Alabama A&M’s second-half comeback in the 2026 MEAC/SWAC Challenge against Howard University fell short when Aidan Foster forced Bulldogs wide receiver Mekhi Maddox to fumble the ball on the 23-yard line with 27 seconds left in the game. Howard University’s Ja’Shawn Scroggins was able to take a knee on the ball, allowing the clock to run out in the game, giving Howard University Head Coach White his first win of the season 31-24.
Howard University led for the entirety of the game by as many as 13 points until the Alabama A&M Bulldogs’ offense settled down and was able to move the ball down the field and score touchdowns. Bulldogs quarterback Cornelius “Quad” Brown IV completed 25 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The one interception Brown threw in the third quarter of the game slowed down the Bulldogs’ momentum when Bison defensive back Rodney Roane Jr intercepted the pass. The Bulldogs defense showed a bend-but-don’t-break mentality, forcing the Bison offense to punt the ball back to the Bulldogs offense after the interception.
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Coach Shade and his Bulldogs football team took the lead for the first time in the game in the 4th quarter with a little over 11 minutes left in the game behind a 32-yard field goal by Campbell Bender, making the score 24-23. The game was on the line with a little over 5 minutes left in the game; Howard University decided to go for it on 4th and 2 instead of punting the ball back to Alabama A&M’s offense. Howard University’s Scroggins drops back with a Bulldog defender in his face, throws a strike to Bison receiver Se’Quan Osborne, who runs the ball into the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown pass, to give the Bison a 5-point lead. Coach White decides to go for a two-point conversion to increase their lead to 7 points.
Howard University’s Ja’Shawn Scroggins was named the MEAC/SWAC Kickoff Play of the Game, behind his record-setting 315 yards passing on 19 completions. Alabama A&M has something to build on for its next opponent, Miles College in the Louis Crews Classic. Howard University will play Richmond University.