8 memorable ‘money game’ upsets in HBCU football
Traditionally, guarantee games have meant big losses but big checks for HBCU programs. During these past matchups, the underdogs prevailed
“Tell ‘em to bring me my money!”
That is the often-repeated (and memed) quote North Carolina A&T head football coach Sam Washington told his players after their 2018 upset win over East Carolina.
Traditionally, when historically Black colleges and universities play “guarantee” games — in which larger, wealthier schools pay to host smaller, lower-division programs for one-off matchups — the result is exactly what one might expect: The bigger, better-funded program defeats the smaller program handily.
While that exact scenario has already occurred multiple times this season, HBCUs have occasionally prevailed in prior years. Here are eight memorable HBCU upsets in college football.
1979: Florida A&M 16, Miami 13
Florida A&M’s victory over Miami and first-year Hurricanes head coach Howard Schnellenberger came just one year after the Rattlers won the first-ever Division I-AA national championship. Rattlers kicker Vince Coleman – who went on to become an MLB All-Star – booted a 34-yard field goal with 3:49 left in the fourth quarter to give Florida A&M a 16-13 lead. Miami kicker Danny Miller missed a 17-yard field goal with 27 seconds left in the game, sealing the Rattlers’ win.
1984: Tennessee State 24, Louisville 15
In 1984, William “Bill” Thomas’ first season as Tennessee State’s head coach, he guided the Tigers to an 11-0 football season, including a 24-15 win over Louisville. It was the second time Tennessee State recorded a win over Louisville during the ‘80s. In 1981, under then-head coach John Merritt, the Tigers defeated the Cardinals 42-30. TSU’s wins came while the program was still competing as an NCAA Division I-AA independent.
1985: Grambling State 23, Oregon State 6
Grambling State took advantage of five Oregon State turnovers, and the Tigers’ defense held the Beavers to two field goals. The win was particularly significant for legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson, who earned his 323rd career victory, tying Alabama’s Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most wins by a major-college coach at the time.
2013: Bethune-Cookman 34, Florida International 13
This was the first of Bethune-Cookman’s back-to-back wins over Florida International. In this game, B-C overwhelmed FIU on the ground, rushing for 311 yards. Bethune-Cookman running back Anthony Jordan ran for 150 yards and a touchdown in the win. The Wildcats built a 28-7 lead before defensive back Tim Burke punctuated the upset with a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The victory was the Wildcats’ first against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent.
2014: Bethune-Cookman 14, Florida International 12
A year later, Bethune-Cookman returned to Miami and pulled off another victory after FIU fumbled what would have been a game-winning field goal attempt as time ran out. The win extended Bethune-Cookman’s winning streak against FIU to four games, dating back to 2002.
2016: North Carolina A&T 39, Kent State 36 (OT)
After lightning delayed the opening kickoff for more than two hours, North Carolina A&T secured a four-overtime upset of Kent State to mark the Aggies’ first win over an FBS opponent. Aggies running back Tarik Cohen rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown and added 125 receiving yards. Third-string quarterback Oluwafemi Bamiro threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Denzel Keyes in the fourth overtime to earn the win.
2017: Howard 43, UNLV 40
Howard entered the game as a 45-point underdog and stunned UNLV in Las Vegas. In his first college game, Howard quarterback Caylin Newton – the younger brother of former NFL star Cam Newton – ran for 190 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 140 yards and another score. The Bison overcame a 33-21 deficit in the second half. Howard reclaimed the lead with two touchdown runs by running back Anthony Philyaw before Newton’s fourth-quarter touchdown run sealed the victory.
2018: North Carolina A&T 28, East Carolina 23
North Carolina A&T backup quarterback Kylil Carter threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including the go-ahead touchdown to wide receiver Elijah Bell with 7:05 remaining. On East Carolina’s final possession, North Carolina A&T defensive back Timadre Abram intercepted a Hail Mary pass in the end zone as time expired to clinch the upset. Thus, head coach Sam Washington’s postgame locker-room speech was born.