Week 5 perspective
These are HBCU Game Central’s editorial observations from the completed Week 5 slate. Results are attributed to the official conference source below.
Two victories, two very different tasks
Morgan State won 38–35 at Villanova and Howard defeated Hampton 27–13 at Audi Field. The MEAC’s official Week 5 report also lists narrow losses for Norfolk State, South Carolina State and North Carolina Central, each by seven points or fewer, along with Delaware State’s 28–3 defeat at UAlbany. A simple two-win, four-loss count would miss how close much of the slate was.
Howard’s rivalry answer
Howard ended a three-game losing streak in the Battle of the Real HU. The league report credits the Bison defense with six sacks and holding Hampton to 36 rushing yards. That gives the win a more useful shape than the rivalry label alone: disruption and run defense gave Howard a way to control possessions. The next question is whether those habits travel into a less emotional setting.
Morgan State’s close finish
Morgan State’s three-point road win over Villanova shows it could finish a high-scoring game. But a 38–35 result also leaves room to ask how often the Bears had to answer a score. The team’s ability to protect or extend a small lead will matter as much as its ability to create one.
What the losses leave open
Norfolk State lost 33–31, South Carolina State 34–31 and North Carolina Central 38–31. Their margins do not make the defeats victories, but they suggest that a few possessions can change how a game is read. Follow whether these teams turn the next close finish into a different result, and whether Howard and Morgan State can repeat their strengths. Conference play has not yet supplied the final answers.
Official source: MEAC official report.