Howard survives Alabama A&M in a Week Zero thriller in Atlanta, 31-24. The road to the Celebration Bowl starts in Atlanta and ends in Atlanta, and Howard opened the 2026 HBCU football season by making an early statement against Alabama A&M. The Bison came out firing, building a 13-0 lead and looking as if they might run away with the game. But Alabama A&M settled in, found its offensive rhythm and eventually erased the deficit. The Bulldogs took their first lead, 24-23, on a fourth-quarter field goal with 7:49 remaining. Howard had an answer. The Bison drove back for a late touchdown, added a two-point conversion to take a 31-24 lead, and then sealed the game when the Howard defense forced a fumble on a huge hit with just 27 seconds remaining. At the center of Howard's win was quarterback Ja'Shawn Scroggins, who delivered a career performance on the big stage. Scroggins completed 19 of 36 passes for a career-high 315 yards and three touchdowns, helping Howard pile up 436 yards of ...