2020 Alabama State Hornets football team

2020 Alabama State Hornets football
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Division	East Division
Record	3–3 (3–2 SWAC)
Head coach	Donald Hill-Eley (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Blackwell (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Travis Pearson (2nd season)
Home stadium	New ASU Stadium

2020 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 24 Alabama A&M x$		3	–	0					5	–	0
Alabama State		3	–	2					3	–	3
Jackson State		3	–	2					4	–	3
Mississippi Valley State		1	–	3					1	–	3
West Division
Arkansas–Pine Bluff x		4	–	0					4	–	1
Southern		4	–	1					5	–	1
Prairie View A&M*		2	–	1					2	–	1
Texas Southern		1	–	2					1	–	2
Grambling State		0	–	4					0	–	4
Championship: Alabama A&M 40, Arkansas–Pine Bluff 33
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Note: The SWAC played a spring conference-only schedule (February–May 2021) due to COVID-19 pandemic. Alcorn State opted out of the spring season; all of their scheduled games were counted as forfeit wins for their opponents. * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions. Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2020 Alabama State Hornets football team represented Alabama State University as a member of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach Donald Hill-Eley, the Hornets compiled an overall record of 3–3 with a mark of 3–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the SWAC's East Division. Alabama State played home games at New ASU Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama.

On July 20, 2020, the SWAC announced that it would not play fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference then formalized plans to conduct a schedule for football during the 2021 spring semester.

Schedule

Due to the SWAC's postponement of the 2020 football season to spring 2021, games against Kennesaw State, Tuskegee, and Texas Tech were canceled. The SWAC released updated spring schedules on August 17.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
February 26	6:00 p.m.	Southern	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL	ESPN3	L 21–24	5,654
March 6		at Alcorn State	Casem-Spinks Stadium Lorman, MS		W 2–0 (forfeit)
March 20	3:00 p.m.	Jackson State	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL	ESPN2	W 35–28	5,908
April 3	1:00 p.m.	South Carolina State*	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL		L 7–14	4,387
April 10	2:00 p.m.	Mississippi Valley State	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL		W 42–17	12,345
April 17	6:30 p.m.	vs. Alabama A&M	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Magic City Classic)	ESPNU	L 14–38	16,500
*Non-conference game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

Southern

Southern at Alabama State

1 2 3 4 Total • Jaguars 7 0 7 10 24 Hornets 0 7 14 0 21 Date: February 26, 2021 Location: New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL Game start: 6:04 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 26 minutes Game attendance: 5,654 Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Mostly Cloudy • Wind: N 8 MPH Referee: Gary Leeper Television network: ESPN3

Scoring summary 1 11:17 SOU Chase Foster 14-yard interception returned (Cesar Barajas kick) (3 plays, 0 yards, 1:26) SOU 7–0 2 01:08 ALST Jeremiah Hixon 32-yard pass from Ryan Nettles (Hunter Hanson kick) (8 plays, 60 yards, 3:48) TIE 7–7 3 11:45 SOU Ladarius Skelton 8-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick)br/>(7 play, 45 yards, 3:15) SOU 14–7 08:21 ALST Michael Jefferson 14-yard pass from Ryan Nettles (Hunter Hanson kick) (8 plays, 70 yards, 3:24) TIE 14–14 00:15 ALST Jacory Merritt 1-yard rush (Hunter Hanson kick) (3 plays, 5 yards, 1:22) ALST 21–14 4 14:20 SOU Gregory Perkins 59-yard pass from Ladarius Skelton (Cesar Barajas kick) (3 plays, 74 yards, 0:55) TIE 21–21 12:20 SOU Cesar Barajas 41-yard field goal (4 plays, 1 yard, 0:52) SOU 24–21

See also: 2020 Southern Jaguars football team

Pregame line	Over/under
SOU −7.0	52

Statistics	Southern	Alabama State
First downs	12	22
Total yards	274	274
Rushing yards	139	125
Passing yards	135	149
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	23:44	36:16

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern	Passing	Ladarius Skelton	10/22, 135 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Ladarius Skelton	10 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Gregory Perkins	1 reception, 59 yards, 1 TD
Alabama State	Passing	Ryan Nettles	16/27, 149 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ezra Gray	14 carries, 73 yards
	Receiving	Michael Jefferson	5 receptions, 47 yards, 1 TD

