HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Alabama A&M (3-6, 3-3 SWAC) heads five hours south for one of the biggest games on the schedule as they take on No. 5 Jackson State (9-0, 6-0 SWAC) in the Gulf Coast Challenge Saturday, November 12. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
If Mobile isn't your speed or you would like the big picture, make sure to catch all the action live on ESPN+ and follow along on live stats for all the play-by-play action. Fans can find full coverage following the game on www.AAMUSports.com, the official online home of Alabama A&M Athletics.
 
ALABAMA A&M DROPS 30-20 DECISION AT MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
Last time out the Bulldogs headed to Itta Bena, Mississippi for a Thursday ESPNU game against Mississippi Valley State (11/3) but could not push through a short week, falling 30-20.
 
In that one, Valley would be the first to get on the board towards the end of the first quarter as they put together a seven-play, 57-yard drive to make it 7-0 with a three-yard touchdown at the 3:45 mark.
 
A&M would then go 80-yards in just four plays and a minute and a half with the big blow being a 56-yard strike from redshirt-sophomore quarterback Quincy Casey (Memphis, Tenn.) to junior wideout Micah White (Atlanta, Ga.). That would be a house call to knot it up at 7-7 with just under three minutes gone by in the second quarter.
 
MVSU came right back with a six-play, 55-yard drive for a 14-7 advantage at the 8:52 mark and would then squelch A&M's next possession with a Jamison Lindsey interception. They would eventually stretch their lead later in the quarter to 17-7 behind a 34-yard field goal by Orlando Fernandez with 29 seconds remaining and take that margin into the locker room.
 
Lindsey would get Casey for a second time on the first drive of the second half and this time MVSU would capitalize. Given the short field they moved the ball 23 yards, clearing just enough real estate for Fernandez to notch a 48-yard field goal with 10:38 on the clock.
 
The Bulldogs would come right back as they covered 87 yards in 4:51 and 12 plays to pull to within 20-14 as Casey would get them down the field in manageable chunks before plunging in from one yard out to cut the gap to six with 5:47 left in the third.
 
A 15-yard strike by the Delta Devils then extended to a 27-14 margin and MVSU would get the ball right back on a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, promptly turning that into a 40-yard Fernandez field goal for a two-touchdown lead.
 
A&M would answer with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that capped off with a 15-yard touchdown pass to redshirt-junior running back Harold Jemison, Jr. (Nashville, Tenn.). Following a failed two-point attempt, that score pulled them to within 30-20 with 12:58 to play but Valley would eradicate 10:29 of that clock on their way to a 10-point victory and the first over the Bulldogs since 2015.
 
ABOUT THE GAME
To paraphrase a line from an old ad campaign, its simply "the most interesting game in the SWAC". Not only does it feature the past two league champions in Jackson State (Fall 2021) and Alabama A&M (Spring 2021) but also the two most interesting and outspoken coaches in the league in JSU's Deion Sanders and A&M's Connell Maynor.
 
All of that comes together in Mobile, Alabama as part of the Fifth Annual Gulf Coast Challenge contested at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Created to enhance exposure for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), this is the second straight year that the Bulldogs have played in Mobile, defeating NCAA Division II Tuskegee 45-35 in a shootout on September 25, 2021.
 
THE ULTIMATE BACKFIELD DISRUPTOR AND THUNDER AND MO' THUNDER
Having transitioned from a lightning quick passing attack to a ground-and-pound that has them ranked No. 9 in the country in time of possession at 33:30, Alabama A&M tends to bruise and batter their opponents on their way to victories.
 
A large part of that effort (literally and figuratively) are 5-11, 226-pound Donovan Eaglin and 6-1, 250-pound Harold Jemison, Jr. as they have combined for more than 900 yards rushing on 161 carries. Eaglin has toted the rock 130 times for 661 yards and five touchdowns while Jemison has 241 yards on 54 carries, four that have ended with him in the endzone.
 
And the thunder isn't just on offense either as Appalachian State transfer Zareon Hayes (Dillon, S.C.) has been cracking down on offenses all season long. On the year the defensive end has racked up 47 tackles – 26 solo and a whopping 15 for loss. With the latter he is averaging 1.8 TFL per game to lead the country. On top of that his 0.25 forced fumbles per game are 21^st.
 
