AUBURN, Alabama--- A college coach once said, 'They call them guarantee games for a reason. You're guaranteed to get a check and you're a guaranteed to get a loss.

Alabama A&M's meeting at Auburn Saturday night fit the bill.  

The Bulldogs fell 51-7 to the Tigers to end their season 7-4 and the institution walked away with $500,000.

But for Alabama A&M it meant a lot more than the bottom line.

"That we can compete, not only against a team like Auburn, but against anyone," said A&M coach Anthony Jones of his Bulldogs, who outscored the Tigers 7-0 in the third quarter.

Though never in contention against Auburn, just a couple seasons removed from a BCS national championship run, the Bulldogs had a few chances here and  there to make things a little closer like when quarterback Deaunte Mason dropped a halfback pass from Kaderius Lacey in Auburn territory that could have set up a score late in the first half.

"Yeah, that's one of the little things," Mason said. "I didn't work on my hands enough this week. That would have given us some momentum going in before halftime but I didn't make the play."

Added Mason: "It was a good experience. I think, as a team, we played well. We played with a lot of energy. Unfortunately, we came out on the short end of the stick. That's a hard way to lose your senior season, your last game but it was a good opportunity for us to get exposure and play top-level competition."

Lacey, a senior, set to graduate in December with a degree in business, said the effort his team put forth silenced what many had said about his team, heading into the matchup.

"I believed we accomplished something today," Lacey said. "People said we wouldn't score, and we went out there and scored. We wanted to put more points on the board, but sometimes things don't go your way."

During the second quarter, the official attendance for Saturday's contest was announced at 74,832, a solid turnout.

At the start of the game, Jones said, Bulldogs fans met their team with a standing ovation. Despite trailing 35-0, they did the same when the team went into the locker room at halftime.  

"I'm thankful to God that we were given the opportunity," Jones said. "It was a great experience for our student -athletes, our coaches , our Alabama A&M family, our alumni. It was amazing to see how supportive our fans were."

Jones said the team learned lessons Saturday it could carry into the offseason and onto the field next fall.

"We've got to take care of the little things, and that's going to be my message to the team next year, to take care of the little things for the big rewards. If we are able to do that, then we will have success."

Nick Birdsong covers HBCU sports for al.com. He can be reached at 205-388-3168 or nbirdsong@al.com. Follow him on Twitter @birds_word.


RB Kaderius Lacey
On the game…
“We went out there and gave it our all. We got the short end of the stick today. Auburn has a good football team, but one thing we didn’t do was quit and give up. I felt like my teammates came out and played hard. That’s all we can ask for.”
 
On having something to prove…
“Yes sir, I believe we accomplished something today. People said we wouldn’t score, and we went out there and scored. We wanted to put more points on the board, but sometimes things don’t go your way.”
 
On being the all-time leading rusher in Alabama A&M history…
“It feels great. That’s one of my goals, to be a leading rusher. Hopefully one day Brendan Johnson, my back-up, will break it. He’s a good running back. I also wanted to win a SWAC championship. To go back to it, sometimes things just don’t go your way. It feels good to be the school’s top rusher.”
 
QB Deaunte Mason
On the game...
“It was a good experience. I think, as a team, we played well. We played with a lot of energy. Unfortunately, we came out on the short end of the stick. That’s a hard way to lose your senior season, last game. But it was also a good opportunity for us to get exposure and play top-level competition.”
 
On meaning of this game/ playing against Auburn...
“Yeah, I think we’re the first team in Alabama A&M history to play against an SEC school. It was a great opportunity, and I have to thank God for that for even putting us in this situation.”
 
On his rushing touchdown...
“It was a good feeling. It was a good team effort to end the drive. We drove the ball down the field. I felt like we were moving the ball pretty well throughout the day, but it was just the little things that kept us from putting up points.”
 
On the pass he dropped...
“Yeah, that’s one of the little things. I didn’t work on my hands enough this week. That would have given us some momentum going in before halftime, but I didn’t make the play.”