Jackson State

Jackson State at Alabama State

1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 0 6 15 7 28 • Hornets 0 14 0 21 35 Date: March 20, 2021 Location: New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL Game start: 3:07 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 51 minutes Game attendance: 5,908 Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: NE 7 MPH Referee: Tony Ross Television network: ESPN2

Scoring summary 2 10:01 JSU Glenn Misiak 31-yard field goal (7 plays, 14 yards, 1:46) JSU 3–0 06:57 ALST Jeremiah Hixon 35-yard pass from Ryan Nettles (Hunter Hanson kick) (6 plays, 78 yards, 2:59) ALST 7–3 04:37 JSU Glenn Misiak 22-yard field goal (6 plays, 20 yards, 1:54) ALST 7–6 08:21 ALST Jahod Booker 8-yard pass from Ryan Nettles (Hunter Hanson kick) (12 plays, 89 yards, 4:00) ALST 14–6 3 08:26 JSU Team Safety (2 plays, -1 yards, 1:04) ALST 14–8 04:48 JSU Corey Reed Jr. 17-yard pass from Jalon Jones (Glenn Misiak kick) (8 plays, 50 yards, 3:38) JSU 15–14 04:04 JSU Jalon Jones 3-yard rush (two-point conversion pass attempt failed) (3 plays, 4 yards, 0:23) JSU 21–14 4 10:50 ALST Ezra Gray 4-yard rush (Hunter Hanson kick) (10 plays, 95 yards, 3:58) TIE 21–21 06:53 ALST Ezra Gray 49-yard rush (Hunter Hanson kick) (6 plays, 86 yards, 2:43) ALST 28–21 01:42 JSU Jalon Jones 2-yard rush (Glenn Misiak kick) (14 plays, 67 yards, 5:04) TIE 28–28 01:29 ALST Ezra Gray 50-yard rush (Hunter Hanson kick) (1 play, 50 yards, 0:09) ALST 35–28

See also: 2020 Jackson State Tigers football team

Pregame line	Over/under
JSU −8.0	46

Statistics	Jackson State	Alabama State
First downs	24	21
Total yards	350	466
Rushing yards	170	209
Passing yards	180	257
Turnovers	2	3
Time of possession	29:56	30:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jackson State	Passing	Jalon Jones	19/50, 180 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Jalon Jones	22 carries, 94 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Corey Reed Jr.	8 receptions, 99 yards, 1 TD
Alabama State	Passing	Ryan Nettles	27/42, 257 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Ezra Gray	23 carries, 195 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Michael Jefferson	8 receptions, 76 yards

South Carolina State

South Carolina State at Alabama State

1 2 3 4 Total • Bulldogs 7 0 0 7 14 Hornets 0 0 0 7 7 Date: April 3, 2021 Location: New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL Game start: 2:02 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 7 minutes Game attendance: 4,387 Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SE 4 MPH Referee: Y. N. Myers

Scoring summary 1 11:44 SCSU Alex James 12-yard rush (Dillom Bredson kick) (7 plays, 65 yards, 3:16) SCSU 7–0 4 03:05 ALST Wallace Corker 9-yard pass from Ryan Nettles (Hunter Hanson kick) (4 plays, 11 yards, 1:20) TIE 7–7 01:17 SCSU Shaquan Davis 17-yard pass from Corey Fields (Jacory Benson kick) (7 plays, 59 yards, 1:45) SCSU 14–7

See also: 2020 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team

Pregame line	Over/under
ALST −2.5	42

Statistics	South Carolina State	Alabama State
First downs	14	17
Total yards	222	288
Rushing yards	131	97
Passing yards	91	191
Turnovers	2	3
Time of possession	33:43	26:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Carolina State	Passing	Corey Fields	4/9, 47 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Alex James	12 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Shaquan Davis	3 receptions, 45 yards, 1 TD
Alabama State	Passing	Ryan Nettles	20/37, 191 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ryan Nettles	6 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Michael Jefferson	5 receptions, 61 yards

