Expect special teams plays to factor in the outcome of Saturday's State Farm Magic City Classic when Alabama State and Alabama A&M battle in Birmingham.
The Hornets (4-3, 4-2) will face the Bulldogs (6-1, 5-1) for the 76th time overall and 71st in the Classic at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at historic Legion Field. The game will be broadcast live on WVAS 90.7 FM, video streamed live on ESPN3.com, and televised tape delayed on ESPNU at 9:30 p.m. CT.
“Practice was good today,” head coach
Reggie Barlow said after Thursday's late-morning session. “There are a few things we're getting cleaned up. The guys will correct it, stay dialed in and make sure we are ready for Saturday.”
Since 2002, nine of the past 10 Hornet-Bulldog Classic matchups have been decided by a touchdown or less, with five decided by three points or less. Alabama State has suffered a pair of one-point losses in recent years where special teams had a direct impact on the outcome. A mishandled snap on the PAT was the difference in the 17-16 defeat in 2008. Last season, ASU had two kicks blocked, including the tying extra point attempt in the 20-19 loss.
“We made adjustments in our PAT protections, and we feel we have that corrected,” Barlow said. “Special teams is always important. There's some things we've been working on all year to make sure we have that area tightened up. We've had issues with it in this game, whether it was a fumbled punt return or other unfortunate play. We've focused on it daily, and we'll have an extended walkthrough tomorrow to shore things up.”
The Hornets will depart Friday morning to take part in the welcome luncheon in Birmingham. As game-related activities increase on the eve of the game, Barlow wants his team to focus only on the game itself.
“Nothing but the rectangle; anything and everything that's involved in the rectangle,” Barlow said of his team's concentration to only the playing field. “Anything that's outside of the rectangle, we can't control it. We just need to lock in on that and the players on the field.”
