MEMPHIS – A month into the season, there’s still plenty Tennessee State coach Rod Reed needs to learn about his football team.
Weather problems forced a 21-day layoff that has limited the Tigers to just two games this season heading into Saturday’s crosstown showdown against SEC opponent Vanderbilt. But the combination of last week’s 41-40 comeback win over Eastern Illinois and North Carolina A&T’s stunning loss to Morgan State propelled TSU (2-0) into the consensus No. 1 spot in this week’s national Black College football polls.
Despite the daunting challenge of stepping up in competition to face the Commodores (2-2), Reed is simply eager to see his team get the chance to accomplish something it's been unable to do so far: play consecutive weeks.
The Tigers are unbeaten on the field, but winless against Mother Nature. After knocking off Bethune-Cookman in the Sept. 1 season opener, TSU saw its Southern Heritage Classic game in Memphis the following week against Jackson State cancelled due to lightning and flooding. And the week after that, the threat of Hurricane Florence forced the Sept. 15 game at Hampton to be called off.
So, understandably, the Tigers were significantly rusty last week when they fell behind 24-3 in the second quarter on the road against Eastern Illinois before sparking a rally in the second half.
“We look like we’d been off for 20-some-odd days, and we played like it in the first half,” Reed said of the Tigers’ performance last week. “Coming out of the (season opener), and then not playing two games, you really didn’t know where your football team was. But (beating Eastern Illinois) was a great game, a character game for our kids to show how you keep playing despite adverse situations.”
TSU will now make the three-mile trip from its campus over to Vanderbilt, which is coming off consecutive losses to Notre Dame and South Carolina after a 2-0 start. It’s the third meeting between the Nashville neighbors since 2006 and the second matchup in three seasons. Reed and Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason are longtime friends, but there’s deeper significance to the budding rivalry.
Mason and Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams have been committed in recent years to scheduling games against regional mid-major teams, specifically HBCU football programs. The so-called “guarantee” games often come with mid six-figure paydays to help economically challenged programs fund multiple sports.
TSU is the only Black College football team competing in the FCS-level Ohio Valley Conference, but the Commodores also scheduled a home game last season against Southwestern Athletic Conference member Alabama A&M. Mason explained the scheduling approach at the SEC Media Days last summer.
“The mindset … is that Black College football needs an opportunity to grow as well,” Mason told the Tennessean. “And anytime that we can, (we’ll) partner with groups like the SWAC in order to make sure that they can survive and be financially set for what they are trying to do.”
The added benefit for TSU is that it won’t have to deduct travel expenses from the payout from Vanderbilt. And some of these matchups are far from pushover games for the heavily-favored FBS schools. The Tigers led 17-14 in the second quarter of their 2016 meeting before Vanderbilt rallied for a 35-17 win.
Last season, TSU went on the road to beat FBS-level Georgia State. Howard, another HBCU football program, made national headlines that same season when it shocked UNLV in a similar payday “guarantee” game. And defending Black College national champion North Carolina A&T has won three of its past four games when stepping up to face FBS teams, including a win this season at East Carolina.
This time around, Reed is just looking forward to another Saturday to see his team in action. Those opportunities have been hard to come by, considering how TSU's season has gone so far.
“It’s a big-time game, make no bones about it,” Reed said of playing Vanderbilt. “But at the end of the day, it’s an opportunity for our kids to play in an SEC environment and compete at a high level. And we’ll let the chips fall where they may.”
Weather permitting, of course.
MikeCheck HBCU Power Poll 3.0
1. Tennessee State (2-0):
Former University of Florida transfer quarterback Treon Harris, who converted to receiver this season at TSU, returned to his roots. He took a handoff on a trick play and tossed a TD pass that sparked the Tigers’ rally from a 21-point deficit in last week’s win at EIU. The Tigers have the sixth-ranked offense in FCS at 534.5 yards a game.
Last week’s ranking: 4
Up Next: Saturday at Vanderbilt (2-2)
2. North Carolina A&T (3-1):
A humbling loss at home to the worst team in the conference on a last-second field goal snapped the Aggies’ 15-game win streak, which had been tied for Division I football’s longest active run. The first loss in 30 starts for quarterback Lamar Raynard dropped the Aggies from fourth to No. 12 in the FCS national poll on a short turnaround week.
Last week’s ranking: 1
Up Next: Thursday vs South Carolina State (0-3)
3. Morehouse (4-0):
The unbeaten Maroon Tigers made the most of their moment on the big stage in last week’s Chicago Football Classic at Soldier Field. The winning play came on a 39-yard touchdown pass as time expired to beat Miles, 23-21. Morehouse improved on the program’s best start since 2010, and the NCAA Division II Tigers are clearly the class of the SIAC.
Last week’s ranking: 3
Up Next: Saturday at Kentucky State (0-4)
4. Prairie View (2-3):
The Panthers opened SWAC play with a 62-13 destruction of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and continued on pace for a historic offensive season. Quarterback Jalen Morton accounted for 511 total yards and six touchdowns, including a school-record 255 yards rushing, to earn SWAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Saturday’s Cotton Bowl Classic will be epic.
Last week’s ranking: 2
Up Next: Saturday vs Grambling (1-2)
5. Howard (1-2):
Caylin Newton, younger brother of NFL quarterback Cam Newton, passed for 301 yards and two touchdowns to open MEAC play in a 41-35 win over Bethune-Cookman at the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis. The Bison also made ESPN SportsCenter’s No. 1 Top Play when receiver Jequez Ezzard snagged a one-handed, sideline catch.
Last week’s ranking: Unranked
Up Next: Saturday at North Carolina Central (1-2)
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.