- Venue
- Legion Field
- City
- Birmingham, AL
- Team
- Magic City Classic
On Halloween, Saturday, October 31, 2015, I was back at Legion Field in Birmingham for the 74th Magic City Classic between the Alabama State Hornets and the Alabama A&M Bulldogs. Alabama State came into the game 3-4, and Alabama A&M came in at 2-4.
The Game
Alabama State wasted no time. Shawan Parks returned the opening kickoff to the Hornets’ 42, DeMario Bell caught a 43-yard pass, and quarterback Daniel Duhart ran it in from 15 yards out about 30 seconds into the game. About six minutes later, Duhart scored again on a 1-yard run to make it 14-0.
Alabama A&M answered. Brand Eldemire scored on runs of 9 and 11 yards, and the game was tied 14-14. Then Duhart went to the air in the second quarter, hitting Brandon Barnes for a 60-yard touchdown and Joshua Davis for an 18-yard touchdown to give Alabama State a 28-14 lead at halftime.
The rain started just before halftime. Duhart scored on another 1-yard run on the opening drive of the second half to make it 35-14, and Alabama A&M added a touchdown in the third quarter. The rain got heavy after that, and neither team scored in the fourth quarter. Alabama State won 35-20.
Who Stood Out
- Daniel Duhart: He had a hand in all five Alabama State touchdowns. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 35 yards and three more scores. He was named the offensive MVP of the Classic for the second time, after also winning it in 2013.
- Khalid Thomas: 100 rushing yards on 20 carries.
- Kourtney Berry: The defensive MVP had 13 tackles, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery.
- The Alabama State defense: stopped Alabama A&M on three fourth-down tries.
Up Next
The win moved Alabama State to 4-4. Next up for the Hornets is a trip to Jackson State on November 7.
