Sept. 16, 2006

Final Stats

Knowing they wouldn't play another game in Montgomery for almost two months, the Alabama State Hornets desperately wanted to make a good impression on their fans Saturday. They accomplished this mission with a 31-13 shellacking of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

"We knew that we could play this well," said ASU quarterback Alex Engram. "It was a matter of everything coming together. We felt like we were close when we lost to Texas Southern last week. Tonight, it almost all came together."

Still, it certainly didn't start well for the Hornets. On the very first drive, UAPB receiver Dedrick Poole hauled in a 69-yard bomb from Chris Wallace to give the Golden Lions a 7-0 lead. But that would be about the only highlight for the Golden Lions.

The Hornets responded with a powerful six play, 80-yard drive, capped by a 2-yard plunge by Jay Peck to tie the score. And the Hornets were far from done.

ASU would score on four straight possessions, storming to a 31-7 lead and cruising to the win from there.

"I'm proud of these guys," said head coach Charles Coe. "Anytime you can come away with a win, it's good. We still have a long way to go, but it's a good win."

Engram was incredibly efficient, going 11-13 for 156 yards and three touchdowns. More importantly, he had zero interceptions. Engram also scrambled 70 yards on nine carries.

"Alex brings a different dimension to us with his legs," Coe said. "Sometimes he runs out of the pocket too quickly, but when he's out there, he does what he does. And tonight, that helped us win."

For a team that struggled to move the ball in their first two games, ASU had a surprising number of stars on offense.

Jay Peck gained 130 yards on 20 carries. Rahmod Traylor picked up 51 of his 57 yards on one carry. Lorenzo "Slim" Hoffman made the most of his two catches, scoring a touchdown on each one of them. Brandon Horace also had a solid night, catching three passes for 57 yards and a score.

While the Hornets' defense may have been shocked by UAPB's long touchdown early in the game, they certainly got their act together quickly. After the initial UAPB drive, the Hornets played lights out, and it was a total team effort.

While no player had more than six tackles, the SWAC's leading defense allowed only 215 total yards. The linebackers continued to dominate, with Chris Dupuy racking up six tackles, including two for loss. Leland Jones had five tackles, with three for loss and a sack.

The offensive players seemed relieved to break out of their scoring slump and take some pressure off the defense that has had to carry the team thus far.

"We didn't do every thing perfect tonight," Alex Engram said. "But I told people earlier in the week that if we could help the defense out, we are planning on a nine-game winning streak."

The Hornets take their newfound offense on the road next week to Alcorn to take on a Braves team that lost to UAPB 42-14 last week.

"Alcorn is going to be tough," said Brandon Horace. "We just need to keep playing hard and staying together, and we're going to make some noise in the SWAC."