title image via Alabama A&M Football
Courtesy of Brian Howard, Assistant AD for Communications
Aveon Smith came off the bench to provide a spark as the junior quarterback threw one touchdown pass and ran for another as the Alabama A&M University football team pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Georgetown College, 24-16, on Saturday night at Louis Crews Stadium.
“We’ve got to execute better,” Alabama A&M head coach Connell Maynor said. “We’ve got to make better decisions with the football in our hands and with the quarterback position. If we do that, we’ll be fine. We had plays out there that needed to be made, but we just didn’t make the right decision.”
AAMU’s defense was put to the test on the opening kickoff as Georgetown moved the ball with a mix of passes and runs. The Tigers drove 54 yards in nine plays as Drew Rader’s 40-yard field goal attempt was wide left as the Bulldogs took over with 9:54 left in the first period.
Alabama A&M (2-1) went right to work after the missed field goal as the Bulldogs went 67 yards in eight plays to grab the first score of the game.
Ryan Morrow picked up a first down on a 20-yard rush and Xavier Lankford connected with Keenan Hambrickfor 34 yards, setting up the Bulldogs at the GC 18. However, the Tigers’ defense forced a stop as Austin McCready booted a 27-yard field goal as AAMU grabbed a 3-0 advantage with just under six minutes to play in the quarter.
Georgetown (1-2) answered on its next drive as Gehring Slunaker connected with Jamarcus Robinson for a 34-yard completion and two plays later, the pair connected again, this time a 31-yard touchdown strike, capping a 5-play, 75-yard drive as the Tigers took a 7-3 advantage with 3:05 remaining.
Back came Alabama A&M as the Bulldogs picked up a fourth-down conversion on the 10-play, 75-yard drive as Donovan Eaglin rumbled 11 yards up in the middle for the score as AAMU grabbed a 10-7 lead just 15 seconds into the second quarter.
Georgetown responded by driving to the AAMU 18 as the Bulldogs forced the Tigers to attempt a 35-yard field goal. This time Rader’s kick hit the right upright with 10:06 left.
On the next ensuing Bulldog drive, Cornelious Brown IVpicked up a 38-yard gain on second down, but was picked off by Justin Richardson on the very next play, turning the ball over to Georgetown at the Tigers 42 with 9:12 remaining.
After forcing a Georgetown punt, Alabama A&M started its drive backed up at its own 2. The Bulldogs marched 89 yards in 12 plays but was forced to attempt a field goal. McCready’s 27-yard field goal attempt was blocked and returned to the AAMU 41 with just over two minutes to play in the half.
A turnover led to three points as Georgetown tied the game at 10 with exactly 10 minutes left in the third.
The Tigers were forced to punt on their first possession of the second half but Myles Parker fumbled the ball and was recovered by Ryan Burke at the AAMU 37. However, the Bulldog defense didn’t bend, forcing a field-goal attempt. Rader’s 39-yard kick was good, tying the game at 10.
Alabama A&M answered with a scoring drive of its own and breaking the 10-all tie.
The Bulldogs marched 75 yards in 10 plays, taking more four minutes off the clock as Aveon Smith ran 31 yards untouched for the score as AAMU took a 17-10 lead with 3:26 remaining in the third.
Georgetown got a big completion from Slunaker to Clayton Davis, 56 yards, on its next offensive series, setting up another Rader field goal after a Cortez Andrews sack. Rader’s 33-yard field goal split the uprights, cutting the Bulldog lead to 17-13 with eight seconds left.
Alabama A&M got some distance as the Bulldogs completed a 6-play, 75-yard drive as Smith connected with DeQuadrion Welch for 19 yards as AAMU stretch the advantage to 24-13 with 12:48 remaining.
Georgetown closed the gap to 24-16 after a 36-yard field by Nate Craft with 25 seconds left, but the Tigers could not get any closer as the Bulldogs earned their second win of the season.
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
- Alabama A&M finished with 515 total yards of offense, including 263 through the air
- The Bulldogs registered 25 first downs
- Cornelious Brown IV went 8 of 18 passing for 119 yards and one interception
- Aveon Smith was 10 of 15 passing for 110 yards, with two touchdowns (one running, one passing)
- Donovan Eaglin finished with 81 yards on 14 carries and one score
- Eaglin added four catches for 42 yards
- Cortez Andrews paced the defense with 12 total tackles, including 2.5 sacks and one pass breakup
- Marvin Smith added eight total tackles, including seven solo stops
- Georgetown finished with 322 total yards, with 276 coming through the air
- The Tigers recorded 18 first downs
- Gehrig Slunaker went 19 of 34 passing for 276 yards and one touchdown
- Darius Neal added 22 rushes for 70 yards
- Jamarcus Robinson caught five passes for 85 yards and one score
- Jayson Hayes finished with 11 total tackles, including five solo stops
- Chad Holleran and Clayton Melcher each recorded 10 total tackles
NEWS & NOTES
- Saturday’s game between the two programs was the first meeting
- Alabama A&M improved to 82-49 all-time in games played at Louis Crews Stadium
- Xavier Lankford got his first start of the season at quarterback
- Alabama A&M played three quarterbacks – Xavier Lankford, Cornelious Brown IV and Aveon Smith
- The Bulldogs have scored on their opening offensive possession in back-to-back games
- AAMU improved to 2-0 this season when scoring first
- This was the second consecutive game AAMU had more than 500 total yards of offense
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to the road as the Bulldogs visit Austin Peay next Saturday in Clarksville, Tenn. Kickoff against the Governors is set for 6 p.m. and streamed on ESPN+.
