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MikeCheck: Tennessee State carries No. 1 HBCU ranking, prolific offense into crosstown clash with SEC's Vanderbilt

MEMPHIS – A month into the season, there’s still plenty Tennessee State coach Rod Reed needs to learn about his football team.

Weather problems forced a 21-day layoff that has limited the Tigers to just two games this season heading into Saturday’s crosstown showdown against SEC opponent Vanderbilt. But the combination of last week’s 41-40 comeback win over Eastern Illinois and North Carolina A&T’s stunning loss to Morgan State propelled TSU (2-0) into the consensus No. 1 spot in this week’s national Black College football polls.

Despite the daunting challenge of stepping up in competition to face the Commodores (2-2), Reed is simply eager to see his team get the chance to accomplish something it's been unable to do so far: play consecutive weeks.