Courtesy of Alabama State Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama State used a huge 204-yard showing on the ground, including 156 yards from Daquon Kincey, to pick up a 27-19 win against Alabama A&M at the Magic City Classic Saturday afternoon at Legion Field in one of the largest games in HBCU football with a recorded attendance of 69,125.
| Statistics | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Hornets improved to 4-3 on the year and 3-1 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play, while the Bulldogs fell to 3-4 and 1-2. Kareem Keye led the ASU passing attack with 131 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Jamarie Hostzclaw also tacked 52 yards on the ground, picking up 5.2 yards per carry. Asa Gregg hauled in four catches for 75 yards and one score.
Ta’Shaun Sims recorded one interception, Keane Lewis added four tackles and one interception, and Amon Scarbrough had eight tackles, 1.0 TFL, one interception, and one forced fumble in the win.
The Hornets won the turnover battle in the HBCU football Classic, forcing four turnovers while avoiding any giveaways, with ASU turning those takeaways into 17 points. ASU put together a powerful performance on the ground, totaling 204 rushing yards while averaging 5.1 yards per carry and out-rushing Alabama A&M by 143 yards.
Defensively, Alabama State did an excellent job restricting the AAMU rushing attack, holding the Bulldogs to 61 yards on the ground. The Hornets’ defense disrupted the AAMU passing game on the way to pulling down three interceptions and breaking up four Bulldogs’ passes.
How It Happened
Alabama State took a 7-0 lead over Alabama A&M after scoring the game’s first points with 10:11 remaining in the first quarter. Another Hornet score then expanded the lead to 10-0.
The Hornets continued to build its lead, scoring again with 2:50 left in the second quarter to go up 17-0. The Hornets kept building their advantage after AAMU closed the gap to 17-3, scoring again to go up 20-3.
Game Notes
» Kareem Keye was named the Offensive MVP.
» Ta’Shaun Simms was named the Defensive MVP.
» ASU won the turnover battle 4-0 after intercepting three passes and recovering one fumble at the Magic City Classic.
» The Hornets scored first with 10:11 left in the first quarter and never trailed the rest of the game on their way to victory.
» ASU converted 4 of 13 third downs while Alabama A&M was successful on 3 of 13.
» Scarbrough led the Hornets with eight tackles.
» The Hornets took potential points off the board by forcing three turnovers on their own half of the field.
» ASU won the time of possession battle 33:09 to 26:51.
» ASU got off to a fantastic start in the HBCU football contest, putting 17 unanswered points on the board before AAMU could respond.
» Keye completed 70% of his passes on the day, going 14-for-20 while averaging 6.6 yards per attempt.
» Xavier Lankford led the Bulldogs passing attack, completing 13 of his 26 attempts for 207 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
» Keenan Hambrick was Alabama A&M’s leading receiver with 139 yards and two touchdowns.