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MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama State amassed 257 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground en route to a decisive 38-6 victory over Edward Waters College Saturday night at Cramton Bowl. ASU improves to 3-0 with the win and EWC remains winless at 0-3.

Senior running back Rahmod Traylor led the way for the Hornets finishing with 114 yards and on 17 carries and a touchdown. It marked the second 100+ yard performance of the season for Traylor, and was the second highest single game total for his career. In addition, freshman Jermaine Preyear rushed for a pair of scores on the ground to go along with 52 yards on 11 carries.

“Traylor and Preyear give us probably the best one-two running back combination in the SWAC,” said ASU head coach Reggie Barlow. “Our offensive line did a great job of blocking and opening running lanes and those two guys did a great job running the ball. It is important for us to get the running game going because we need to run the ball in order to be successful.”

Preyear got the Hornets on the board first, punching it in from two yards out to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive. The score marked the first rushing touchdown of the season for ASU.

On Bama State's next possession, senior quarterback Chris Mitchell connected with Tim Clark for a 20-yard touchdown pass giving ASU a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. It was the seventh TD pass of the year for Mitchell, who finished the game 9-of-17 for 162 yards.

The Hornets added a 25-yard field goal by Jake King on their next possession, and then closed the half with a two-yard scoring plunge by Traylor to take a 24-0 lead into the halftime break.

For the second consecutive home game, ASU opened the second half with a defensive score when senior defensive lineman Noel Alphonso batted a pass into the air, caught it and then rumbled in for a 26-yard interception return touchdown giving the Hornets a 31-0 advantage.

The Tigers finally got on the board midway through the third quarter with a six-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Turman to Samuel Charles. ASU's Rechard Johnson blocked the extra-point kick.

Preyear added his second two-yard scoring rush with 10 minutes left in the game for the final margin.

The ASU defense had its best performance of the season limiting the Tigers to 66 yards rushing and just 204 total yards. The Hornets forced three turnovers including two fumbles and the Alphonso's interception. The pickoff marked the fifth of the season for ASU and equaled last season's total. Senior linebacker Adrian Hardy led a swarming Hornets defense with 10 tackles and also had one of the team's 13 tackles for losses. ASU added five sacks in the game.

“We have challenged our defense to create turnovers and tonight they did it,” said Barlow. “We have guys flying around the field and making plays for us. We continue to get better and are progressing as a team and that is exciting to see.”

The Hornets open SWAC play next Saturday against Mississippi Valley State in Chicago. The game kicks off at 4 p.m. from Soldier Field.

NOTES:
*ASU's Jermaine Preyear's 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter marked the first rushing TD of the season for the Hornets… It was also Preyear's first TD of the year
*The Hornets picked off a pass for the third straight game and now have 5 INTs this year equaling their season total from last year… It was the second straight home game that ASU has returned an INT for a TD
*ASU improved to 3-0 this season marking the 4th time this decade the team has opened the season 3-0… The Hornets best start during that span was a 4-0 mark in 2007, coach Reggie Barlow's first season.
*ASU's Rahmod Traylor rushed for 114 yards on 17 carries marking his second 100+ performance of the year and the fourth of his career