally emerge as the spoiler team it’s capable of being, one of the contenders in the division? Or was this all just a game meant for a moment, one that doesn’t encapsulate where these teams will go and how good or bad their journeys will be for the rest of the season? I don’t know.

But once again, I say I’m thankful, because in a weekend full of money games, debate, and disappointment, the Southern Heritage Classic gave me something I didn’t think I would get until homecoming season: pure joy in watching football. And for that, I thank both teams.