ASU GAME NOTES
MONTGOMERY, Ala | The Alabama State Hornets (4-3, 2-2 SWAC) travel to Birmingham, Ala., to face the Alabama A&M University (3-4, 3-1 SWAC) in the 81st Magic City Classic on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT at historic Legion Field and will air on the ESPN family of networks.
 
The Hornets are fresh off a 24-9 win against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils (0-7, 0-4). The offense ignited a spark in the passing game as starting quarterback Myles Crawley threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Kisean Johnson recorded his first 100-yard game as he recorded 116. Redshirt Junior Jeremiah Hixon reached 92 yards with a touchdown.
 
The Black and Gold must emphasize a running game that has been stagnant to take advantage of a Bulldogs defense that has been below average this season. Alabama A&M averages 152.6 rushing yards per game defensively, with the Hornets ground game recording 102.6. The Bulldog defense is tied for second in the SWAC in allowed rushing touchdowns with 16.
 
Thus far in the season, the Hornets have thrown 10 passing touchdowns with a 59.9 completion percentage and an average of 8.4 yards per throw. They will need to continue their progression through the air to capitalize on a Bulldogs defense that allows 250.1 yards per game (2nd in SWAC) and 15 passing touchdowns (3rd in SWAC).
 
Alabama A&M enters the 81st Magic City Classic on a three-game SWAC winning streak, all within 10 points. Bulldogs' running back Donovan Eaglin is 5th in the SWAC in rushing with
526 yards, 5 TDS, and 75.1 yards per game. In his last game, Eaglin recorded 126 yards on 19 carries.
 
Defensive back Dre Terry was the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week after his performance against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-5, 0-4 in SWAC), where he totaled
14 tackles and a 31-yard interception.
 
The Bulldogs and Hornets are neck-and-neck in SWAC East standings, but a win for the Hornets would close the gap to the second-place Florida A&M Rattlers (5-2, 3-1 SWAC). The
Hornets are seeking their first Magic City Classic win since 2017, where Alabama A&M leads the series 41-34-3.
 
This will be Hornets head coach Eddie Robinson Jr's first Magic City Classic as a coach. As a player, Robinson went 3-1, including the Hornets' second-largest victory of the series, 59-13 in 1991. Robinson Jr. will look to repeat this magic in the Magic City.