The 2017 Howard Bison football team represented

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

as a member of the

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National C ...

(MEAC) during the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach

Mike London Michael Wilson London Sr. (born October 9, 1960) is the current head football coach for the William & Mary Tribe football program at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is a former defensive back and associate head coa ...

, the Bison compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 6–2, tying for second place in the MEAC. Howard played home games at William H. Greene Stadium in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The Bison opened the season by defeating

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

, a 45-point favorite, in the biggest upset in college football history by

point spread Spread betting is any of various types of wagering on the outcome of an event where the pay-off is based on the accuracy of the wager, rather than a simple "win or lose" outcome, such as fixed-odds (or money-line) betting or parimutuel betting. ...

Schedule

Ranking movements

Game summaries

At UNLV

The Bison opened their 2017 season on the road against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent

in Whitney, NV. Despite being a 45-point underdog to the Rebels, the Bison were able to leave Las Vegas with their first win over a Division I FBS opponent in the program's history. Following the win, media outlets immediately hailed it as the greatest upset in college football history against the spread. In his collegiate debut, freshman quarterback Caylin Newton completed 15 of 26 passes for a total 190 yards; he threw 1 touchdown, a 1-yard pass in the 2nd quarter, and 1 interception. Newton was also able to display his abilities on the ground by leading in rushing yards with 21 carries, 190 yards and 2 touchdowns. Senior running back Anthony Phillyaw ran for 71 yards on s completions for 2 touchdowns. Phillyaw was also the top receiver with 3 receptions, 62 yards, 20.7 yards per reception.

At Kent State

After their first win over an FBS team in program history, the Bison were looking to make lightning strike two weeks in a row with a win over Kent State. Kent State's fourth quarter rally, and an interception by Kent State's Demetrius Monday gave the Golden Flashes the win. The Bison recorded 432 yards of total offense, including 226 yards passing and 206 yards Rushing. Quarterback Caliyn Newton threw 9 for 22 completions with a total 225 yards passing including 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Other standout performers include: Running Back Anthony Philyaw who ran for 147 yards rushing on 20 carries, including 1 touchdown and receiver Jequez Ezzard who recorded 120 yards.

Personnel

Coaching staff

Roster

Recruiting

National Signing Day National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a member of the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association ( ...

, Howard signed 23 athletes out of high school for their 2017 recruiting class.

References

{{Howard Bison football navbox

Howard Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

Howard Bison football seasons

Howard Bison football The Howard Bison football team represents Howard University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). History ;First FBS Victory On Septe ...