The Alabama State University Hornets were defeated by the Alcorn State University Braves 23-20 in overtime at the ASU Stadium.
It was a back-and-forth game that came down to the wire. The Braves caused four turnovers, which were key to their win on Sept. 30.
The Hornets lost their third game in a row, falling to a 1-3 record while the Braves improved to 2-3.
The Hornets rotated both of their quarterbacks, Damon Stewart and Demetrius Davis, in the game. When asked about the quarterback rotation, the Hornets head aoach Eddie Robinson Jr. said it has always been the plan to play both Stewart and Davis.
“They both know the entire offense. Davis used his legs and helped us continue to progress the ball down the field. Ideally, we want to play both of those guys, and that has been our intention since week one.”
Stewart was the first quarterback to step onto the field. The offense went three-and-out, but a roughing the kicker penalty was called on the Braves, so the Hornets got a fresh set of downs.
Hornets running back Marcus Harris burst through for a 46-yard run. Davis threw a short pass to tight end Jaelyn Lay, who fumbled at the one-yard line, and it was recovered by the Braves.
Hornets defensive back, Adrian Maddox had a huge sack that forced the Braves to punt the ball away.
The Hornets offense started the drive at midfield. Running back Jaylen Sulton picked up five yards on the first down. Miscommunication between Stewart and star wide receiver Kisean Johnson led to another fumble recovered by the Braves.
The Braves got on the board with three points as Braves kicker Noah Kiani made a 39-yard field goal to give Alcorn a 3-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Hornet offense got the ball at their own 30-yard line, with Davis checked in at quarterback for this drive. The offense made it past midfield thanks to great runs by running back Ja’won Howell.
Davis scrambled for a four-yard gain, but a late hit out of bounds by the Braves defensive back Geoffrey Mckelton gave the Hornets 15 extra yards. The drive was capped off by a touchdown from Sulton as he powered his way into the end zone. The Hornets were up 7-3 with seven minutes left in the second quarter.
Braves quarterback Aaron Allen used his arm and legs to help get the Braves into the red zone. Running back Akeem McNair caught a pass from Allen in the backfield and sprinted 13 yards for a touchdown to put the Braves back in front 10-7.
The Hornets responded with a touchdown of their own. Harris scored from 10 yards out.
On the extra-point attempt, the snap was botched and the fumble was recovered by the Braves. The Hornets now led 13-10 with two minutes left in the second quarter. The Hornet defense stood strong, not allowing the Braves to score before heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, both offenses had trouble gaining the upper hand, trading three-and-outs. Midway through the quarter, Allen connected with receiver Monterio Hunt for a huge 54-yard touchdown to give the Braves a 17-13 lead.
The Hornets offense had to punt again after Stewart’s pass to the end zone was dropped by receiver Asa Gregg.
The Braves had all the momentum, but the Hornet defenders had a hard time stopping the pass game as the Braves were now in the red zone again. A field goal attempt by Kiani was blocked and returned 75 yards for a touchdown by Hornets cornerback James Burgess.
The Hornets were now ahead 20-17 with 8:25 left in the fourth quarter. Burgess made another huge play as he intercepted the ball to give the Hornets a chance to put the game away.
Howell picked up nine yards to convert a third and seven. The offense took their time, trying to run the clock out and not give the Braves a chance to score. Howell fumbled the ball at the five-yard line, and the Braves had a chance to steal the game with 3:42 left in the game.
The Braves took advantage and went 89 yards in 13 plays and nailed a game-tying field goal to send the game into overtime (20-20).
In overtime, Kiani made a 30-yard field goal to extend their lead to 23-20. The Hornets attempted a field goal of their own. Hornets kicker Jayden John could not make it from 27 yards out, and the Braves secured their first conference game of the year.