HOUSTON, Texas | The Alabama A&M University football team wrapped up its season on Saturday as the Bulldogs fell, 24-7, to Texas Southern in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game at Shell Energy Stadium.
Alabama A&M's opening drive saw the Bulldogs utilized the ground game as
Ryan Morrow picked up 32 yards and then
Isaiah Nwokenkwo was on the verge of scoring, but the ball popped out at the TSU 1 and was recovered by the Tigers in the endzone by Matthew Cooks for the touchback.
Texas Southern (6-5 overall, 5-3 SWAC) responded by putting together a 12-play, 70-yard drive as Christian Avelar's 27-yard field goal attempt was no good, keeping the game tied at 0 with 6:19 remaining in the opening quarter.
After an Alabama A&M punt, the Tigers marched 51 yards in seven plays with Lawrence Butler punching in a 1-yard run to give Texas Southern a 7-0 lead with 1:27 remaining in the first quarter.
In the final game of the season, AAMU head coach
Sam Shade took advantage of some trickery on its next offensive series. Bulldog quarterback
Eric Handley dished the ball to
Jordan Chambers-Smith, who launched a deep pass down the right sidelines to
Daveon Walker for the 44-yard score, tying the game at 7 with 12:48 remaining in the half.
After a short
Connon Littlefield punt, the Tigers went right back to work in AAMU territory as Jordon Davis scored on a 9-yard touchdown run as Texas Southern grabbed the 14-7 advantage with 5:14 left.
Texas Southern extended its lead to 21-7 as Davis connected with Kordell Rodgers for a 9-yard touchdown pass to cap a 6-play, 80-yard drive with 27 seconds remaining.
The Bulldogs (4-8, 1-7) nearly got back onto the scoreboard right before the half as
David Faulk's 50-yard field goal attempt sailed left as the Tigers took a 21-7 advantage into the break.
Texas Southern capitalized off an AAMU turnover with a 34-yard field goal by Avelar as the Tigers extended the lead to 24-7 with 8:32 remaining in the third.
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
- Alabama A&M finished with 311 total yards, including 190 through the air
- The Bulldogs racked up 15 first downs
- Eric Handley went 16 of 30 passing for 146 yards
- Jordan Chambers-Smith was 1-for-1 passing for 44 yards and one touchdown
- Ryan Morrow rushed nine times for 64 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry
- Daveon Walker caught seven passes for 100 yards and one score
- Wyatt Wright registered 10 total tackles, with four solo stops
- Jalen Wright added 10 total tackles, including one for a loss
- Texas Southern finished with 386 total yards, with 228 coming on the ground
- The Tigers recorded 20 first downs
- Jordon Davis went 11 of 20 passing for 158 yards and one score
- Lawrence Butler rushed 20 times for 101 yards
- Trenton Leary caught a pair of passes for 62 yards
- Josiah Hardman posted nine total tackles, with four being solo stops
NEWS & NOTES
- Alabama A&M and Texas Southern met for the 20th time
- The Bulldogs continue to lead the all-time series, 15-5
- The Texas Southern win snapped a five-game losing streak to AAMU
- The last Tigers win in the series came in 2016 (34-31)
- AAMU ended the season losing seven out of its last eight games
- Saturday's game marked the fourth time AAMU had played an opponent with the mascot named Tigers (Tennessee State, Jackson State, Grambling State and Texas Southern)
- Alabama A&M ends the season have failed to score in the opening quarter in back-to-back games
- David Faulk missed his only attempt in the game (50 yards) and finished the season 10-of-12 on kicks since taking over the duties on Sept. 20
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).