RACKING UP THE HONORS (SEASON EDITION)
While more than half the roster is new the returnees are well known and have racked up the preseason recognition.
 
That started with three All-SWAC Preseason selections as senior running back Gary Quarles (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) and senior wide receiver Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim (Miramar, Fla.) earned Second-Team while junior offensive lineman Carson Vinson (Cary, N.C.) was selected to the Second-Team.
 
Quarles and Ibrahim would add to the mantle with the latter picking up Stats Perform FCS Preseason Third-Team All-American honors while both he and the diminutive tailback were named to the BOXTOROW Preseason All-American Team.
 
Ibrahim is also now a 10-time All-American following his most recent honor, a Second-Team selection by Hero Sports and both he and Quarles have been named to the prestigious Deacon Jones Award Watch list representing the top player from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).
 
In-season, sophomore running back Donovan Eaglin (Houston, Texas) cracked the seal on the awards with his SWAC and BOXTOROW National Player of the Week honors on Monday, October 3. Senior linebacker Dre Terry (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) then added to those honors, claiming SWAC Defensive Player of the Week on October 17, marking the first Bulldog to claim that honor since 2018.
 
MORE THAN 70-PERCENT OF A SEASON IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Bulldogs are a popular choice to hit the airwaves in 2022 as more than 70-percent of their season will be on national television.
 
In an 11-game schedule, A&M will be featured six times by traditional networks, beginning with CBS Sports Network carrying the season-opening UAB contest. Also being picked up will be Troy (ESPN3), Florida A&M (ESPN+), Alabama State (ESPN Networks), Mississippi Valley State (ESPNU) and Jackson State (ESPN+).
 
That slate plays to the fan that can't get to all the road games as every single one of those six games are on the road. A&M will also see a pair of home games aired on the new endeavor that is HBCUGo, with those being the October 8 game against Grambling and the regular season finale with Texas Southern on November 19.
 
NATIONAL TV BROADCAST SCHEDULE
9/1/22 at UAB (CBS Sports Network)
9/10/22 at Troy (ESPN3)
9/24/22 at Florida A&M (ESPN+)
10/8/22 vs. Grambling (HBCUGo)
10/29/22 at Alabama State (ESPN+)%
11/3/22 at Mississippi Valley State (ESPNU)
11/12/22 at Jackson State (ESPN+)$
11/19/22 vs. Texas Southern (HBCUGo)
%Magic City Classic in Birmingham, Alabama
$Gulf Coast Challenge in Mobile, Alabama
 
ABOUT THE JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY TIGERS
The Tigers have proven to be the class of the SWAC in 2022, running the table in their first nine games and going 6-0 in league play.
 
Highlighting that slate was a season-opening 59-3 decimation of Florida A&M (9/4), a 16-3 decision over Eddie George's Tennessee State (9/10) club and a 66-24 route of Grambling (9/17) over the first three weeks. They also knocked off Campbell (10/22) in non-conference play and blasted Southern (35-0 on 10/29) and Texas Southern (41-14 on 11/5) by a combined 76-14 in their last two outings.
 
Performances like those have positioned Jackson State and Deion Sanders as the No. 5 team in the most recent Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national poll.
 
LET'S GET SERIE-OUS
One of the closest series in the program's NCAA Division I Era, Jackson State holds a narrow 12-11 advantage dating back to October 23, 1999.
 
That would be the first of four straight victories for the Tigers, though none would be by a margin of more than 12 points. Being in each of those contests likely helped fuel the Bulldog's matching four game win streak from November 8, 2003 through November 4, 2006.
 
They won each of those by at least 13 points, including 49-14 and 52-6 drubbings in that first game and on November 5, 2005, respectively. Both would come in Huntsville and lead to the program's longest win streak in the series. JSU would match their four-game stretch, also their longest, from October 9, 2010 through November 9, 2013.
 
Series Flashback
While of a more recent vintage, the Series Flashback is one of the most exciting games in both the series and program history.
 
Meeting on April 10, 2021 (no typo with the Spring season!), Jackson State wouldn't be the only thing to fall that day, 52-43, as A&M program records bit the dust as well. Click to read all about that thrilling game that was aired worldwide on ESPN.
 
