MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama State University football team relied on a steady offensive attack led by freshman quarterback
Aaron Frye and another big-time defensive performance to dispatch the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, 41-15, at ASU Stadium in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) contest on Saturday evening.
The Hornets (3-1, 1-0 SWAC) extended its home winning streak to a stadium-record nine straight home games dating back to November 2024, limiting the Delta Devils (1-4, 0-1 SWAC) to 2.6 yards per rush and 3.9 yards per play, continuing the visitors' rocky stretch of one SWAC victory in the last 10 games.
ASU halted Valley out of the gate, forcing a fumble in opposing territory that sophomore
Eldridge Shelton recovered at the 42-yard line. It took just two plays for the Hornets to score, as a 34-yard pass from Frye to fellow rookie
DJ Hicks gave Alabama State a lead it would not relinquish. After coming up empty on its following drive,
Trevor Bywater punted the ball away, only for a Valley player to muff the ball and safety
Zamari Hall to recover at the opposing 15-yard line. It took just two plays for Frye to find paydirt, this time with a six-yard scamper to go up two scores. The Hornets made it three scores in the first quarter on a 34-yard field goal from
Andrew Abu-Akel with two and a half minutes left to make it 17-0.
The second quarter saw the Delta Devils finish off their first scoring drive of the game, a passing touchdown two plays in, although MVSU's kicker missed the extra point wide right to keep it an 11-point game. The teams held each other in check for most of the remaining 14-plus minutes, save for a 41-yard Abu-Akel try in the final half-minute to make it a 20-6 lead heading into the locker room.
ASU's kick return team showed they came to play on the other side of the break, as Hicks scored his second touchdown of the day with a 98-yard kick return that saw him flip the field and find a wide-open lane by the time he reached midfield. The teams followed with three-and-outs on the drives that followed, while Valley saw a promising drive halted with a lost fumble at the ASU 10-yard line. It was a quiet end to the third quarter, one that Mississippi Valley once again ended on a long drive that finished up early in the final quarter.
Bama State got going quickly in its first fourth-quarter drive with passes of 36 and 28 yards to
Randall King to highlight a seven-play drive that was capped off with a nine-yard Frye touchdown run, his second of the game. After a long MVSU touchdown run, both teams started to wind down and soak up the clock, outside of a last-minute
Jareese Howard rushing score that was preceded by a 49-yard dash to the edge of the goal line to close out the game.
With the 26-point victory, the Hornets continued its scorching run of dominance against the Delta Devils. It has won five straight versus MVSU by a combined score of 180-47, as well as each of its last 12 meetings in Montgomery.
As for its nine-game winning streak at ASU Stadium, opponents have averaged less than ten points in the first half, a fact reinforced by the Delta Devils being limited to six points in the first two quarters. The Hornets' second-half dominance during the run is equally impressive, as it holds a 130-42 advantage on the scoreboard in the third and fourth quarters. In the 2026 campaign, Alabama State has held its foes to 12 points across eight quarters, including empty frames in the first four second-half frames of the year.
Two of Frye's three touchdowns on the night were a part of a stellar ASU ground game, as the dual-threat rookie combined with Howard for 110 yards on 15 carries, as well as three touchdowns when including the final score of the game. Receiver
Randall King led the pass catchers, hauling in three catches for 72 yards. Hicks headlined the scorers, with two of his three touches – a catch and a return – going for touchdowns.
Linebacker
Eldridge Shelton starred on the defensive side, forcing two fumbles (recovering one) on a pair of sacks while recording three and a half tackles for loss and six total tackles (four solo).
Mitchell Robinson Jr., who has been a stalwart for the ASU defense on the young season, led the team with seven total tackles, while
Omari Russell made two of his five total tackles behind the line of scrimmage. HBCU Preseason First Team All-American
Ta'Shaun Sims had a 32-yard return on a fumble recovery while making a tackle for loss to lead the Hornets' defensive backfield.
The Hornets make its first SWAC road trip next week, traveling to Daytona Beach, Florida, to face the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 3, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. Central Time at Daytona Stadium. It returns home for Homecoming Weekend against Florida A&M on Saturday, Oct. 10, for a 3 p.m. meeting with the Rattlers at ASU Stadium.
