CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. | The Alabama A&M University football team fell behind early and could not recover as the Bulldogs fell, 59-16, to Austin Peay on Saturday night at Fortera Stadium in the final tune up game before opening Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play next week in Tallahassee, Fla. against Florida A&M.
Alabama A&M (2-2) got the ball to begin the game, but on the very first play from scrimmage,
Cornelious Brown IV was picked off by Sammy Anderson Jr. at the AAMU 31 and returned it eight yards.
Austin Peay (1-3) took advantage of the turnover as the Bulldog defense stepped up a forced a 41-yard field goal by Carson Smith as the Governors grabbed a 3-0 advantage with 13:33 remaining in the opening quarter.
Back came Alabama A&M as the Bulldogs put together an 8-play, 44-yard drive as
Austin McCready booted a career-best 48-yard field goal, tying the game at 3 with just over nine minutes to play in the first.
The Governors got a great return by Romon Copeland Jr. on the kickoff and Austin Peay took advantage of a short field. Four plays after the return, Copeland hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Austin Smith, breaking the tie and giving the Govs a 10-3 lead with 7:24 remaining.
On the very next offensive possession, Jesse Johnson III scooped up a fumble by
Aveon Smith and returned in 21 yards for the score as Austin Peay extended the lead to 17-3 with 6:44 left.
Alabama A&M was forced to punt on its next possession as McCready booted a 55-yard bomb, but Copeland found the seam and returned it 82 yards for the score as the Govs stretched their lead to 24-3 with 4:48 remaining.
After stopped the Bulldogs on fourth down, Austin Peay needed just one play as La'Vell Wright went straight up the middle for a 53-yard touchdown run, pushing the margin to 31-3 with just over 12 minutes left in the half.
Wright added his second touchdown score with 1:53 remaining in the second on a 6-yard touchdown scamper, capping a 12-play, 95-yard drive as Austin Peay took a commanding 38-3 lead into the break.
The Governors opened the third quarter strong as Wright went 62 yards up the middle for his third score on the night as Austin Peay extended its lead to 45-3 with 14:52 left in the period.
Austin Peay put the game out of reach with 4:10 left as Kaden Williams capped a 7-play, 46-yard drive, stretching the advantage to 52-3 with 3:10 remaining.
Alabama A&M responded with a 13-play, 79-yard drive as Brown connected with
Donovan Price on a 7-yard touchdown pass, trimming the deficit to 52-9 as the extra point was blocked with 13:29 left.
Austin Peay responded with a 75-yard drive as Corey Richardson found the left side and darted 13 yards into the end zone for the touchdown as the Govs increased the lead to 59-9 with 8:41 remaining.
After a Bulldog punt, the AAMU defense forced an interception as
Delvon Gulley picked off Austin Peay quarterback Jake Johnson down the left sideline and returned it 33 yards, setting up a
DJ Moffett 1-yard touchdown as Alabama A&M trimmed the margin to 59-16 with 5:27 left.
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
- Alabama A&M finished with 259 total yards, with 202 coming through the air
- The Bulldogs registered 11 first downs
- Cornelious Brown IV went 13 of 23 passing for 179 yards, with one touchdown and one interception
- Jacolby Hewitt caught five passes for 46 yards
- Donovan Eaglin rushed 12 times for 29 yards
- Lynn Pettway paced the defense with 10 total tackles, including seven solo stops
- Kaleb Dawson added eight tackles
- Jamarion Ellis tallied five total tackles, with four tackles for loss and two sacks
- Austin Peay finished with 445 total yards, with 331 coming on the ground
- The Governors recorded 21 first downs
- Austin Smith went 10 of 13 passing for 114 yards and one touchdown
- Jaden Barnes tallied 56 yards on four catches
- La'Vell Wright rushed eight times for 142 yards and three scores
- Corey Richardson added 102 yards on nine carries with one touchdown
- Dion Hunter led the defense with seven total tackles, including two solo stops
NEWS & NOTES
- This was just the second meeting all-time between the two programs
- Austin Peay improved to 2-0 all-time against Alabama A&M
- The Bulldogs lost the coin toss for first time this season
- AAMU played two quarterbacks – Cornelious Brown IV (started) and Aveon Smith
- The Bulldogs turned the ball over twice in the first quarter, resulting in 10 points (fumble and interception)
- AAMU completes non-conference play at 2-2
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M continues its three-game road slate next Saturday (Sept. 28) as the Bulldogs look to upend Florida A&M's 21-game home winning streak. Kickoff against the Rattlers is set for 5 p.m. (central time) from Bragg Memorial Stadium and streamed on ESPN+.
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).
