Nov. 11, 2006

Final Stats

When the Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason predictions were released, Alabama State University was picked to finish dead last. After a thrilling 25-20 victory over Mississippi Valley State University, the Hornets clinched a winning record in the SWAC and chance to finish the season above .500.

"I'm very proud of these guys," said a smiling Charles Coe. "We didn't play a perfect game - too many penalties and other mistakes - but we played with great heart and found a way to win. "But I don't like the fact that we seem to enjoy making things interesting."

Coe was alluding to a late Delta Devil rally that had the ASU faithful returning from the parking lot to figure out what was going on. After Alex Engram's second touchdown gave ASU a 25-7 lead with 6:37 left, Hornet fans began heading to the exits. They turned back around when MSVU quarterback Aries Nelson fired up a six-play, 56-yard touchdown drive to pull his team to within 11 points, at 25-14.

Valley then recovered an onside kick, and two plays later, Nelson hit Hornet-killer Tyrone Timmons with a 32-yard scoring strike. Valley's next onside kick attempt failed, but ASU wasn't in the clear just yet. With the Hornets unable to gain a first down or run much time off the clock, Valley got the ball back on their own 22 with 1:46 remaining. The ASU defense stood strong and forced a third down and 10 yards to go. Nelson promptly fired a 25-yard pass to Timmons, who made a remarkable catch for a Valley first down at the ASU 43.

On the next play, Nelson dropped the shotgun snap, and Leland Jones pounced on the fumble to lock in the Hornets' fifth win of the season. "When I saw that ball, I was thinking just get down on it," said Jones, who'd returned a fumble for a touchdown the week before. "We needed the ball and luckily, I got it."

ASU also had another big game from its SWAC-leading defense. Jones piled up 11 tackles, including two for loss, a forced fumble, a sack and quarterback hurry. And while Valley's ballyhooed quarterback-linebacker combo - SWAC offensive and defensive preseason players of the year - lived up to their billing (Nelson with 244 yards and two touchdowns passing, Tyler Knight with nine tackles), ASU's own dynamic duo dictated the outcome of the game.

Engram ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns - one 66-yarder and another for 23. He also connected with James Earl Cray on a 52-yard touchdown bomb.

On the other side of the ball, Chris Dupuy made a strong case to repeat as SWAC defensive player of the week. His most dominant performance of the season featured 15 tackles, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and one and a half sacks.

"Our entire defense was great again," Coe said. "We left them out there a little too long but they came through when it mattered."

After all the challenges of a long rebuilding process, the Hornets are on the verge of capturing their seventh-straight winning season. Only archrival Tuskegee remains, and now the Hornets can focus all their attention on the Golden Tigers and the Turkey Day Classic.

"Just like always, we'll go back and watch film," Coe said. "The guys should be proud of how they have responded this year. Come next week, they'll be ready to go."