Scouting The Alabama A&M University Bulldogs
Record: 3-6, 3-3 SWAC
Last Time Out: L, 30-20 at Mississippi Valley State on November 3
Streak: Two Losses
 
Quick Links
Football Home Page
Schedule
Roster
Statistics

Individual Statistical Offensive Leaders
Passing Yards: Xavier Lankford – 1,067
Passing Touchdowns: Quincy Casey, Xavier Lankford – 5
Completions: Xavier Lankford – 96
Completion Percentage: Quincy Casey – .600
Rushing Yards: Donovan Eaglin – 661
Rushing Touchdowns: Donovan Eaglin – 5
Carries: Donovan Eaglin – 130
Receiving Yards: Isiah Cox – 388
Receiving Touchdowns: Isiah Cox – 3
Receptions: Isiah Cox – 29
 
Individual Statistical Defensive Leaders
Tackles: Dre Terry – 60
Tackles (Solo): Zareon Hayes, Dre Terry – 26
Tackles (Assisted): Dre Terry – 34
Tackles For Loss: Zareon Hayes – 15.0
Sacks: Thomas Douglas, Zareon Hayes, JaBraun McNeal – 3.0
Interceptions: Moses Douglass, Avian Rice – 2
 
Individual Statistical Special Team Leaders
Field Goals Made: Victor Barbosa – 6 (6-of-10)
Punting Yards: Troy Lendvay – 736
Touchbacks: Zach Alvarez – 2
Inside 20-Yard Line: Troy Lendvay – 7
Punt Returns: Isiah Cox – 6
Punt Return Yards: Isiah Cox – 55
Kickoff Returns: Terrell Gardner – 9
Kickoff Return Yards: Terrell Gardner – 189
 
Team Statistics
Scoring: 20.1
Passing: 226.1
Rushing: 143.7
Total Offense: 369.8
Touchdowns: 23
Kickoff Return Average: 17.5
Punt Return Yards Average: 7.50
Time of Possession: 33:30
Sacks: 18
Interceptions: 10
Tackles: 676
Tackles For Loss: 76.0


Scouting The No. 5 Jackson State University Tigers
Record: 9-0, 6-0 SWAC
Last Time Out: W, 41-14 at Texas Southern on November 5
Streak: Nine Wins
 
Quick Links
Football Home Page
Schedule
Roster
Statistics
 
Individual Statistical Offensive Leaders
Passing Yards: Shedeur Sanders – 2,677
Passing Touchdowns: Shedeur Sanders – 27
Completions: Shedeur Sanders – 251
Completion Percentage: Shedeur Sanders – .720
Rushing Yards: Sy'Veon Wilkerson – 887
Rushing Touchdowns: Sy'Veon Wilkerson – 7
Carries: Sy'Veon Wilkerson – 155
Receiving Yards: Dallas Daniels – 578
Receiving Touchdowns: Shane Hooks – 7
Receptions: Dallas Daniels – 45
 
Individual Statistical Defensive Leaders
Tackles: Aubrey Miller – 48
Tackles (Solo): Aubrey Miller, Cam'Ron Silmon-Graig – 30
Tackles (Assisted): Aubrey Miller – 18
Tackles For Loss: Justin Ragin – 10.0
Sacks: Nyles Gaddy – 5.5
Interceptions: Seven Players – 1
 
Individual Statistical Special Team Leaders
Field Goals Made: Alejandro Mata – 9 (9-of-10)
Punting Yards: Sam Johnson – 1,009
Touchbacks: Gerardo Baeza – 19
Inside 20-Yard Line: Sam Johnson – 7
Punt Returns: Willie Gaines – 18
Punt Return Yards: Willie Gaines – 180
Kickoff Returns: Isaiah Bolden – 10
Kickoff Return Yards: Isaiah Bolden – 260
 
Team Statistics
Scoring: 40.2
Passing: 307.0
Rushing: 174.8
Total Offense: 481.8
Touchdowns: 43
Kickoff Return Average: 22.6
Punt Return Yards Average: 8.50
Time of Possession: 33:08
Sacks: 33
Interceptions: 9
Tackles: 516.0
Tackles For Loss: 34.0