Alabama State is breathing easier now that the Hornets have their first victory at their $62 million stadium, 52-21 SWAC win against Grambling State.
The Hornets (2-2, 2-1 SWAC) opened New ASU Stadium with a 27-25 Turkey Day Classic loss to arch-rival Tuskegee in the 2012 season finale, and they opened the 2013 season with a 24-22 loss to Jacksonville State. They made sure, however, there would not be a three-peat of their narrow losses against Grambling (0-4, 0-2 SWAC), which has lost 14 of its last 15 games. The Hornets spotted Grambling a 7-0 first quarter lead when quarterback D. J. Williams connected with Chester Rodgers on a 66-yard touchdown pass before sprinting to a 28-7 halftime lead.
“We just played with passion,’’ Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow said. “We talked about it before the game that it was important to get off to a fast start. When you feel like you are better than a team, you have to force your will on them and take their will away. That’s what these guys did today. They played fast, they played physical.’’
Alabama State racked up 667 total yards while running its winning streak to three consecutive games for the first time in the series with Grambling. The Hornets’ running game produced 398 yards; running back Isaiah Crowell ran 14 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Malcolm Cyrus, Crowell’s backup had 84 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Quarterback Daniel Duhart passed for 260 yards and one touchdown.
Grambling, playing its second game under interim coach George Ragsdale, who took over the reins when Doug Williams was fired on Sept. 11, had 241 total yards with just 64 coming on the ground.
The G-Men scored a pair of touchdowns in less than a minute in the third period to cut the Hornets’ lead to 28-21 and made the game interesting for a brief time. However, Alabama State regained command of he contest with a six-play, 76-yard scoring drive that ended with Cyrus’ 26-yard touchdown run.
The Hornets scored on their first three possessions of the fourth quarter to put the game away.
“I’m excited for our players and our coaches,’’ Barlow said. They worked really hard all summer, and (were) working hard to put on a performance like this. It’s a blessing that we are in the position to be able to coach these guys. They’ve been working really hard. This team has a lot of character. We’ve had a lot of adversity, but we stayed with it and we’re proud of them.’’
Key Games
Winston-Salem State 35, Tuskegee 13 – The Rams scored 35 unanswered points en route to an easy victory in the Cleveland Classic in a matchup of Division II top 20 teams. Tuskegee (2-1), No. 17 in the Division II Coaches Poll coming into the game, opened the scoring with a 59-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Hoderick Lowe on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Winston-Salem (2-1), the 2013 National runner-up and No. 19 in the Coaches Poll, took command when it got the ball and dominated the rest of the way. Chase Powell returned the kickoff to Winston-Salem’s 48-yard line following Tuskegee’s touchdown, and the Rams drove 52 yards in nine plays to from there to take a lead 7-6 on quarterback Rudy Johnson’s nine-yard run. Tuskegee’s offense was null and void following Lowe’s touchdown run, and the Golden Tigers’ passing game was non-existent the entire contest as it only produced 85 yards. Lowe ran for 49 yards on 10 carries after his touchdown run as the Golden Tigers rushed for 201 yards. But their inability to sustain drives with the passing game was their undoing. Meanwhile, Winston-Salem amassed 467 total yards with 245 coming on the ground. Maurice Lewis ran for 98 yards on 13 carries, and Patrick Mputu gained 71 on 11 carries. Johnson threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury in the fourth quarter.
Alcorn State 21, Ark.-Pine Bluff 16 – The defending SWAC champion Golden Lions remained winless after suffering their second consecutive gut-wrenching home loss. The Golden Lions (0-4, 0-2 SWAC) outgained Alcorn (3-1, 2-1 SWAC) 452-yards to 385. However, they committed 13 penalties for 98 yards and week after dropping a 40-39 decision to Alabama State after leading 39-30 with 9:42 remaining in the game. Alcorn took a 7-0 lead on its first possession after kicking off and holding the Golden Lions to three-and-out. The Braves’ score came on an 18-yard pass from quarterback John Gibbs to Tollette George. Joe Price’s 53-yard touchdown run gave Alcorn a 14-3 third-quarter lead. Jeremiah Young, who rushed for a career-high 139 yards, pulled the Golden Lions to within 14-9 with a 53-yard touchdown with 9:50 left in the third period. Arnold Walker increased Alcorn’s lead to 21-9 early in the fourth quarter with a five-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Benjamin Anderson whittled the lead to 21-16 with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Isiah Ferguson at the 9:07 mark of the fourth quarter. The Golden Lions got the ball back at their 20-yard line with seven minutes remaining in the game. They drove to Alcorn’s 15 where they turned the ball over on downs with 3:31 showing on the clock after Anderson threw three incomplete passes. Anderson finished the game 18-for-30 with 233 passing yards.
