For three quarters, Alabama State looked well on their way to their third straight Magic City Classic win over Alabama A&M.
The Bulldogs forced the Hornets to sweat a bit in the fourth quarter, but ASU remained cool enough for a 27-19 win. This improved their record to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in SWAC East division play. AAMU fell to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in SWAC East games.
Here are the key points from what turned into a magical Magic City Classic.
You better run for it, run for it, run!
Alabama State chose to run smack dab into a beefy AAMU front four and lived to talk about it, rushing for 204 yards compared to the Bulldogs’ 61.
Jamarie Hostzclaw ran for 52 yards before leaving with an injury and Clark Atlanta transfer Daquon Kincey ran for 95 yards on 17 carries. The big blow, however, came in the final two minutes when Jahbari Kuykendall took a draw on 3rd and 9 and zoomed 60 yards deep into Bulldog territory to seal the game.
Alabama A&M was their own worst enemy
The Bulldogs went for it five times on fourth down Saturday.
They only converted once, turning the ball over on a fumble and an interception on previous attempts.
A gambling style of football is good when you can make it happen, but AAMU didn’t make it happen enough, in spite of a valiant comeback effort.
The Bulldogs’ bite was bigger than their bark in the fourth quarter
Alabama State took a 27-3 lead into the final frame on an 86-yard interception return by safety Ta’Shaun Sims, but Alabama A&M continued battling.
Xavier Lankford, splitting time at QB with Quad Brown, linked up with receiver Keenan Hambrick for touchdowns of 65 and 31 yards, as well as a pair of two-point conversions to shrink the Hornet lead from 24 to 8.
Moral victories don’t matter in a tight race such as the SWAC East, but AAMU can build on that fourth quarter to continue winning throughout the season.
Alabama State stays alive…for now
Speaking of the SWAC East race, the Hornets remain a game behind Jackson State in a second-place tie with Florida A&M (Rattlers, of course, have the head-to-head tiebreaker but lose that tiebreaker to Jackson State).
Overall conference records may have to be considered if a three-way tie occurs, but the good news for Bama State is that this possibility still exists.
After games against Alcorn State and Grambling, they’ll face the Tigers on Nov. 16 in Montgomery. That will likely be the day we crown an official SWAC East champion.
