Alabama State hasn’t quite gotten over the hump in its quest to establish itself as one of the elite programs among HBCUs. However, that could be changing. The Hornets upset Tennessee State, the reigning Black College National Champion and one of the most storied and respected program in Black College Football, 27-21 at ASU Stadium in Montgomery, Ala., in a game that was delayed twice by lightning.
“This was a big game for us to play against a team like Tennessee State, who we have a lot of respect for, and the tradition and history they have there,” said ASU coach Reggie Barlow. “We knew it would be a really tough game. Our guys stayed with the vision and just fought the process. We talked about a couple of characteristics we needed to have for this game; it was heart, resiliency, and we wanted to play as a team and just make sacrifices for each other. We were able to do that and we were able to get away with a win.’’
Tennessee State (1-1) entered the game ranked No. 14 in the Football Subdivision Top 25. But the Hornets (1-1) surged to a 22-point lead and then held on down stretch to give Barlow a signature victory and their most significant win since they won the 2004 SWAC Championship Game.
Alabama State ran roughshod over Tennessee State’s highly regarded defense, churning out 255 rushing yards. Running back Malcolm Cyrus gouged Big Blue for 170 yards. Cyrus added another 86 receiving yards including a 70-yard touchdown reception that gave the Hornets a 17-2 lead. That score came after a 31-minute lightning delay at the start of the third period along with a 57-minute lightning delay in the first quarter.
Khalid Thomas contributed 70 yards on 10 carries. Alabama State built its lead to 24-2 with 10:32 remaining in the third quarter when quarterback Daniel Duhart scampered 30 yards for a score. It was the longest run of Duhart’s career. Tennessee State quarterback Michael German attempted to rally the Tigers. German, who ended the game with 340 yards in the air while completing 26 of 61 attempts, threw a pair of touchdown passes and scored on a one-yard run in the final 19 minutes.
But a breakdown in the kicking game cost the Tigers dearly. They missed two extra points and had a field goal blocked for a touchdown.
Other Key Games:
Alabama A&M 30, Tuskegee 17 – The Bulldogs made their first trip to Tuskegee this century and came away with a resounding victory, the first for first-year first-time head coach James Spady. The Bulldogs (1-1) manhandled the Golden Tigers (0-1) with a precision passing attack as they amassed 410 yards total offense. Quarterback Jaymason Lee riddled the Golden Tigers’ secondary, completing 13 of 23 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Lee mainly relied on intermediate range passes of 10-15 yards. However, he connected on pair of long touchdown passes. He tossed a 72-yard bomb to Octayvius Miles and he had 77-yard scoring strike to Montaurius Smith.
Bryan Brower scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs on runs of four and five yards. Brower led all ball-carriers with 61 yards. Tuskegee’s offense sputtered, particularly the running game which only produced 41 yards. The Bulldogs gave up 307 rushing yards in their season opening 47-13 loss to North Carolina A&T. The Golden Tigers’ passing game was hot and cold. Four-year starter Justin Nared threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns, including an 87-yard touchdown toss to Marquel Gardner, but he was only 12-for-29. His backup, Kevin Lacey, was 4-for-7 for 36 yards. Third down efficiency was an Achilles heel for the Golden Tigers. They were successful on only six of 16 third-down conversion tries while defensively, they allowed Alabama A&M to convert 12 of its 21 tries.
Winston-Salem State 38, UNC Pembroke 7 – The Rams, No. 14 in Division II, served notice that nothing has changed even though Coach Connell Maynor has moved on to Hampton. The three-time defending CIAA champions registered an impressive non-conference home victory against the No. 21 Braves in Kienus Boulware’s coaching debut. The Rams sprinted to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and were ahead 31-7 at the half. The Rams dominated the contest with their stifling defense, which held the Braves to just 146 total yards, 99 passing and 46 rushing. The Rams offense rolled up 428 total yards.
Quarterback Rudy Johnson, the 2013 CIAA Offensive Player of the Year, completed 14 of 22 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, while sharing time with Phil Sims, Don Rasberry and Justin Johnson. Sims was 10 of 16 for 107 yards and touchdown. The victory was the 400th all-time for the Rams. Miles 30, Shaw 6 – The Golden Bears opened the season with a resounding home non-conference victory thanks to running back Jonathan Clark’s dominating performance. The redshirt freshman rushed for 212 yards on just 16 rushing attempts, and he scored on a 73-yard run. The running game produced 344 of the Golden Bears’ 463 total yards. Miles’ defense made a strong showing as well. The Golden Bears limited Shaw to just 203 total yards, including a paltry 36 rushing yards.
Other Results:
MEAC:
Clemson 73, South Carolina State 7
Coastal Carolina 31, North Carolina A&T 30
Delaware 27, Delaware State 9
Georgia Southern 83, Savannah State 9
Holy Cross 29, Morgan State 26
Liberty 17, Norfolk State 0
Miami 41, Florida A&M 7
North Carolina Central 34, Elizabeth City Sate 7
Rutgers 38, Howard 25
William & Mary 42, Hampton 14
SWAC:
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 31, Concordia-Selma 31
Jackson State 59, Virginia-Lynchburg 0
Houston 47, Grambling State 0
Illinois State 62, Mississippi Valley State 0
Southern 56, Central Methodist 14
Southern Mississippi 26, Alcorn State 20
Texas Southern 52, Texas College 14
CIAA:
California (Pa.) 33, Virginia State 24
Indiana (Pa.) 41, Saint Augustine’s 19
Lincoln (Pa.) 30, Cheyney 18
Livingstone 46, Millersville 44
Saint Anselm 23, Bowie State 22
UNC Charlotte 56, Johnson C. Smith 0
Virginia Union 12, Siena Heights 0
SIAC:
Benedict 30, Lane 7
Central State 28, Clark 18
Delta State 56, Fort Valley State 13
Kentucky State 41, Kentucky Wesleyan 21
Morehouse 31, Edward 16
West Alabama 44, Stillman 20
Valdosta State 38, Albany State 10
Shorter 28, Paine 24
Langston 49, Lincoln (Mo.) 48
West Virginia State 19, Lock Haven 14
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