Howard has been road warriors to start the first three weeks of the regular season.
After a trip to Atlanta for the MEAC/SWAC, a jaunt to Hampton the following week, and then a journey to Tampa to face South Florida, the Bison continue its long East Coast swing in the Big Apple for the inaugural HBCU New York City Football Classic versus Morehouse on Saturday.
These are big traditional brands coming together in New York City at MetLife Stadium, another great opportunity for everyone to meet, and why do you play college football right? said Howard coach Larry Scott. “You hope to have a chance to be in those types of markets and play in those types of stadiums with this type of game with the implications that it has to both alumni groups.”
The Classic renews the historic rivalry between the two schools. The programs have faced each other 37 times dating back to 1923, with Howard leading the series 25-10-2. Howard and Morehouse last met in 2015.
The Bison (0-3) will look to secure its first win of the season while battling a bit of travel fatigue.
“We’ve kind of been the road warriors,” said Scott. “They’re (the players) out the block getting back from the MEAC/SWAC Challenge at 7:30 p.m. in the morning and traveling down to Hampton, getting back at 3 o’clock in the morning and traveling down to Tampa (and) getting back at 4 a.m.
“So the residual effects are starting to catch up a little bit with our team, you know, just making sure that they’re healthy and rested and those types of things so there’ll be excited in passing and drilling to feed off of going to fit in New York to play.”
On the other side, Morehouse has also yet to win a game this season. The Maroon Tigers (0-2) are coming off losses to West Georgia and West Alabama, respectively.
The HBCU New York City Football Classic will be televised live at 3 p.m. ET on CNBC.