The drumline of the Blue & Gold Marching Machine practice in anticipation of their first home game of the season at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, Thursday afternoon, September 7, 2017. North Carolina A&T is the largest public HBCU in the nation and hosts an almost 100-year-old marching band started in 1918. The Blue & Gold Marching Machine is said to be the 1946 pattern for the University of Michigan and Ohio State University.

The 5th Quarter in the world of football games at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) takes place after the game, when the bands of the two opposing schools battle each other for bragging rights to the best musical performance. These displays of musical showmanship, from the choreographed routines to the song selection, require a lot of practice and work by every member of the team. Over the next six weeks, The Undefeated will take you behind the scenes to show what goes into pulling off those amazing performances.