BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Coming off one of the greatest performances in the Division I history of the program, senior quarterback
Aqeel Glass (St. Louis, Mo.) has been named the Stats Perform FCS and BOXTOROW National Player of the Week as well as earning that honor for the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) as announced by those organizations on Monday, April 12.
Glass returned to the field for the first time in a month and did so in a big way in a 52-43 victory at Jackson State (4/10). In that game he went 27-of-40 with no interceptions and set career-highs with 440 yards passing and six touchdowns while adding a seventh on the ground to lead the Bulldogs offensive attack.
Based upon available records, the yardage and passing touchdowns are all Division I Era program records while the seven total touchdowns appear to be. The latter would at least match the total TDs (all passing) by overall program record holder Tracy Kendall set against Clark-Atlanta in 1989.
His record-setting performance included a touch pass out in the flat over a defender to junior running back
Gary Quarles (Cottondale, Ala.), who turned it into a 43-yard touchdown, and a 61-yard bomb that hit senior wideout
Zabrian Moore (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) in stride.
Under his guidance, the offense accomplished something only done nine times since the program moved to Division I in 1998 and that is score at least 50 points. The DI Era program record is 63 in a 63-20 victory over Division II Central State on September 28, 2019 but the Bulldogs' 52 points against JSU are the most against a Division I opponent since hanging 58 (58-23) on Mississippi Valley State on November 21, 2008.
The victory also kept the Bulldogs in play for a SWAC East Division Championship and a berth in the league championship game.
It is the first time that Glass has earned national weekly honors from Stats Perform FCS and the second time for BOXTOROW. He picked up the latter following a 27-10 victory in the 2018 Magic City Classic over rival Alabama State.
Glass and the Bulldogs are back in action when they travel to Birmingham, Alabama for this year's edition, spring style, of the Magic City Classic on Saturday, April 17. Kickoff against ASU is slated for 6:30 p.m. and will air live on ESPNU.