Mississippi Valley State

Mississippi Valley State at Alabama State

1 2 3 4 Total Delta Devils 10 0 7 0 17 • Hornets 7 7 7 21 42 Date: April 10, 2021 Location: New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 31 minutes Game attendance: 12,345 Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Showers • Wind: SSW 10 MPH Referee: Y. N. Myers

Scoring summary 1 10:53 MVSU Orlando Fernandez 26-yard field goal (10 plays, 66 yards, 4:07) MVSU 3–0 05:46 ALST Myles Crawley 3-yard rush (Hunter Hanson kick) (3 plays, 14 yards, 1:07) ALST 7–3 00:10 MVSU Jalani Eason 24-yard rush (Orlando Fernandez kick) (6 plays, 54 yards, 2:55) MVSU 10–7 2 14:32 ALST Wallace Corker 59-yard pass from Ryan Nettles (Hunter Hanson kick) (3 plays, 77 yards, 0:32) ALST 14–10 3 04:59 ALST Jeremiah Hixon 15-yard pass from Ryan Nettles (Hunter Hanson kick) (4 plays, 80 yards, 1:57) ALST 21–10 01:45 MVSU Malik Myers 7-yard pass from Jalani Eason (Orlando Fernandez kick) (9 plays, 75 yards, 3:14) ALST 21–17 4 12:59 ALST Ryan Nettles 14-yard rush (Hunter Hanson kick) (2 plays, 22 yards, 0:27) ALST 28–17 09:13 ALST Jahod Booker 14-yard pass from Ryan Nettles (Hunter Hanson kick) (5 plays, 71 yards, 1:43) ALST 35–17 01:00 ALST Robert Rivers 1-yard rush (Hunter Hanson kick) (5 plays, 22 yards, 2:40) ALST 42–17

See also: 2020 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team

Pregame line	Over/under
ALST –14.5	40

Statistics	Mississippi Valley State	Alabama State
First downs	17	22
Total yards	315	466
Rushing yards	169	156
Passing yards	146	310
Turnovers	4	2
Time of possession	32:03	27:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi Valley State	Passing	Jalani Eason	16/28, 135 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jalani Eason	20 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Darius Williams	2 receptions, 49 yards
Alabama State	Passing	Ryan Nettles	20/34, 305 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ryan Nettles	7 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jeremiah Hixon	5 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD

Vs. Alabama State

Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M

1 2 3 4 Total Hornets 7 7 0 0 14 • Bulldogs 7 10 14 7 38 Date: April 17, 2021 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game start: 6:30 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 45 minutes Game attendance: 16,500 Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Light Clouds Television network: ESPNU

Scoring summary 1 08:30 ALST Jacory Merritt 1-yard rush (Hunter Hanson kick) (11 plays, 95 yards, 0:00) ALST 7–0 03:14 AAMU Gary Quarles 7-yard rush (Spencer Corey kick) (9 plays, 78 yards, 0:00) TIE 7–7 2 07:30 ALST Michael Jefferson 9-yard pass from Chris Scott (Hunter Hanson kick)br/>(11 plays, 58 yards, 5:40) ALST 14–7 06:42 AAMU Gary Quarles 15-yard rush (Spencer Corey kick) (5 plays, 85 yards, 0:42) TIE 14–14 00:00 AAMU Spencer Corey 46-yard field goal (1 play, 0 yards, 0:04) AAMU 17–14 3 12:13 AAMU Zabrian Moore 44-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (9 plays, 78 yards, 2:47) AAMU 24–14 03:17 AAMU Zabrian Moore 38-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (10 plays, 99 yards, 4:28) AAMU 31–14 4 12:31 AAMU Odieu Hilaire 2-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (9 plays, 52 yards, 3:32) AAMU 38–14

See also: 2020 Alabama A&M Bulldogs football team and Magic City Classic

Pregame line	Over/under
AAMU −4.5	52

Statistics	Alabama State	Alabama A&M
First downs	20	24
Total yards	285	484
Rushing yards	181	112
Passing yards	104	372
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	31:12	28:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing	Chris Scott	13/28, 89 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Ezra Gray	19 carries, 101 yards
	Receiving	Jahod Booker	5 receptions, 58 yards
Alabama A&M	Passing	Aqeel Glass	25/40, 372 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Aqeel Glass	5 carries, 45 yards
	Receiving	Zabrian Moore	4 receptions, 138 yards, 2 TDs