2018 Howard Bison football team

The 2018 Howard Bison football team represented Howard University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Mike London. The Bison played their home games at William H. Greene Stadium. They were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They finished the season 4–6, 4–3 in MEAC play to finish in a tie for fourth place.

2018 Howard Bison football
Conference	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
2018 record	4–6 (4–3 MEAC)
Head coach	Mike London (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Brennan Marion (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Vince Brown (2nd season)
Home stadium	William H. Greene Stadium (Capacity: 7,086)

2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 12 North Carolina A&T $		6	–	1					9	–	2
Bethune–Cookman		5	–	2					7	–	5
Florida A&M		5	–	2					6	–	5
South Carolina State		4	–	3					5	–	6
Howard		4	–	3					4	–	6
North Carolina Central		3	–	4					5	–	6
Morgan State		3	–	4					4	–	7
Norfolk State		2	–	5					4	–	7
Delaware State		2	–	5					3	–	8
Savannah State		1	–	6					2	–	8
$ – Conference champion Rankings from STATS Poll

On November 19, head coach Mike London resigned to become the head coach at William & Mary.[1] He finished at Howard with a two-year record of 11–10.

Previous season

The Bison kicked off the 2017 season by defeating UNLV, a 45-point favorite, in the biggest upset in college football history by point spread.[2] They would finish the season 7–4, 6–2 in MEAC play to finish in a tie for second place.

Preseason

MEAC preseason poll

In a vote of the MEAC head coaches and sports information directors, the Bison were picked to finish in second place.[3]

Predicted finish	Team
1	North Carolina A&T
2	Howard
3	North Carolina Central
4	Bethune–Cookman
5	Florida A&M
6	Norfolk State
7	South Carolina State
8	Savannah State
9	Morgan State
10	Delaware State

Preseason All-MEAC Teams

The Bison had nine players at ten positions selected to the preseason all-MEAC teams.[4]

Offense 1st team Jequez Ezzard – WR James Homon – C Tyrone Ramsey – OL 2nd team Caylin Newton – QB Kyle Anthony – WR

Defense 2nd team Marcellus Allison – LB Bryan Cook – DB 3rd team Aaron Motley – DL

Special teams 2nd team Jaquez Ezzard – RS 3rd team Dakota Lebofsky – K

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	2:00 p.m.	at Ohio*	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	ESPN+	L 32–38	18,275
September 8	3:30 p.m.	at Kent State*	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	ESPN+	L 14–54	15,242
September 15	1:00 p.m.	Savannah State*	William H. Greene Stadium Washington, D.C.		Canceled[lower-alpha 1]
September 22	4:30 p.m.	vs. Bethune–Cookman	Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN (Circle City Classic)	ESPN3	W 41–35	19,712
October 6	2:00 p.m.	at North Carolina Central	O'Kelly–Riddick Stadium Durham, NC	ESPN3	L 35–40	6,702
October 13	1:00 p.m.	Delaware State	William H. Greene Stadium Washington, D.C.	ESPN3	W 55–13	4,473
October 20	7:00 p.m.	at Morgan State	Hughes Stadium Baltimore, MD	SPORTSfever TV	W 35–26	3,078
October 27	1:00 p.m.	South Carolina State	William H. Greene Stadium Washington, D.C.	ESPN3	L 21–27	7,501
November 3	1:00 p.m.	Florida A&M	William H. Greene Stadium Washington, D.C.		W 31–23	6,858
November 10	1:00 p.m.	at Norfolk State	William "Dick" Price Stadium Norfolk, VA	ESPN3	L 17–29	6,004
November 17	1:00 p.m.	Bryant*	William H. Greene Stadium Washington, D.C.	ESPN3	L 55–56	3,974
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS FCS Poll released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

• Source: Schedule

Despite also being a member of the MEAC, the game vs Savannah State will be considered a non-conference game and will have no effect on the MEAC standings.[7]

1. This game was originally postponed in anticipation of Hurricane Florence, until being cancelled on November 16, 2018.[5][6]

Game summaries

at Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bison	10	12	7	3	32
Bobcats	3	14	14	7	38

at Kent State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bison	0	0	14	0	14
Golden Flashes	16	10	21	7	54

vs Bethune–Cookman

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bison	14	14	13	0	41
Wildcats	14	14	0	7	35

at North Carolina Central

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bison	5	14	7	9	35
Eagles	7	17	7	9	40

Delaware State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	0	6	0	7	13
Bison	23	18	7	7	55

at Morgan State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bison	6	14	0	15	35
Bears	10	9	7	0	26

South Carolina State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	13	0	7	27
Bison	0	7	0	14	21

Florida A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rattlers	10	7	0	6	23
Bison	21	0	7	3	31

at Norfolk State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bison	10	0	7	0	17
Spartans	3	13	3	10	29

Bryant

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	14	21	7	14	56
Bison	14	21	0	20	55

Coaching staff

2018 Howard Bison coaching staff

Head Coach Head Coach – Mike London Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator/quarterbacks – Brennan Marion Running Backs/special teams – Kenny Lucas Offensive line/run game coordinator – Darryl Bullock Wide receivers – Mike London Jr. H-back/slot receivers – David Clowney Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator/linebacks/assistant head coach – Vince Brown Safeties – Cato June Defensive line – Keenan Carter Cornerbacks – Ras-I Dowling Administrative staff Director of football operations – Bryce Bevill Source:[8] Last updated 7/13/18

References

1. "William & Mary names Mike London as 30th head football coach". www.wm.edu. College of William & Mary. November 19, 2018. Coach Mike London was announced Nov. 19 as the next head coach of the William & Mary Football Team. London is no stranger to the Tribe, he served as assistant coach here earlier in his career.
2. Thompson, Chris (September 3, 2017). "Cam Newton's Brother Led The Largest Point-Spread Upset In College Football History". deadspin.com. Deadspin. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
3. "North Carolina A&T State Picked To Win 2018 MEAC Championship". Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. July 27, 2018.
4. "NCAT's Raynard, NCCU's Reynolds Headline 2018 All-MEAC Preseason Football Team". Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. July 25, 2018.
5. "Bison Athletics - Postponements and Updates". www.hubison.com. Howard University Athletics. September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
6. "SSU versus Howard Football Game Canceled". www.ssuathletics.com. Savannah State Athletics. November 16, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
7. "Howard University Football Announces 2018 Slate". www.hubison.com. Howard University Athletics. April 13, 2018.
8. "2018 Football Roster – Howard University". July 13, 2018.