The past two seasons have been a case of so close yet so far away for the Alabama State football team.
At last week’s Southwestern Athletic Conference Media Day, coaches and sports information directors picked the Hornets to win the Eastern Division.
And head coach Eddie Robinson Jr. is hopeful that the third season is indeed the charm for this squad.
“Let’s hope everybody’s right. That’s everybody’s goal. It’s going to be competitive in the East and competitive in the whole conference, and every game’s going to be important,” Robinson told HBCU Sports. “We just want to win each day. That’s been our motto from Day One. We’re just going to go through that process, and we have high expectations of ourselves.”
Robinson’s Hornets have finished tied for third and second in the SWAC East in his first two seasons guiding his Alma mater, but with transfers like quarterback Andrew Body (Texas Southern) and running back Daquon Quincy (Clark Atlanta) adding firepower to an offense that already has the support of a stout defense, this could be Alabama State’s year. Robinson knows that can only happen on the field.
“We know what it takes from the hard work standpoint. We know we’ve improved from last year, but we know the rest of the conference has gotten better,” he said. “That’s why we’ll go out there and play the games.”
The coach added that a play here or there in 2023 kept them from the division title and possibly the Celebration Bowl. That means Robinson hopes to have ASU playing with a sharper focus on winning each game.
“We want to be intentional. That’s our word for the year. Every play, every practice, everything, you’ve got to do it at a level at wanting to be perfect,” he explains. “There’s only a couple of plays last year that cost a championship. We don’t know what those plays are going to be., so the key is to have purpose to everything. Go out there with the intention of being better.”
Being better for Alabama State means winning the SWAC East, the conference, and the Black College national championship in 2024, and Robinson is encouraged by the work his team is putting in leading up to their season opener against North Carolina Central at the Orange Blossom Classic in Miami Gardens on Saturday, Sept. 1.
“Every year, you’re going out there to compete, to try to win games and win a championship. It was there the first two years; we were just a little bit short,” he said.
“I think the guys have that level of expectation, and even more importantly, they’re showing me that they’re committed to the process. Everybody talks about winning a championship, but are you going to put in the hard work during June, July, and August to give yourself a chance? That’s where we are now.”
