HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – With the close of the 2020-21 campaign, the Alabama A&M Sports Information Office is producing a Season in Review for each of the program's 14 sports that competed during the year.
That series will begin with the fall season before progressing to the winter and spring campaigns. Each week reviews will be released on Mondays and Wednesdays until concluding with the final spring sport on Wednesday, July 28 and a Department Season in Review on Monday, August 2. Today we take a look back at the Spring 2021 Football season.
Spring 2021 Football
Conference Affiliation: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
Overall/Conference Finish: 5-0, 3-0 (1
st)
Final National Ranking: No. 19 FCS Coaches Poll/No. 24 FCS Stats Perform
NCAA: N/A
All-Americans: 12 (8 Postseason/4 Preseason) – AFCA (Second-Team:
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim), BOXTOROW-Postseason (
Aqeel Glass,
Jonathan Williams,
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim,
Marcus Cushine, Honorable Mention:
Gary Quarles,
Zabrian Moore), HERO Sports (Sophomore:
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim), BOXTOROW-Preseason (
Kendric Johnson,
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim,
Marcus Cushine,
Armoni Holloway)
All-Region Selections: N/A
All-Conference Selections: 11 (First-Team:
Aqeel Glass,
Dexter Fuqua II,
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim,
Marcus Cushine, Second-Team:
Gary Quarles,
Antearius Harrington,
Jonathan Williams,
Zabrian Moore,
Armoni Holloway,
Amari Holloway,
Spencer Corey)
Conference Weekly Honors: 4 – Player of the Week:
Aqeel Glass (Apr. 20), Specialist of the Week:
Troy Lendvay (Mar. 8, Apr. 12),
Spencer Corey (Apr. 20)
Major Awards and Honors: 10 – BOXTOROW National Player of the Year:
Aqeel Glass, SWAC Player of the Year:
Aqeel Glass, Walter Payton Award Finalist (FCS Heisman):
Aqeel Glass, Eddie Robinson Award Finalist (Top FCS Coach):
Connell Maynor, CoSIDA Academic All-District:
Marcus Cushine (DL), SWAC Championship Offensive MVP:
Aqeel Glass, SWAC Championship Defensive MVP:
Marcus Cushine, STATS Perform FCS National Player of the Week:
Aqeel Glass, BOXTOROW National Player of the Week:
Aqeel Glass, SWAC Preseason Player of the Year:
Aqeel Glass
Spring 2021 Season in Review
- Claimed first Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) National Championship
- Delivered first undefeated season in 53 years with 5-0 overall record. First since 1966 team went perfect 8-0.
- Won first SWAC Championship since 2006 with 40-33 win over No. 25 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5/1).
- Knocked off rival Alabama State (4/17) 38-14 in Magic City Classic.
- Took out Deion Sanders led Jackson State (4/10) team 52-43 in front of worldwide audience on ESPN broadcast. The 52 points by the team also marked just the ninth time the club had reached the 50-point plateau since moving to Division I following the 1999 season and the most against a DI opponent since posting a 58-23 decision over Mississippi Valley State on November 21, 2008.
- Dealt with six games that were postponed, cancelled or rescheduled and did not play for 34 days as a result following season-opening 31-7 victory at South Carolina State (3/6)
- Did not play a true home game for the first time in at least the Division I Era of the program (Since 1999).
- Finished season ranked in the Top-10 in 23 NCAA statistical categories, 10 of them on the team side. Those included tying for No. 1 in the nation in winning percentage (1.000) and red zone offense (1.000) as well as top five marks at No. 4 in passing yards per completion (14.89) and No. 5 in scoring offense (40.2).
Individual Achievements/Honors
- Glass threw for 1,355 yards and 16 touchdowns with a long of 65-yards to sophomore Odieu Hilaire (Belle Glade, Fla.) in the season opener at South Carolina State.
- In four games on the field (the first was a 2-0 forfeit win over Alcorn State) Glass threw for no less than three touchdowns in each.
- Included among those performances were a Division I Era 440-yards and six touchdowns passing (plus one on the ground) at Jackson State.
- Individual NCAA statistical rankings included redshirt-junior kicker Spencer Corey (New Palestine, Ind.) tying for the national lead in field goal percentage (1.000) and four No. 2 rankings. The latter would see Glass earn that ranking in points responsible per game (26.0), sophomore wideout Zabrian Moore (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) in yards per reception (27.92) and receiving yards per game (121.0) and junior defensive end Marcus Cushine (Broward County, Fla.). Glass would also add a No. 3 finish in passing yards per completion (14.89) and redshirt-senior linebacker Quantravis Kelly (Montgomery, Ala.) was No. 5 in interceptions per game (0.8).
- Kelly would reach that mark in large part due to a pair of key interceptions in the season opener at S.C. State and one in the SWAC Championship Game against UAPB.
- Cushine delivered the best season of his career, registering seven sacks in just four games, including two with a career-high 12 tackles (seven solo) and 3.5 for loss in win over UAPB.
- Moore played in three of the four games and surpassed 100 yards receiving in each with no more than five catches in any of them. He hauled in 114 yards and a touchdown on four grabs against Jackson State, 138 yards, two TDs and four catches vs. Alabama State and five snags for 111 yards and a pair of scores against UAPB.
- Quarles delivered four TDs out of the backfield with two each in the final two games of the year, totaling 140 yards on the ground combined. Rushed for 318 yards on 76 carries for a 4.18 average on the season.
- Made program history with Glass earning first BOXTOROW National Player of the Year honor and first SWAC Overall Player of the Year. Cushine also became first player at the Division I level to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition and fourth football player overall. Selection made Alabama A&M history as it was the first time multiple Bulldogs had been so honored, the other being women's basketball's Dariauna Lewis.
Schedule of Season in Review Releases
Football (June 14)
Women's Soccer (June 16)
Women's Basketball (June 21)
Men's Basketball (June 23)
Women's Indoor Track & Field (June 28)
Men's Indoor Track & Field (June 30)
Bowling (July 5)
Men's Golf (July 7)
Women's Tennis (July 12)
Men's Tennis (July 14)
Men's Outdoor Track & Field (July 19)
Women's Outdoor Track & Field (July 21)
Softball (July 26)
Baseball (July 28)
Athletics (August 2)
