The Alabama State football team returned to the practice field Tuesday night preparing for Saturday's home opener vs. Mississippi Valley State.
 
Saturday's contest at Cramton Bowl is at 6 p.m. and can be heard on WVAS 90.7 FM and video streamed free of charge on bamastatesports.com. It's the Blackout game, as Hornet fans are encouraged to wear all black.
 
Alabama State is coming off Sunday's 38-28 loss to Bethune-Cookman in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge. After an off day Monday, the Hornets got back to work with a very intense practice as they get set for the Southwestern Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
 
“Practice as physical,” head coach Reggie Barlow said. “Early on, it wasn't a lot of energy and a lot of talking going on. I liked the nature of practice; guys were getting to the ball with good effort and that's all you can ask.”
 
There was also a noticeably different tone and tempo to practice after the week one loss. Players showed a good mindset on the task at hand and looked to move forward to Saturday's contest.
 
“We definitely want them focused and taking ownership of the things that happened in the game,” Barlow said. “I think for the most part after watching film, these guys see it. If they follow the plan, we as coaches will put them in the right situations to make plays. They just have to buy into that and do it.”
 
The Hornets return to practice Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. and Thursday at 11 a.m.
 

GO HORNETS