View Final Game Book

WATCH GAME REPLAY

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama State University football team dropped a tough 24-10 decision to Prairie View A&M Saturday afternoon at Cramton Bowl.

The Hornets (3-2, 0-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) scored on their opening drive but a 10-point surge in the final two minutes of the first half provided the Panthers (3-1, 3-0) with the winning advantage.

Prairie View outgained ASU 413 to 349 in total yards and converted nine of 16 third-down conversions. The Bama State defense continued to be dominant against the rush limiting PVAM to just 72 yards on 31 carries.

“I thought we gave good effort today,” said ASU assistant head coach Roger Totten, guiding the Hornets in the absence of head coach Reggie Barlow who missed the game attending the funeral of his mother-in-law. “We struggled a bit with our execution. We have a good team that is working hard but we need to be able to finish drives. This is another game for our guys to learn from and build on as we move forward.”

Senior running back Rahmod Traylor, who finished the game with 40 yards rushing on eight carries, galloped for a 23-yard touchdown on ASU's opening possession to give the Hornets a 7-0 lead. Traylor's run capped a five-play, 81-yard drive highlighted by a 43-yard pass from Chris Mitchell to Nick Andrews.

The two defenses then took over as neither team was able to mount an offensive attack over the remainder of the first quarter. At the start of the second quarter, Prairie View moved into scoring range but Brady Faggard's 27-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

After trading punts, the Panthers drove the ball 52 yards scoring a game-tying touchdown with 1:31 left in the first half. KJ Black connected with Shaun Stephens for a 17-yard touchdown pass to complete the drive. Prairie View forced a quick punt by ASU just before the end of the half and then moved the ball into scoring territory. Faggard drilled a 37-yard field goal with one second left in the half to give PVAMU a 10-7 halftime advantage.

Prairie View extended its lead to 17-7 in the third quarter after chewing up more than eight minutes of clock time with their opening drive. The Panthers went 80 yards in 14 plays topped off by a one-yard rush by Black. The Hornets defense held twice on goal-line rushes before PVAM finally nudged the ball into the end zone on fourth down and inches.

A 77-yard pass from Black to Anthony Weeden on the Panthers next possession set up the visitors for their final score of the game. Donald Babers put Prairie View up 24-7 with a one-yard scoring run with 0:48 left in the third quarter.

A determined Alabama State squad refused to quit in the fourth quarter. Jake King nailed a 36-yard field goal midway through the final period to make the score 24-10. On the ensuing kickoff, ASU successfully collected the onside kick and appeared to grab the momentum. However, the ASU drive faltered at the Prairie View 35-yard line where the Hornets turned the ball over on downs.

The ASU defense forced PVAM to punt on the next possession getting the ball back for the Bama State offense. The Hornets charged down the field with the clock winding down, but Mitchell was intercepted in the end zone with just under a minute to play allowing the Panthers to hold on for the win.

For the game, Mitchell was 15-of-35 for 219 yards and one interception while also leading the team with 61 yards rushing. Nick Andrews (87 yards) and Darius Mathis (27 yards) each collected three catches.

Senior linebacker Adrian Hardy led the Hornets defense with a season-high 12 tackles followed by senior safety Rechard Johnson with 11 stops. ASU's defense finished the game with two sacks and five tackles for losses.

Black completed 22 of 33 pass attempts for PVAM. Stephens had seven catches for 99 yards and Weeden finished with five receptions and a game-high 136 yards receiving. Babers led the Panthers with 53 yards rushing.

Alabama State continues its three-game home stand next Saturday against defending SWAC Champion Grambling at 1 p.m. at Cramton Bowl.


GAME NOTES:
*ASU kicker Jake King has now made six consecutive FG attempts with his 36 yarder in the fourth quarter.
*QB Chris Mitchell recorded his fourth 200-yard passing performance of the season and has now thrown for more than 1,000 yards this season (1,068 yards)
*The Hornets defense has still not allowed an opponent to rush for 100 yards this year.