Alabama State University Athletics

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Alabama State University football team traveled north on I-65 to Legion Field to take on archrival Alabama A&M in the 85th Amazon Magic City Classic Presented by Coca-Cola, with the Bulldogs pulling out a win over the Hornets, 31-28, on Halloween afternoon in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) rivalry game.

The Hornets (4-4, 2-3 SWAC) hung in until the end of the game, keeping fans on the edge of their seats as the offense had the ball with under two minutes remaining and a chance to score. Instead, the Bulldogs' (7-2, 4-1 SWAC) defense pushed them out of comfortable field goal range, forcing a last-hope heave from ASU down the right side that fell incomplete and allowed AAMU to claim the victory for the first time in five years and place themselves squarely in the driver's seat in the SWAC East Division race heading into a pivotal final stretch of games.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Its first scoring drive started at its own 2-yard line after a stellar defensive stand – namely by Thad Parson and Trent Henry – gave the ball to the offense with 98 yards in front of them. 12 plays later, a scamper by quarterback Aaron Frye got the Hornets into the red zone at the 19-yard line, and two plays later, a 17-yard carry by Jareese Howard on fourth-and-2 ended up in the end zone to make it 14-7.

After the Black Swarm Defense stopped a Bulldog threat, it got another chance to cash in before halftime, one that ASU improved with a pair of penalties against the Bulldogs, but AAMU blocked the field-goal attempt to maintain its touchdown lead.

Out of the locker room, the Hornets shocked the entire stadium when kicker Andrew Abu-Akel kicked the ball 15 yards and recovered it at the 50 to start the drive. Unfortunately, Alabama A&M stopped the drive when a rushing play hit the ground and turned it over, setting up a field goal that made it a 10-point game.

The Hornets responded quickly, making its way down the field with scattered run plays and gaining a chunk of yards on a highlight-reel throw by Frye to Randall King on the right sideline to get the ball inside the 10-yard line. From there, a pair of Jamarie Hostzclaw rushes led to an Alabama State score, cutting the Bulldog lead to three.

A long, drawn-out drive by AAMU dove into the fourth quarter, a possession finished off by a quarterback dive to once again go up by two scores. Alabama State relied on a heavy dose of rushing to get back within three and tighten things up for the opposition.

It did indeed put extra pressure on the opposing team, as ASU's defense was on the cusp of a fumble and an interception on the drive before both were overturned after further review, all for the Bulldogs to punt the ball away with just under seven minutes remaining.

Two short drives ensued, the first a three-and-out by the Hornets, and the second a two-play, 65-yard drive to bring it back to a 10-point AAMU advantage. The kickoff that followed saw receiver/returner DJ Hicks return the ball 86 yards to the 12-yard line, and an opposing penalty gave the Hornets just 18 feet between them and the end zone. The run game needed just two plays to score, which it did on a Howard run – his third score of the game – to get back within a field goal.

That would conclude the scoring for the night. While Alabama State's defense held strong against a rushing attack to force a punt, the offense couldn't capitalize on a Nehemiah Hixon return into opposing territory, with a third-down stop and the fourth-down incompletion sealing the deal.
  The Hornets travel to Houston next Saturday for a SWAC meeting with Texas Southern, as the Hornets look to extend a six-game winning streak and maintain its perfect 8-0 road record against the Tigers in the Lone Star State. Kickoff on November 7th is set for 2 p.m.