MONTGOMERY, Ala. | The fourth quarter proved to be the different between Alabama State and Grambling State, with the Hornets holding the ball for 11-plus minutes in the final stanza and putting the only points on the board in the process.

Alabama State (2-2, 1-0 SWAC) used a one yard run by KHA'Darris Davis to take the lead and then milked the final six minutes of the game off the back for a 23-20 victory Grambling State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opener for both teams.

The Hornets took possession in the fourth quarter after a Grambling State score to end the third to give Grambling State (0-3, 0-1 SWAC) and used 12 plays to march 75 yards in 5:05 to take the lead on the Davis touchdown run. After a nearly four-minute drive by the Tigers that resulted in a missed field goal, Alabama State responded with a 6:07 drive that ended with three kneel downs to end the contest.

Although Alabama State held the ball for the majority of the fourth quarter, the two teams were nearly identical in time of possession with the Hornets holding for 31:27 and Grambling State had it for 28:33.

Davis led the Hornets by completing 19-of-31 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown, while Michael Jefferson finished with eight catches for 81 yards. Jeremiah Hixon finished with five catches for 52 yards, while six other receivers caught a pass in the win.

Devon Booker led Alabama State defensively with 10 tackles, including five solo. He added a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss and returned the opening kickoff into the red zone. Irshaad Davis and Darius King each ended the night with seven tackles each.

The Hornets opened the scoring on a Hunter Hanson 32-yard field goal with 7:22 to play in the opening quarter, before Keilon Elder scored on a six-yard run with 41 seconds remaining in the quarter. Alabama State answered with a four-yard run by Jacory Merritt, the first of his career, before the Tigers scored six unanswered to take a 13-10 lead.

Hixon put the Hornets on the board with 9:32 to play in the third on a 23-yard pass from Davis to take the lead 17-13, before the final two scores of the night by each team.

Alabama State is off next week and returns to action at home against SWAC East Division foe Alcorn State October 5 with kick scheduled at 2 pm. Tickets are still available for the contest, and the game will be carried by the Hornet Sports Network with pregame beginning at 1:30 pm.

Quotable - Alabama State head football coach Donald Hill-Eley
Opening Statement
"First things first, I thought we took on a great football team in a game that went the full 60 minutes. We had miscues here and there, but we were able to respond. As I told the team, the mistakes we made tonight, if they were last year, our guys probably would have given up if things didn't bounce in our favor, but we were fortunate enough to keep fighting and responding from the blocked field goal.

"We kept responding to big plays from the offensive side. KHA'Darris started the game kind of slow, but we found a way to get those guys playing faster. It was also good to see the offense get that last drive where in the past it wouldn't have happened. Our guys wanted to dedicate the game to our athletic director who just lost her mom, so they want to make this all about her. And it was just good to have them play as hard as did for her and for the university which makes it even better that we came out with a win."

On the defense
"I'll have to look at it. We had guys that were making plays that were on the scout team. We also had a couple guys go down unfortunately. We lost Josh, which is our signal caller, on the very first play of the game. I thought the guys up front stepped up. We were able to rotate our guys, get some pressure on the quarterback, and we were able to contain the quarterback. It was a "bend, don't break" mentality because they got some big plays. But our guys were able to respond and defend on a short field. However, until I look at the tape, there are quite a few guys that did a great job for us." – on who should be the offensive and defensive player of the game.

#FollowTheHornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University football, please follow the Hornets on social media @BamaStateFB (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook) and @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State athletics at BamaStateSports.com.