MONTGOMERY, Ala. | The Alabama State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics continues its look back at the 2017-18 athletic year as we started with soccer on Monday, today we will look back at the tale of two seasons during the 2017 football season.

The following moments are in no particular order for the Hornets:

Alabama State defeats Texas Southern in Eley's opener
After 67 text messages, Alabama State University interim head coach Donald Hill-Eley was able to sit back and relax after watching the Hornets come-from-behind for a 23-16 victory over Texas Southern University at BBVA Compass Stadium Saturday afternoon.
 
"It's been a long week," Eley said. "It's been a long week, we are drained. The players responded when we got down 14 points, and you get the feeling of here we go again. But the kids kept fighting and fighting, and they found a way to win. It was good to see them playing for them, and it was good to see them win going into the bye week."
 
Alabama State (1-5, 1-2 SWAC) trailed for much of the first half, before Darryl Pearson, Jr. lofted a ball to Willis White over the middle for a 67-yard touchdown pass to give Alabama State a 20-16 lead with just six seconds left in the third quarter. After a Hunter Hanson 40-yard field goal extended the lead to 23-16 with 4:14 remaining in the contest, it was the Hornet defense that came up big in the final seconds. Ronnie Scott knocked the ball out at the last second on third down, it was TJ Presley who intercepted the ball at the goal line to end the contest.

Hornets use big plays to capture Magic City Classic
The 76th annual McDonald's Magic City Classic again went down to the final drive, and for the next 365 days, the Alabama State University football team has earned bragging rights with a hard-fought 21-16 victory over Alabama A&M Saturday night. Alabama State (2-5, 2-2 SWAC), winners of back-to-back games, looked to have sewn the contest up when Darryl Pearson, Jr. found Chett LeVay in the back of the end zone for a 21-9 lead. However, Alabama A&M (3-6, 3-2 SWAC) returned the kickoff deep into Alabama State territory before trimming the lead to 21-16 on a two-yard. However for the second consecutive game, the Hornets' defense stood firm after an onside kick recovery by Alabama A&M. After giving a first down, Alabama State held the Bulldogs and forced an incomplete pass on fourth down. Alabama State went into the victory formation and the Hornet faithful were able to start the celebration.
 
"We will enjoy this win," Alabama State interim head coach Donald Hill-Eley said. "We will get back to the house and look at we did, and make some adjustments and move forward. It is great to win, and win for our fans. Our fans have been down all year while we have been trying to get things straight after starting off 0-5. Winning this game, it helps put life back into our program and back into our community, so it is a great feeling to carry a win back to Montgomery. Everything has meaning. We will take that 0-5 and learn from it, after you lose the first five games. And for the last two weeks to come out and win, it changed their mentality after winning two games and now they work because they know they can win."
 

When you win the Magic City Classic 🙌

(via @BamaStateFB)pic.twitter.com/qLLgANzPBd

— FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) October 29, 2017

Big wins continue, Turkey Day Classic victory for Hornets
After a day full of festivities surrounding the 94th annual Turkey Day Classic and a slow start, Alabama State was able to pull away in the second half and close the season with a convincing 37-3 victory over Edward Waters Saturday afternoon at ASU Stadium. The win signaled the end of the 2017-18 season for Alabama State, a season in which they won five of six down the stretch to finish second in the SWAC East Division.
 
"I think in the first half we played down to their level," Alabama State interim head coach Donald Hill-Eley said. "It's kind of hard getting guys to play when they see what is across from them. In the second half, we brought energy and wanted to give the offensive line carries and things they probably have never done in their lives. I know a lot of people wanted us to go for touchdowns but we didn't want to damage the other team's spirits and teach our young men character."

Scott gets national attention for INT return
The momentum of the Magic City Classic swung to Alabama State early on as Ronnie Scott, the defensive Most Valuable Player, intercepted a pass on the Alabama A&M sideline that earned him a spot on the #SCTop10.
 
"When he intercepted that pass it helped us out," Eley said. "It bought some time for the offense after we had been going three-and-out. It put them in a position where they had to adjust what they do being a running team. It took some things away that they wanted to do, which kept us in the ball game."
 
The senior then took off towards his own sideline, weaving through traffic and then turned up field to the end zone. He would run by two defenders near the goal line before diving in for a 59-yard interception return for the tournament. The return was his second of the season.
 
"I was exhausted," Scott said of the interception return. "It was nice, it was a good spark to pick it off and get into the end zone. I was just excited for the team, giving us a chance to get some points on the board. It got the crowd into and the rest of the team into it, and I think we took a little bit away from them at the same time."

Against the odds - at Jackson State
The Alabama State University football team won their third consecutive contest, spoiling the homecoming festivities for Jackson State University as they walked away with a 13-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) victory as the defense stepped up with four interceptions and caused five total turnovers.
 
"There are a lot of things that we can get better at," Alabama State interim head coach Donald Hill-Eley said. "But you are talking about three wins a row, two homecomings and a Classic. These guys want to play, where we are weak we are also strong. It is good to see, and this atmosphere will allow these guys to be successful in life, start down and build up. Those are the type of things we want to create with these young men, the bottom line is not how you start but how you finish. I put in front of them that this university was started by nine slaves, and if that is not enough to hang your hat on. If God can put it in front of you, there is nothing to stop you."
 
The win was the third consecutive for Alabama State (3-5, 3-2 SWAC), and the second time they have spoiled homecoming festivities this season – the first coming against Texas Southern.
 
"I told the guys if you start losing homecoming then you will be someone's homecoming," Eley said. "I don't think we will be able to break the float out next year. "It's homecoming, They are 1-7, but you are talking about homecoming. There were 30,000 people in there, and there were about 29,500 in there for Jackson State. Those guys wanted to play hard against somebody and we knew they were not just going to lay down, but we figured if we could get ahead of them and the fans started leaving that we could take their will."

The next list of top moments will come your way this Friday, and the moments will be released each week for the remainder of the summer.

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