Box Score MONTGOMERY – Khalid Thomas rushed for a game-high 84 yards and a score, and Quinterris Toppings topped 300 yards passing for the first time in his career, but the Hornets could not hold a late lead in a 31-27 loss to Texas Southern.
 
The Hornets offense was clicking with a season-high 445 yards, out gaining the visitors by 142 yards.
 
"I saw improvement we just did some things that a young ball club can't do and we're a very young ball club," Head Coach Brian Jenkins said. "Regardless of how I try to spin it, look past it and we're not going to make an excuse, but we're a young ball club."
 
It was the second consecutive game Toppings had set a career-high throwing the ball as he completed 21 of his 31 pass attempts for 323 scores and one touchdown.
 
"He (Q.T.) did good," Jenkins said.  "He operated our offense the best we operated all year.  He was throwing the ball and made good plays throwing the ball."
 
Willis White was on the receiving of a lot of those yards catching eight passes for 132 yards, both career-highs.  "Willis White is a true guy that's committed.  He is a workhorse.  His number was called and he made some plays.  I was glad to see that as well as Josh (Davis), Nygel Lee and other guys."
 
"It was good to see our offense get it rolling, but we have to talk about some things we didn't do well and look at those things and those things contributed to us not being successful tonight and well enough to come away with a victory."
 
Thomas scored from two yards out late in the third quarter to put ASU up 27-16, but ASU would not score any points the rest of the night.
 
TSU was able to come back and score a touchdown on a pass play with seven minutes left in the game, and the ensuing two point conversion cut the Hornets lead to 27-24.  TSU would score the game winner the next time they got the ball on a 41 yard pass with 4:33 left in the game.
 
ASU carried a 17-6 lead into the locker room at halftime.  After TSU kicked two field goals to take a 6-0 lead, ASU came back and scored on a David Albert 30-yard field goal and a Kenneth Thomas 13-yard run and a 38-yard scoring pass from Toppings to Josh Davis.
 
"One thing I can't do is hang my head," Jenkins said.  "We don't have time for that and it's not going to fix anything.  We will stay true to the core values that I believe in and that I've been taught.  You just have to keep going back and working, keep teaching until you get it right.  It's tough and it's very painful.  The support has been wonderful and we just have to find a way to get it done."
 
The Hornets will be back home next week when they host Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a 2 p.m. kickoff.