Alabama State and Alabama A&M have been rivals for a very long time, so the annual Magic City Classic, which will be held this Saturday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the schools’ first meeting, will be intense as usual.
It will also be an elimination game for both teams, as they each come into the MCC with one SWAC Eastern Division loss. The loser will be playing for next year, while the winner has a slim chance of survival going forward.
The Hornets (3-3 overall, 2-1 SWAC East) were besieged by quarterback problems early in the season when Texas Southern transfer Andrew Body suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the Orange Blossom Classic.
Neither Eastern Illinois transfer Jonah O’Brien nor freshmen Zach Sims and James Hayes could jumpstart the offense, so Eddie Robinson Jr. turned to wide receiver Kareem Keye during the Florida A&M game.
Keye will be key for Alabama State offense
Keye’s first start against Mississippi Valley State on Oct. 12 was a successful one, completing 21 of 28 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns against zero interceptions in a 54-17 win for Bama State.
Keye has a chance to do even more damage against an AAMU defense ranked seventh in the conference in passing yards allowed (220.8 per game).
Offensively for the Bulldogs (3-3 overall, 1-1 SWAC East), they have the conference’s second-leading rusher in redshirt sophomore Donovan Eaglin, coming off of a season-high 125 yards on 13 carries in AAMU’s 56-12 win over Bethune-Cookman last Saturday.
Top defenses will be on display
Eaglin will be running into the SWAC’s top run defense in ASU, so his offensive line will need to be at their best to clear the way for No. 7.
Three of the conference’s four top pass rushers are featured in this game. Alabama State defensive end Treqwan Thomas leads the SWAC with 7.5 sacks, while not far behind are the Alabama A&M duo of linebacker Cortez Andrews (4.5 sacks) and defensive lineman Jamarion Ellis (3 sacks).
Both Keye and Bulldogs quarterback Cornelious Martin IV (813 yards passing and five touchdowns) will have to have superior protection and quick decision-making to avoid being pushed backward by the opposing defenses.
This is the 89th meeting between the schools (Alabama A&M leads the series 44-41-3), and with personal pride and any flickering championship hopes on the line, anything less than a memorable battle would be surprising.
