Courtesy of Alabama State Athletics
MOBILE, Ala. | Alabama State University put together a seven-play, 73-yard drive, culminating in a 19-yard rushing touchdown with 7:53 left in the ballgame to give the Hornets a 21-17 SWAC win over Alcorn State at the Port City Classic on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
| Statistics | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Hornets improved to 5-3 on the year and 4-1 in SWAC play, while the Braves fell to 4-5 and 3-2.
Jahbari Kuykendall totaled 56 yards to lead the Hornets’ ground attack in the game, picking up 9.3 yards per carry along the way. Marcus Harris II also tacked on 34 yards and one touchdown on the ground, picking up 4.2 yards per carry.
Robert McMinn reeled in five catches for 51 yards. Eric Horn got in on the action in the passing game as well, hauling in two balls for 50 yards and one touchdown.
Keane Lewis paced the Alabama State defensive effort, totaling eight tackles, 1.0 TFL, one sack, and one interception. James Burgess added four tackles, 1.0 TFL, and one interception, and Rico Dozier had 19 tackles, 2.0 TFL, and two sacks in the win.
The Hornets won the turnover battle in Saturday’s game, forcing two turnovers while coughing the ball up one time, with Alabama State turning those takeaways into seven points.
Alabama State’s defense held up fairly well against the run, limiting Alcorn State to 181 yards on the ground. The Hornets harassed the Alcorn State passing attack all game long, racking up six sacks and adding two interceptions.
How It Happened
Alcorn State scored first at the Port City Classic to take a 10-7 lead, but Alabama State responded with 1:22 left in the third quarter to go ahead 14-10. Alcorn State responded to go ahead 17-14 before the Hornets got on the scoreboard again with a 19-yard touchdown run to jump back ahead 21-17. Neither team scored again in the game.
Game Notes
- Alabama State improved to 9-2 when scoring 20-plus points and 9-2 in Classic games under Eddie Robinson.
- Alabama State won the turnover battle 2-1 after picking off two passes.
- Alabama State had their highest scoring quarter in the fourth period when they put up seven points.
- Alabama State converted 3 of 13 third downs while Alcorn State was successful on 7 of 18.
- The Hornets had three players with more than eight tackles in the ballgame led by Dozier, who had 19.
- Alabama State went 1-for-1 on fourth down, converting on 100 percent of attempts.
- The Hornets took potential points off the board by forcing two turnovers on their own half of the field.
- The Hornets totaled 11 tackles for loss and added a season-high six sacks.
- Kareem Keye completed 70% of his passes on the day, going 14-for-20 while averaging 7.2 yards per attempt.
- Tre Lawrence led the Braves passing attack, completing 14 of his 22 attempts for 164 yards with one interception.
- Anthony Williams led the Alcorn State rushing attack with 66 yards and one touchdown.
UP NEXT: Alabama State remains on the road to battle SWAC rival Grambling State on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Grambling, La.