The Alabama State University Hornets fell to the North Carolina Central University Eagles 31-24 in the 2024 Denny’s Orange Blossom Classic on Sept. 1st at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The offense struggled to consistently move the ball against the Eagles. Hornet Quarterbacks Jonah O’Brien and Andrew Body both received playing time, but only passed for a combined 88 yards. Body was exceptional running the ball, rushing for 134 yards with two touchdowns.
Eagles quarterback Walker Harris threw for 119 yards and a touchdown while running back J’Mari Taylor rushed for 128 yards and three total touchdowns, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Harris converted a third-and-two when he found wide receiver Joaquin Davis for 17 yards. Tight end Luke Bracey caught a pass for 23 yards as the Eagles moved into the red zone.
On a third-and-eight, Harris found Eagles wide receiver Markell Quick to move the chains. Taylor would score on the play, punching the ball into the endzone for a one yard touchdown with 8:04 left in the first quarter.
Hornets running back A.J. Gates bounced to the outside and rushed for a gain of eight on the first offensive play for the Hornets. Body would then use the quarterback draw to pick up another first down. O’Brien would enter the game and use the play-action pass to running back Marcus Harris ll to pick up six yards.
The Hornets would successfully do a trick play with both the quarterbacks as O’Brien lined up as a wide receiver. The play involved Body snapping the ball and handing it to running back A.J. Gates, who handed it to O’Brien. O’Brien would pass it to a wide open Body for a gain of nine yards.
The Eagles defensive back Malcolm Reed nearly intercepted O’Brien pass, but ultimately dropped it. A delay of game penalty forced the Hornet offense into a third-and-15 situation. The offense punted the ball away after Gates was tacked for a loss.
Taylor sprinted down the sideline for a gain of 11 yards. Dvis caught a pass for 25 yards to put the Eagles in the red zone. Taylor finished off the drive with another rushing touchdown increasing the score to 14-0.
A disaster happened once the Hornets got back on offense. O’Brien threw an interception straight to Eagles defensive back Kole Jones, who returned it for a touchdown. The Eagles went up 21-0 with 12:13 remaining in the second quarter.
Gates put the Hornets on the board 21-7 with a 82 yard kickoff return. The Hornet defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out for the Eagles. Body broke free for a 22 yard run, but a holding penalty brought the play back.
On a passing play, Body scrambled out the pocket, breaking multiple tackled and scoring a touchdown. The Hornets cut into the Eagles lead 21-14 before an lengthy weather delay forced both teams to go into the locker room.
Coming out of the delay, Eagles running back Arthur Rodgers Jr. managed to find a open hole and run down the sideline for 31 yards. On third-and-goal, Harris was sacked by Hornet linebacker Rico Dozier. A 36 yard field goal by kicker Brandon Gilliam as the Eagles went up 24-14 with 7:10 left in the third quarter.
The Hornets offense ended up stalling and kicker Baylor Cannon’s field goal was good to make the score 24-17.
As pocket began to collapse, Harris quickly found Taylor open for a 14 yard touchdown. The Eagles held the lead 31-17 with only 6:51 left to play in the game.
The Hornets responded as Body took matters into his own hands and scrambled 39 yards, untouched into the end zone. The Hornets now only trailed 31-24 with a chance to still make a late comeback.
The Eagles punt was blocked, giving the Hornets perfect field position. O’Brien was sacked by Eagles defensive lineman Christian Smith. Body was stopped in the backfield for a loss of yardage before coming out of the game with an undisclosed injury.
The offense attempted to go for it on fourth-and-one with the game on the line. Running back Daquon Kincey converted the fourth down and picked up 19 yards. O’Brien pass would be intercepted by Eagles defensive back D.J. Estes with the game sealing interception.
After the game, the Hornets Head Coach Eddie Robinson Jr. spoke on his teams performance in the loss:
“We came down here, played in the Orange Blossom Classic and, unfortunately, things did not go our way at the end, but I loved the way my kids fought. We made some first-day mistakes on special teams, had a blocked punt. We thrive on special teams and defense. I thought my kids played hard the entire time; being down with the adversity of the weather and all that. We cut it to a one score game with three timeouts and 1:40 left to play; we put ourselves in position to win the game. These guys never quit.”