BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Alabama State University football team met the Southern Jaguars in the first-ever Birmingham Football Classic on Saturday afternoon, with the Hornets claiming a 30-17 season-opening victory in a neutral-site, non-conference meeting at Legion Field between the two Southwest Athletic Conference programs.
The Hornets (1-0 overall) leveled up its game from a quiet first half, scoring 20 unanswered points while shutting out the Marshall Faulk-led Jaguars (0-1) in the second half to usher in what many hope to be a highly successful campaign for head football coach Eddie Robinson Jr. & company in 2026.
Much of the first quarter was a defensive battle between the Hornets and Jaguars, as both teams were working on getting back into full-speed action. Each team spent the period exchanging low-play drives around midfield before Southern broke through with a touchdown run with three and a half minutes to go. The Hornets responded with a 44-yard field goal off the boot of
Andrew Abu-Akel in the late minutes of the period.
On the opening drive, the Jaguars reached paydirt, but the Hornets responded promptly with a 61-yard deep ball to receiver
Randall King that led to a 15-yard
Jamarie Hostzclaw touchdown scamper to return the margin to four points with under 12 minutes in the half. Each team traded 33-yard field goals in the final five minutes, giving Southern a 17-13 halftime advantage.
The Hornets came out of the locker room with a different energy in the second half, as a three-yard
Jareese Howard run capped off a seven-play drive to take a three-point lead, while the offense put together two more scores in the final part of the game to give the Hornets a cushion and secure the team's first win of the year.
Redshirt senior quarterback
Andrew Body, the SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, shined in his highly anticipated return to the field, going 14-for-23 for 192 yards and a touchdown while running eight times for 42 yards in his Offensive Player of the Game performance. He was complemented by a running duo of Hostzclaw and
TJ Ramsey, who combined for 100 yards on 22 touches. King had a touchdown of his own to go along with his second quarter long ball, while Body managed to find three other players multiple times.
The defense was anchored by defensive player of the game
Mitchell Robinson Jr., who had eight total tackles (six solo), with an assist on a tackle for loss. Redshirt junior
Greg Mangle notched his first career interception on the first play of the fourth quarter to lead a stellar effort by the Hornet defensive backs.
As a team, Alabama State led the way with 19 first downs – 10 coming on the ground – while averaging 4.2 yards per rush. Its 351 total yards on the day included a day-high 192 passing yards, an 8.3 average per attempt, while the Hornets also had a strong advantage in both punt (31) and kick (23) return average.
Alabama State went a perfect 5-for-5 on red zone opportunities, while converting its only fourth down try and connecting on all three field goal attempts.
The Hornets head home to ASU Stadium next Saturday for its first home game of the 2026 campaign, where it will face the Lane College Dragons in the Labor Day Classic on September 5. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. in Montgomery.
