Sophomore running back Donovan Eaglin announced his presence with 200 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns as Alabama A&M downed Bethune-Cookman 35-27 on homecoming.
Eaglin stole the show with 190 yards on the ground with two rushing TDs and two receptions for 12 yards, one for a third score. Setting up the offense was junior quarterback Xavier Lankford with 204 yards, three touchdowns and an interception on 16-of-25 passing.
After holding B-CU to five plays and 17 yards on their opening drive, Alabama A&M would go to work when they had the ball. Taking over on the Wildcats’ 41-yard line, Eaglin would break a second down run for 23 yards and then add a seven-yard touchdown scamper at the 9:28 mark for an early 7-0 lead.
Bethune-Cookman would cover nine plays and 41 yards on their next possession, only to see it snuffed out as Hester II stripped Jimmie Robinson III and recovered the fumble at the A&M 34-yard line, squelching the scoring opportunity.
The Bulldogs would then grind out a massive 11-play, 66-yard drive over the next 4:32, one that spanned the quarter break and was capped off by a six-yard Eaglin touchdown run to extend to 14-0 with just six seconds gone in the second period.
The Wildcats later went a whopping 93 yards in 11 plays and 2:30 to cut it to 14-7 on a two-yard TD plunge by Jalon Jones.
B-CU’s defense would then step up and drop A&M for nine yards on three plays to get the ball right back and knew what to do with it. It would be Averett and Ellington again as Jones hit them for 30- and 20-yard completions, respectively, on back-to-back plays to get the ball down to the Alabama A&M eight-yard line. From there, Que’shaun Byrd would drive it home on the ground for the tying score, knotting it up at 14-14 at the 2:17 mark.
The Bulldogs then put together a massive 10-play, 75-yard drive spanning 4:34. The drive of a thousand tiny papercuts would come to a close as Lankford found Cox in the endzone from nine yards out to pull back ahead, 21-14.
Following a pair of fruitless drives, the Wildcats Jones connected with Dylaan Lee for 36 yards down to the A&M 15-yard line. Three plays later, Jones drilled a 14-yard pass to Marcus Riley to cut it to 21-20.
A&M would answer right back as Young delivered both a key 38-yard reception in the middle of an eight-play, 75-yard drive that would see him cap it with an eight-yard TD grab with 33 seconds left in the third. They would then take that 28-20 advantage and add to it in the fourth.
Courtesy: AAMU Athletics
