It was supposed to be the spark that launched a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship run. Just a week after staging one of the most dramatic HBCU comebacks of the 2026 season against Beltway rival Morgan State, the Howard Bison crashed abruptly back down to earth on Saturday afternoon. Traveling down to Durham to face North Carolina Central, the Bison offense was suffocated, suffering a 34-0 shutout at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
To truly understand the letdown, you have to appreciate the absolute high they were riding.
The Morgan State Miracle
On October 24, Howard staged a cinematic comeback against the Morgan State Bears in Baltimore. Trailing 20-6 in the fourth quarter, the Bison offense had been kept out of the end zone all afternoon. Then backup quarterback Isaiah Freeman stepped in and set off a massive revival.
Freeman orchestrated a seven-play, 43-yard drive capped by his own 2-yard touchdown run with 7:46 remaining to cut the deficit to seven. Following a defensive stop, Freeman struck again, eventually connecting with Billy Roberson II on a 4-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 20-20 with just 3:09 left on the clock.
In overtime, the Howard defense stepped up to seal the deal. Morgan State’s possession went backward, leaving them with a dire 4th-and-19. Bears quarterback Cameron Edge forced a throw under heavy pressure, and Howard defensive back Ben Chandler IV jumped the route, intercepted the pass, and took it 87 yards to the house for a walk-off 26-20 victory. It was a defining moment that first-year head coach Ted White praised as an example of his team’s refusal to quit.
The Crash in Durham
Unfortunately for the Bison, that resilience didn’t carry over to North Carolina. Facing an NCCU team keen to assert its dominance in the MEAC, Howard was stifled in all three phases of the game.
The 34-0 final score reflected a brutal offensive reality for the Bison. After finding late-game magic a week prior, Howard managed a paltry 114 total yards of offense against the Eagles. The passing game, which had rescued them against the Bears, was rendered completely ineffective, generating just 44 yards through the air all afternoon.
North Carolina Central’s defense lived in the Howard backfield, racking up three sacks and intercepting two passes—bringing the Eagles’ season total to an impressive 20 forced turnovers. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles’ offense operated with efficiency. NCCU quarterback Joshua Jones commanded the attack, carving up the Bison defense for three total touchdowns while passing for 189 yards and rushing for an additional 32.
Looking Ahead
The shutout drops Howard to 4-5 overall and 1-1 in MEAC play, instantly halting the momentum they desperately needed for a late-season title push.
The bipolar nature of their last two weeks, a gritty, never-say-die overtime win followed immediately by a shutout, highlights a consistency issue Coach White and his staff must address immediately. If the Bison want to remain relevant in a wide-open MEAC race, they have to find a way to bottle the energy of the Morgan State fourth quarter and make it last for a full 60 minutes.
