The first round of the Division II football playoffs came with mixed results for the five HBCUs selected for the championship field.
Albany State 35, Valdosta State 30
Albany State, the number two seed and Siac champion in the Super Regional, survived a hard-fought battle with Division II powerhouse Valdosta State, He walks away with a 35-30 win.
This is the Golden Rams’ Fourth Division II Playoff win in school history and first since 2010.
SIAC Offensive Player of the Year Isaiah Bnyles is 24-37 on 37 passes and finished with 264 passing yards on two touchdowns, adding 92 rushing yards on 16 attempts and a touchdown.
Senior receiver Jamill Williams caught seven passes for 87 yards to lead the team to two touchdowns. Tiant Wyche rushed for 134 yards on 20 attempts and a touchdown.
For the first time this season, Albany State led to a Valdosta State Field Goal for a division title after a touchdown on the first play.
Offensive from both ends, the offensive line began to score as the first quarter drew to a close.
Both teams combined for six straight touchdown drives before the end of the first half, ending with Valdosta State taking a 23-21 lead after a missed Albany State field goal.
Valdosta State returned it 95 yards for a touchdown to extend its lead to 30-21 on the opening drive of the second half.
Facing its biggest deficit of the season, Albany State’s defense came up with two big fumble recoveries on consecutive possessions, the second of which set up a 21-yard rushing touchdown with Knowledge to cut the deficit to 30-28.
In the fourth quarter, the Golden Rams came back, capping a 77-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown connection from Williams.
On Valdosta State’s next offensive possession, ASU used a three-and-out with 7:26 left in the game to bleed the running game and secure the win.
Benedict 25, winged 24
The Benedictine Rollercoaster saw the Wings come back from a 24-0 deficit in their first round matchup against the Wings to win 25-24.
Down 24-0 in the third quarter, after going 6 of 17 yards early in the period, Benedict finally scored its first points of the stanza thanks to a push from the defense.
Faced with a wing offense at midfield with a chance to extend the lead, the Tigers recovered 28 yards on a big play, pass and 28-yard return from Isaiah ISISORE. That led to a 5-yard touchdown pass that made it 24-7.
Perhaps the biggest play of the game until the game-winning touchdown, ISIdore had 10 minutes left for the Tigers once to block a 21-yard field goal attempt and return it 95 yards for a touchdown.
With 3:36 left, Jensen Jackson connected on a four-yard touchdown run to make it 24-19.
Benedict’s defense would give the offense a chance to get a first down from the wing to get the first down in the final seconds with 19 seconds left.
After three incomplete passes, the Tigers were on a miracle play, 86 yards from the end zone.
They will take the form of a hook and end game, starting with Jackson passing to Simmons. He then threw a lateral to Malik Mullins, who found a lane under fire for a touchdown to secure the win.
In addition to claiming the first division title in school history, it marks the first time two HBCUs from the same conference have had two top HBCUs in the same year.
That sets up a second-round matchup between Albany State and Benedict, which serves as the third game between the two teams this season.
For the first time, the two HBCus would play against each other in the Hampton Sectional Division against Albany State in the opening round of the 1993 tournament.
Johnson C. Smith 7, Frostburg State 21
Johnson C. Smith’s first-ever Section II playoff appearance ends in an anticlimax, following a 21-7 loss to Frost State.
Golden Bulls receiver Deandre Proctor shined despite the loss, accounting for 14 of the team’s 18 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown.
It was a rough start for the Golden Bulls offense, with two of their first three possessions at the intersection.
Trailing 14-0, JCSU capped an 80-yard offensive drive with a seven-yard touchdown run from Kelvin Durham to Proctor in a one-plus game in the third quarter.
They would close the game by giving them a chance to take the lead at one point in the fourth quarter.
However, a third-down turnover and a Frostburg State touchdown in the final second spelled the end for Johnson C. Smith’s playoff hopes.
Virginia Union 21, California (PA) 24
Virginia Commonwealth’s national championship hopes were put on hold for another year after a 24-21 first-round loss to California (PA).
Caaa quarterback Curtis Allen’s magical season ends with another strong performance, rushing for 128 yards on 21 attempts and a touchdown.
Virginia Union dug a hole, as did California, which capitalized on a pair of turnovers, including a pair of turnovers, to take a 14-0 lead.
The Panthers’ offense settled in with a pair of touchdown drives in the second quarter that ended the first half at 20-17.
In the fourth quarter, after giving up a one-yard touchdown, Zyaire Tart returned the punt 95 yards to VUU to make it 27-24 at 27-24.
Virginia Commonwealth would keep their hopes alive by scoring a game-tying 46-yard field goal in the final minute, but failed to connect as the game wound up.
Kentucky State 24, Newberry 45
Kentucky State’s remarkable 2025 season ended at South Carolina in a 45-24 loss to Newberry.
Chad Elzy had a game-high 96 rushing yards on 14 attempts and one touchdown for the Thorobreds.
Despite denying Newberry a touchdown on its first two offensive drives, Kentucky State kept pace with them, putting up two scores to end the first quarter 15-10.
However, a new touchdown to start the second quarter was joined by two thoroughbred thoroughbreds, each leading to breakaway scores at the end of the first half.
The Thorobreds, who were up 31-10 and looked on and off in the third quarter, had two forced turnovers on defense that led to a pair of offensive touchdowns.
However, Newberry responded with another last-to-last touchdown in the final two minutes, putting the finishing touches on the opening-round matchup.
