The Alabama A&M Bulldogs delivered a rivalry victory in the 85th Amazon Magic City Classic, holding off a late comeback attempt by the Alabama State Hornets to secure a 31-28 win Saturday at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
Bulldogs Strike First
Alabama A&M established control early, opening the scoring with a 94-yard touchdown drive. Quarterback Cornelious Brown IV connected with Jaylan Bean on a six-yard touchdown pass to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter when Brown found Imari Conley for an eight-yard touchdown.
Alabama State answered with a lengthy 98-yard drive, capped by Jareese Howard’s 17-yard touchdown run on fourth down, cutting the deficit to 14-7.
The Hornets had another opportunity to close the gap before halftime, but Diwonne Williams blocked Andrew Abu-Akel’s 41-yard field-goal attempt to preserve Alabama A&M’s seven-point advantage.
Alabama State Makes Its Push
Alabama A&M added to its advantage in the third quarter when David Faulk connected on a 29-yard field goal, making it 17-7.
The Hornets responded with a nine-play, 71-yard drive, capped by Jamarie Hostzclaw’s four-yard touchdown run to pull within 17-14.
The Bulldogs answered early in the fourth quarter. Brown used his legs to finish a 14-play, 75-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run, extending Alabama A&M’s lead to 24-14.
Howard continued to give the Hornets life, scoring his second touchdown of the afternoon on a three-yard run to make it 24-21 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Kolton Nero Delivers the Difference
With the Bulldogs looking to protect their advantage, running back Kolton Nero provided the biggest offensive play of the afternoon.
After Alabama A&M forced a punt, Nero broke loose for a 61-yard run to put the Bulldogs in scoring position. He finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown run, giving Alabama A&M a 31-21 lead with 3:47 remaining.
Alabama State wasn’t finished.
DJ Hicks returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards to the Alabama A&M six-yard line. Two plays later, Howard punched in his third rushing touchdown of the game, bringing the Hornets within 31-28 with 3:01 remaining.
The Hornets forced another punt and regained possession with 1:37 left on the clock. However, Alabama A&M’s defense came through when it mattered most, preventing Alabama State from completing the comeback and securing the Bulldogs’ first Magic City Classic victory in five meetings.
Offensive Leaders
Alabama A&M
Cornelious Brown IV
- 216 Passing yards · 22-of-35 · 2 TDs
- Added 60 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Kolton Nero
- 81 Rushing yards · 6 carries · 1 TD
- A game-changing 61-yard run.
Alabama State
Aaron Frye
- 248 Total yards (158 passing yards and 90 rushing yards.)
Jareese Howard
- 3 Rushing touchdowns
- 12 carries for 46 yards.
Additional standouts:
Jaylan Bean (Alabama A&M): Five receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Imari Conley (Alabama A&M): Six receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Randall King (Alabama State): Five receptions for 88 yards.
D.J. Barber (Alabama A&M): Game-high 13 total tackles.
Mitchell Robinson (Alabama State): 10 total tackles.
By the Numbers
| Statistic | ASU | AAM |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST DOWNS | ||
| Total | 18 | 25 |
| Rushing | 9 | 10 |
| Passing | 7 | 13 |
| Penalty | 2 | 2 |
| RUSHING | ||
| Total (Net) | 186 | 204 |
| Attempts | 42 | 35 |
| Avg. Per Rush | 4.4 | 5.8 |
| Rushing TDs | 4 | 2 |
| Yds. Gained | 201 | 225 |
| Yds. Lost | 15 | 21 |
| PASSING | ||
| Total (Net) | 158 | 216 |
| Comp.-Att.-Int. | 14-22-1 | 22–35-0 |
| Avg. / Att. | 7.2 | 6.2 |
| Avg. / Comp. | 11.3 | 9.8 |
| TDs | 0 | 2 |
| TOTAL OFFENSE | ||
| Yards | 344 | 420 |
| Plays | 64 | 70 |
| Avg. / Play | 5.4 | 6 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 3–1 | 0-0 |
| Penalties – Yds. | 3-27 | 9–91 |
| PUNTING | ||
| Punts – Yds. | 3-124 | 3-135 |
| Avg. / Punt | 41.3 | 45 |
| Inside 20 | 2 | 0 |
| 50+ Yds. | 0 | 1 |
| Touchbacks | 0 | 1 |
| Fair Catch | 3 | 0 |
| KICKOFFS | ||
| Total – Yds. | 4-206 | 6–371 |
| Avg. Yds. / Kickoff | 51.5 | 61.8 |
| Touchbacks | 0 | 2 |
| RETURNS | ||
| Punt: Total – Yds. – TDs | 2–37-0 | 0-0-0 |
| Punt: Avg. / Return | 18.5 | 0 |
| Kickoff: Total – Yds. – TDs | 4–156-0 | 1-21-0 |
| Kickoff: Avg. / Return | 39.0 | 21.0 |
| INT: Total – Yds. – TDs | 0-0-0 | 1–40-0 |
| Fumble: Total – Yds. – TDs | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 |
| MISCELLANEOUS | ||
| Misc. Yards | 0 | 37 |
| Poss. Time | 29:30 | 30:30 |
| 3rd. Down Conv. | 4 of 10 | 5 of 12 |
| 4th. Down Conversions | 1 of 2 | 0 of 1 |
| Red-Zone: Scores – Chances | 4-4 | 5–6 |
| Sacks: Total – Yds. | 1-3 | 1-2 |
| PAT: Total – Made | 4-4 | 4-4 |
| 2PT Conversion: Total – Made | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Field Goals: Total – Made | 0-1 | 1-1 |
What’s Next?
Alabama A&M will look to carry its rivalry momentum into next weekend’s matchup against defending SWAC champion Prairie View A&M. The Bulldogs are scheduled to travel to Panther Stadium for a 2 p.m. kickoff, with the game available on SWAC TV.
Alabama State will look to get off the mat when they face Texas Southern next week.
