BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | The Alabama A&M University football team jumped out to an early lead, but the Bulldogs could not slow down Alabama State in suffering a 56-13 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) setback during the 84^th Annual Amazon Magic City Classic presented by Coca-Cola on Saturday at Legion Field.
 
Alabama State quarterback Andrew Body went 19 of 24 passing for 304 yards, with five first-half touchdowns, as the Hornets used a 28-point second quarter to pull away for their fourth consecutive Magic City Classic victory.
 
Alabama State (5-2 overall, 3-1 SWAC) turned the ball over on its first series, giving Alabama A&M great field position to begin its opening drive.
 
Keon Handley Jr recovered a Jamarie Hostzclaw fumble at the ASU 18 and Maurice Edwards cashed the turnover into points, scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run, to give AAMU a 6-0 lead with 13:12 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
The Hornets responded quickly as Body connected with Jalen Jones for 39 yards to set up a 5-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Creech, giving Alabama State a 7-6 advantage with 10:15 left.
 
After an Alabama A&M punt, ASU marched 91 yards in eight plays, highlighted by 27-yard completion from Body to Dylan Djete, as Body connected with Creech for a 16-yard touchdown as the Hornets pushed the lead to 14-6 with just over five minutes to play.
 
The Bulldogs (4-4, 1-3) were forced to punt on their next drive and the Hornets quickly answered with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter as Marcus Harris II broke through the AAMU defense for a 17-yard touchdown run, extending the advantage to 21-6.
 
Alabama State stretched its lead to 28-6 just 38 seconds into the second half as Body found Harris for an 8-yard touchdown pass to close out a 4-play, 89-yard drive.
 
Alabama A&M punted on its next offensive series and the Hornets went right back to work, going 64 yards in six plays as Body and Djete connected again for an 18-yard score as Alabama State pushed the margin to 35-6 with 9:04 remaining in the half.
 
Alabama State put the game away right before the break with a pair of scores as Body found the endzone on a 4-yard keeper and then he connected for a 59-yard touchdown with Jalen Jones as the Hornets extended the lead to 49-6.
 
The Bulldogs got back into the endzone with just over nine minutes remaining in third quarter when JD Davis II used the long ball, connecting with Franck Pierre for 67 yards as Alabama A&M trimmed the deficit to 49-13.
 
Back came ASU as the Hornets put together a 7-play, 70-yard drive as Jabari Kuykendall scored on a 13-yard run, pushing the lead to 56-13 with 5:17 remaining.
 
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE

• Alabama A&M finished with 136 yards, including 99 through the air
• The Bulldogs registered six first towns
• JD Davis went 5 of 8 passing for 88 yards and one touchdown
• Franck Pierre caught four passes for 83 yards
• Robert Cole punted the ball seven times, averaging 39.7 yards per punt
• Montrell Campbell posted seven total tackles, including five solo stops
• The Bulldogs were 2-of-10 on third downs
• Alabama State finished with 587 total yards, including 274 on the ground
• The Hornets tallied 26 first downs
• Andrew Body went 19 of 24 passing for 304 yards and five touchdowns
• Jarbari Kuykendall rushed seven times for 101 yards and one score
• Jalen Jones caught seven passes for 156 yards and one touchdown
• Cameron Gordon and Jalil Lenore each had four total tackles
• The Hornets were 4-of-7 on third downs

 
NEWS & NOTES

• Alabama A&M and Alabama State met in the 84^th Annual Amazon Magic City Classic presented by Coca-Cola
• The Bulldogs fell to 43-38-3 all-time against the Hornets
• Alabama State head coach Eddie Robinson Jr. has yet to lose in the Magic City Classic (4-0)
• Eddie Robinson Jr. is also 11-2 all-time in Classic games
• AAMU head coach Sam Shade fell to 1-2 in Classic games
• The Hornets streak of four straight wins in the series is the longest since 1990-1995 when ASU won six consecutive Magic City Classics
• The 49 first-half points was the most given up in a half this season by the Bulldogs
• The 28 second-quarter points were the most given up in a quarter since 2024 (at Auburn)
• The Bulldogs' 136 total yards were the lowest output since 2017 when AAMU had 172 against South Alabama
• Alabama A&M has now dropped three out of its last four games
• For the 13^th straight game, the Bulldogs put points on the board in the opening quarter
• Kicker David Faulk missed his first extra point of the season

 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs return to the road next Saturday (Nov. 1) as Alabama A&M visits Grambling State. Kickoff against the Tigers is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium and streamed on SWAC TV.
 
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics – Huntsville's only Division I program - 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).
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