Delaware State’s overtime victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers proved a couple of things. Primarily, that the Hornets are in good shape to defend their MEAC conference championship, and secondly, that the Rattlers are for real in 2008.
The Hornets passed efficiently, ran effectively and buckled down defensively when it mattered most. The Rattlers showed competitive fire and a short memory in their comeback effort.
And while both teams have room for improvement on penalties and turnovers, the final product was as important as the the conference implications themselves.
The Hornets and the Rattlers showed observers the best of the conference’s past and future. Delaware State showed in their first game that back-to-back titles are a realistic goal for the program. Their success as a northern HBCU in a predominantly southern-based conference does a lot for fan engagement and reach.
The Rattlers, a historically strong program in the MEAC, have a legendary head coach in Joe Taylor and new direction. Their ability to pace the conference reintroduces Florida A&M as a black college football powerhouse, and energizes one of the largest fan bases in the conference.
The MEAC has a long way to go in catching the SWAC as the country’s most popular black college football conference, but last night’s contest was a huge first step in the 2008 leg of that journey.