Southern 17, Miss. Valley State 7 – The Jaguars broke open a tight defensive struggle with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns en route to SWAC home victory. Southern (2-2, 2-0 SWAC) entered the fourth quarter clinging to a 3-0 lead on the strength of Greg Pittman’s 22-yard field goal in the second quarter. Lenard Tillery scored the Jaguars’ first touchdown on a 12-yard run at 12:51 of the fourth period. Quarterback Dray Joseph, who passed for 288 yards, tossed a 60-yard touchdown pass to Lee Doss with 8:04 remaining in the game to seal the victory. Mississippi Valley (0-4, 0-2 SWAC) finally scored on Patrick Ivy’s three-yard run with 22 seconds left to play. Neither team was able to generate much of a running game. Southern zeros yards rushing, and Mississippi Valley only had 58. The Delta Devils passed for 188 yards
Albany State 34, Elizabeth City State 13 – Coach Mike White got his 100th career victory as the Golden Rams registered their first victory of the season. White has a 100-46 mark in 13 seasons at Albany State (2-1), and he has led the Rams to eight Division II playoff appearances. Running back Adrian Alexander led the Rams’ attack with 126 yards on 10 carries, and Phillip Moore had 91 on 14 carries. Albany State finished the game with 289 yards on the ground. The Golden Rams held Elizabeth City (0-3) to 71 yards on the ground.
Prairie View A&M 28, Alabama A&M 26 – The Panthers hung on for a come-from-behind SWAC home victory despite giving up 501 yards total offense. Quarterback Jaymason Lee threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns for Alabama A&M (1-3, 1-2 SWAC)) in his first collegiate start. Running back Brandon Eldemire rushed for 154 yards and Barrington Scott ran for 125 for the Bulldogs. Each scored a touchdown. Prairie View (2-2, 2-2 SWAC) trailed 12-0 at the half before scoring 21 third-quarters and taking the lead. The Panthers went ahead 28-19 early in the fourth quarter before Alabama A&M scored to make it a two-point game with 6:35 remaining. Prairie View intercepted Lee on each of the Bulldogs’ final two possessions to preserve he win.
Concordia-Selma vs. Miles – The Golden Bears’ home opener was cancelled after a fire on Concordia’s team bus destroyed all of the Hornets’ equipment. No one was injured.
Other Scores
Bowie State 16, Concord 10
Charleston Southern 20, Norfolk State 12
Coastal Carolina 50, Hampton 17
Fayetteville State 21, Virginia Union 7
Florida State 54, Bethune-Cookman 6
Fort Valley State 12, Clark Atlanta 9
Hardin-Simmons 66, Texas College 34
Jackson State 35, Texas Southern 7
Johnson C. Smith 35, Davidson 22
Livingstone 23, Edward Waters 20
Lock Haven 12, Cheney 10
Miami (Fla.) 77, Savannah State 7
Missouri Southern 59, Lincoln (Mo.) 10
Morehouse 42, Central State 20
Nicholls State 42, Langston 22
North Dakota State 51, Delaware State 0
Ohio State 76, Florida A&M 0
Saint Augustine’s 35, Stillman 7
Saint Francis (Pa.) 38, Lincoln (Pa.) 7
South Carolina State 59, Benedict 6
Southern Virginia 33, Virginia-Lynchburg 30
Taylor 27, Lane 21
Tennessee State 42, Tennessee Tech 21
Towson 35, North Carolina Central 17
UNC Pembroke 41, Shaw 20
Sacred Heart 78, Chowan 35
Virginia State 41, Kentucky State 0
West Liberty 9, West Va. State 0
Western Kentucky 58, Morgan State 17
Winston-Salem State 35, Tuskegee 13
