THE HILL | The Alabama A&M University football team suffered a heartbreaking 25-20 loss on Saturday as Southern used a late drive to pick up the road Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) win at Louis Crews Stadium.
Alabama A&M (3-5 overall, 1-3 SWAC) led 20-13 after a
Xavier Lankford 8-yard touchdown run with 3:42 remaining. However, Southern (5-4, 4-1) put together an 9-play, 75-yard drive as Dupree Fuller hauled in a one-handed 14-yard touchdown pass from Czavian Teasett, giving the Jaguars a 25-20 lead with 1:12 left.
The Bulldogs nearly rallied, moving the ball to the Southern 29, but Lankford's pass to
Keenan Hambrick in the endzone was batted away as time expired, giving the Jaguars the victory.
In the opening quarter, Alabama A&M and Southern traded punts to begin the game.
The Bulldogs took advantage of a short field, marching 50 yards in five plays as Lankford punched in a 1-yard scoring, giving AAMU the 7-0 advantage with 8:48 remaining in the first quarter.
Alabama A&M's defense forced a punt, but Lankford was picked off by Herman Brister III at the Bulldog 40. However, Southern couldn't get much going offensively and were forced to attempt a field goal. Joshua Griffin's 48-yard kick sailed left, keeping the Jaguars scoreless with 2:16 left.
A 28-yard
Donivan Wright punt return put the Bulldogs deep into Southern territory at the Jaguar 25. However, Alabama A&M could not get into the end zone and settled for a 21-yard field goal by
Victor Barbosa with 8:43 remaining in the half.
Southern responded with three big plays on its next drive as Teasett connected with Darren Morris for an 11-yard touchdown strike, capping an 8-play, 70-yard drive as the Jaguars closed the gap 10 -6 with exactly five minutes left in the second.
The Jaguars continued to close the deficit, putting together a 62-yard, 11-play drive right before halftime as Griffin booted a 36-yard field goal, cutting the margin to 10-9 with 23 seconds remaining.
After a punt backed Southern to its own 1, the Jaguars quickly moved the football 99 yards in seven plays as Teasett found Darren Morris for a 36-yard touchdown as the Jaguars grabbed a 16-10 advantage with 8:29 left in the third.
After another AAMU punt, the Jaguars moved the football to the Bulldog 16. But an official review pushed the ball back to the 17 for fourth down. SU elected to kick the field goal instead of going for it on fourth and short and Griffin booted a 32-yard attempt as the Jaguars stretched the lead to 19-10 with 43 seconds remaining.
Alabama A&M responded with a 6-play, 50-yard drive, aided by a 32-yard run by Lankford as Barbosa drilled a 39-yard field goal, closing the gap to 19-13 with 13:27 left in the final quarter.
The Bulldogs grabbed the lead with less than four minutes remaining as Lankford scored on an 8-yard touchdown run as AAMU took a 20-19 advantage, which set up a wild finish.
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
- Alabama A&M finished with 361 total yards, with 192 coming on the ground
- The Bulldogs recorded 18 first downs
- Xavier Lankford went 15 of 32 passing for 169 yards, with one interception
- Lankford led the ground game with 93 yards on 15 carries, with two scores
- Devin Herring caught four passes for 59 yards
- Austin McCready punted the ball four times for 177 yards, averaging 44.2 yards per punt and had two inside the 20
- Anthony Fieldings, Cortez Andrews and Dimitris Biamby each added seven tackles
- Southern finished with 441 total yards, with 294 coming through the air
- The Jaguars registered 19 first downs
- Czavian Teasett went 24 of 37 passing for 294 yards and three touchdowns
- Kobe Dillion rushed 19 times for 85 yards
- Darren Morris added five catches for a team-high 96 yards and two scores
- Herman Brister III and Vincent Page Jr. added 10 tackles apiece
NEWS & NOTES
- This was the 19th meeting between Alabama A&M and Southern
- With the win, Southern improved to 14-5 all-time against Alabama A&M
- The Jaguars extended their winning streak to eight straight after Saturday's win
- AAMU head coach Connell Maynor fell to 0-4 all-time against Southern
- Alabama A&M dropped its first game when leading after the first quarter and halftime
- The Bulldogs nearly picked up their first win when trailing entering the fourth in two years
- Xavier Lankford now has 37 total touchdowns for his career (17 rushing and 20 passing)
- For the first time this season, only one quarterback saw action for AAMU
- Alabama A&M went 1-of-11 on third downs
- Southern edged the Bulldogs in time of possession, as the Jaguars held the ball for 30:56
- Saturday was Senior Day and Heroes Appreciation Day
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to the road as the Bulldogs visit Arkansas-Pine Bluff next Saturday (Nov. 9). Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. and streamed on the SWAC Digital Network.
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics, check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com. Remember to follow us on social media: Instagram (@aamuathletics), Facebook (aamubulldogathletics), Twitter (@_aamuathletics) and TikTok (aamuathletics).
