Led by a dominant defensive showing along with career days by Kareem Keye and Robert McMinn on offense, the Alabama State University Hornets knocked off the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers 34-6 in the 100th Turkey Day Classic on Thursday afternoon.
Alabama State held the Tuskegee air attack to 93 passing yards and 138 yards on the ground while extending its string of quarters without allowing a touchdown to nine straight.
Redshirt freshman Keye firmly established himself as the Hornets’ quarterback of the future on Thursday. The former wide receiver came out slinging against the Golden Tigers, setting career-highs with 331 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. Keye completed 12-of-18 passes while Robert McMinn caught four passes for a career-high 152 yards and two touchdowns on offense.
The victory improved Alabama State’s record to 7-5 securing a third straight winning season under Head Coach Eddie Robinson Jr. The last time Alabama State had three straight winning seasons came under Head Coach Reggie Barlow. Barlow led the Hornets to five straight winning seasons from 2010-2015.
A.J. Gates led all Hornets rushers with 45 yards in the contest, picking up 15 yards per carry. Gates also added 57 receiving yards. Jalen Jones also added 36 yards on the ground, averaging 18 yards per carry, as well as 87 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Amon Scarbrough showed out for the Alabama State defense, totaling five tackles and one interception. Tre Phillips added one interception and Treqwan Thomas had four tackles, 1.0 TFL, and one sack in the win.
The Hornets forced two turnovers in Thursday’s contest, with Alabama State turning those takeaways into three points. The Alabama State offense did a good job prolonging drives, converting on 44.4 percent of third-down attempts.
Alabama State’s defense held up against Tuskegee’s offense, giving up 231 total yards. The Hornets kept Tuskegee under 150 yards on both the ground and through the air, allowing 93 passing and 138 rushing yards. The Hornets’ defense disrupted the Tuskegee passing game on the way to pulling down two interceptions and breaking up four Golden Tigers passes.
