MOBILE, Ala. |Xavier Lankford threw for 245 yards, with four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) as the Alabama A&M University football team nearly rallied from a 28-point deficit in falling short, 45-38, to Jackson State in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game in the Gulf Coast Challenge on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
“We really wanted to run the ball on them, which is what we were doing,” Alabama A&M head coach Connell Maynor said. “But that sort of took us out of our game when we got down 21-3. That is why we had to open it up more in the second half. There were plays out there we made and some we left out there. I take my hat off to Jackson and T.C. Taylor. He’s done a tremendous job with that team. They bent, but they didn’t break. They held on and won the football game.
Alabama A&M (2-3 overall, 0-1 SWAC) trailed by as many as 28 points (38-10) entering the half, but held Jackson State to just one touchdown over the final two quarters. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs nearly pulled off the rally, scoring 28 points before the Tigers picked up a first down with under two minutes to play to seal the win.
Jackson State (4-2, 2-0) took the opening kickoff, going 75 yards in six plays as Irv Mulligan scored on a 6-yard touchdown run up the middle as the Tigers grabbed a quick 7-0 lead with 12:17 remaining in the first quarter.
Alabama A&M quickly establish the game plan early on by running the football despite not picking up a first down on the opening series as the Bulldogs went three-and-out.
JSU got a 44 punt return by Travis Terrell Jr., and three plays later, Mulligan found the endzone for his second score, a 10-yard touchdown scamper as the Tigers pushed the lead to 14-0 with 9:13 left.
The Bulldogs put together a nearly seven minute drive on their next series, going 54 yards in 13 plays as Victor Barbosa booted a 34-yard field goal, closing the gap to 14-3 with 2:20 remaining.
However, on the ensuing kickoff, Terrell, who came into the game ranked inside the top five in FCS returns, broke loose for a 96-yard kickoff return as the Tigers stretched their advantage to 21-3, with just over two minutes to play.
Jackson State continued to flex its muscle in the opening half, this time Joanes Fortilien hauled in an 12-yard touchdown pass from Jacobian Morgan as the Tigers extended the margin to 28-3 with just under 13 minutes left in the second.
Alabama A&M responded with a time-consuming drive as Lankford punched in a 1-yard run, cutting the deficit to 28-10 with 5:54 remaining.
However, Jackson State added two more scores before halftime as Fortilien caught an 18-yard touchdown pass and Gerardo Baeza booted a 23-yard field goal as the Tigers took a 38-10 lead into the break.
Alabama A&M converted a huge fourth down play as Donovan Payne caught a 20-yard touchdown from Lankford, capping a 12-play, 67-yard drive as the Bulldogs trimmed the margin to 38-17 with just under 10 minutes to play in the third.
However, Jackson State answered as I Spencer broke past the AAMU secondary and hauled in a 58-yard touchdown from Morgan as the Tigers extended the advantage to 45-17 with 6:44 left.
The Bulldogs continued to play from behind as Dion Nelson Jr. capped an 11-play, 90-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown reception, cutting the margin to 45-24 with 1:14 remaining in the third.
A 12-yard Lankford touchdown to DeQuadrion Welch continued the comeback attempt with just under 11 minutes to play as AAMU closed the gap to 45-31.
DJ Moffett’s 4-yard touchdown run capped a 95-yard drive in 12 plays with 2:46 remaining, but the Bulldogs never got the ball back as Jackson State ran out the clock.
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
- Alabama A&M finished with 492 total yards, including 282 through the air
- The Bulldogs racked up 27 first downs
- AAMU controlled the time of possession – 39:49
- Xavier Lankford went 21 of 42 passing for 245 yards, with three touchdown passes and one rushing score
- Donovan Eaglin rushed 14 times for 88 yards
- DeQuadrion Welch was targeted seven times, catching five passes for 73 yards and one touchdown
- Keenan Hambrick caught seven passes for 50 yards
- Cortez Andrews led the defense with eight total tackles, including four solo stops
- Jackson State finished with 366 total yards, with 140 coming on the ground
- The Tigers registered 17 first downs
- Jacobian Morgan went 11 of 16 passing for 226 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception
- Irv Mulligan recorded 86 yards on 16 carries, with two scores
- Joanes Fortilien added six catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns
- Jeremiah Williams paced the defense with seven total tackles, with five solo stops and two quarterback hurries
NEWS & NOTES
- This was the 28th meeting all-time between the two programs
- Jackson State leads the all-time series 18-10
- The Tigers have won four straight in the series
- The Bulldogs used three quarterbacks – Aveon Smith (started), Xavier Lankford and Cornelious Brown IV
- Austin McCready went 1-for-1, with a 34-yard pass on a fake punt
- Alabama A&M went 6-for-6 on fourth down conversions
- The Bulldogs were 6-of-17 on third downs
- AAMU controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for 39:49
- The attendance was listed at 14,956 for the Gulf Coast Challenge
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to action next Saturday for the 2024 Homecoming game against Bethune-Cookman. Kickoff against the Wildcats is set for 2 p.m. and streamed on HBCU GO.
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