BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | Alabama State was unable to convert on a pair of scoring opportunities in the first half, and fell victim to a pair of big plays by Alabama A&M in a 27-10 loss at the 77th McDonald's Magic City Classic presented by Coca-Cola Saturday evening.

Playing in front of 65,906 fans at historic Legion Field, Alabama State (2-5, 1-2 SWAC) forced Alabama A&M into a three-and-out on the first possession of the game, before using an 11-play drive to push the ball down into the red zone. Facing a third and goal from the six, a pass fell incomplete setting Hunter Hanson up for a 24-yard field goal that was wide with 6:52 remaining in the first quarter.

After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama A&M (4-4, 3-2 SWAC) got on the board first with 10:56 remaining in the half as they used a nine-play drive that culminated with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Aqeel Glass to Nathaniel Dell down the right sideline, giving Alabama A&M a 7-0 lead.

The Hornets looked to answer on their next drive as they drove down the field in 11 plays, before facing a third down from the Alabama A&M 10-yard line. Sophomore quarterback KHA'Darris Davis – who tied his career-high with 181 yards passing - tucked the ball trying to reach for the first down at the one, only to be hit from behind and fumbled the football that the Bulldogs were able to recover.

Alabama A&M was forced to punt on the ensuing possession, and had their punt partially blocked by Abraham Adesipe that gave Alabama State the football at the Bulldogs 24-yard line. The Hornets took advantage quickly after a Tallesin Farmer 14-yard run, scoring three plays later when Farmer went in from one yard out to tie the game at 7-all.

The game stayed that way until the third quarter when Jordan Bentley took a handoff and went up the middle for Alabama A&M, scoring from 57 yards out with 8:46 to play in the third to give Alabama A&M a 14-7 lead. Alabama State pulled to within 14-10 on a Hunter Hanson 39-yard field goal with 11:34 to play in the contest to trim the lead to 14-10.

However, Alabama A&M scored on their first play from scrimmage on the next drive when Glass hit Dell for his second touchdown reception of the night, this one covering 81 yards as Dell caught the ball and ran down the right sideline for a 20-14 lead after the extra point was missed. They added a late score in the final 90 seconds for the final margin.

Alabama State had multiple chances in the second half on passes from Davis, however, a pair were dropped that would have gone for big gains or touchdowns. Jamir Hannah dropped a pass inside the red zone that would have tied the game at the time, and Tyrek Allen dropped one in the fourth quarter that would have given the Hornets the lead in the fourth quarter.

The Hornets finished with 313 total yard of offense led by Davis' passing effort as he went 21-for-37 with an interception. Joe Williams IV finished with a team-high four receptions for 16 yards, while Allen (62 yards), Wallace Corker (37 yards) and Hannah (10 yards) each finished with three catches on the night. Davis led the team in rushing with 53 yards on 12 carries, while Farmer finished with 51 yards on 12 carries.

Dennis Roberts IV finished with eight total tackles, including 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Darron Johnson finished with seven. The Hornets recorded three sacks and five tackles for loss against the Bulldogs.

Alabama A&M finished the night with 463 yards of total offense, including 204 yards receiving by Dell and 322 yards passing Glass.

Alabama State returns to action next Saturday at home against Texas Southern inside ASU Stadium. Kick is set for 2 pm, and the game can be heard on the Hornet Sports Network beginning with pregame at 1:30 pm.

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