By: AAMU Sports Information
GAME NOTES
HUNTSVILLE — Brian Jenkins Jr. did not need a mobile calendar notification to remind him about the week's significance.
His internal clock already was aware.
The college football season finally has arrived.
"You can just feel the excitement of it — all of the adrenaline that goes along with football," the Alabama A&M sophomore wide receiver said.
"As a player, you can't wait to get on the field and compete in a live game atmosphere. There is nothing else like it."
Alabama A&M opens the season on Sunday when the Bulldogs play Morehouse in the inaugural Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
The game will be televised on the NFL Network.
"Our players are ready to get the season started," Alabama A&M coach Connell Maynor said. "We're looking forward to having a great season, and this is where it starts."
The Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic offers the teams participating in the event a unique opportunity to not only play in a professional football facility, but also the opportunity to tour the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Former Alabama A&M and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver John Stallworth was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the 2002 class of inductees.
"I'm pretty sure all of our players have dreams of being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Maynor said. "So this is a great opportunity to see all the players who are in the Hall of Fame, and all the history and tradition around the sport.
"And then, to have an opportunity to go out and play on that field … it's a great opportunity. It's going to be a great environment."
Even though the Alabama A&M football program is going to tour the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the players have not lost sight of the weekend's primary purpose:
The Bulldogs are traveling to Canton to compete.
In Maynor's debut campaign a year ago, Alabama A&M finished with a 6-5 record while posting a 5-2 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, finishing second in the East Division behind conference champion Alcorn State.
The 6-5 record was Alabama A&M's best finish in six years — a foundation the program expects to continue building on.
"We set high expectations for ourselves," Alabama A&M quarterback Aqeel Glass said. "The goal is to win a championship. That's a goal this team is capable of achieving."
The optimism is warranted.
Alabama A&M returns nine starters on offense with seven returning on defense.
And there are playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Glass led the SWAC last season in passing with 2,426 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was a second-team selection on the preseason all-conference team.
Alabama A&M also returns three of its top receivers. Jenkins was eighth in the SWAC last season in receiving with 475 yards and two touchdowns, while Zabrian Moore was 19th in the league with 374 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Kendric Johnson led all SWAC tight ends with 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Johnson was a first-team selection on the preseason all-conference team, while Jenkins was a second-team selection.
Alabama A&M also returns one of the SWAC's top linebackers. Junior Armoni Holloway led the conference last season with 108 tackles. He was a first-team selection on the preseason all-conference team.
"We feel like our team has the talent to be successful," Jenkins said. "Winning a championship is the goal. Making that happen has been the primary focus all offseason — ever since last season ended. This is the first step in making that happen."
Earlier this month, Glass and senior running back Jordan Bentley were named to the Deacon Jones Trophy watch list — an award given to the nation's most-outstanding HBCU football player.
Alabama A&M's counterparts in the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic share a similar preseason storyline.
Last season, Morehouse posted a 7-3 record with a 3-3 mark in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — the Maroon Tigers' first winning season since 2014.
Morehouse quarterback Michael Sims and running back Santo Dunn were named to the Deacon Jones Trophy watch list.
Sims led Morehouse last season in passing with 1,800 yards and 10 touchdowns. Dunn, led the Maroon Tigers in rushing with 875 yards and 14 touchdowns.
This game is the first meeting between Alabama A&M and Morehouse since the 1997 season. Alabama A&M has a 17-5-1 record against the Maroon Tigers, with the Bulldogs winning the last 15 meetings between the two former SIAC foes.
Jenkins said Alabama A&M is excited about getting the season started.
"We've put in a lot of hard work this offseason," the sophomore from Daytona Beach, Fla. said. "Our team has set high goals. We're hungry and focused. Now it's time to get this journey started — one game at a time starting with this week."
