Alabama A&M treats record crowd to homecoming rout of Tuskegee
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By DERON SNYDER (as published by theGrio)
Every box for a desirable homecoming was checked on Saturday when Alabama A&M hosted Tuskegee.
The weather cooperated with warmth and sunshine. Fans converged to sell out Louis Crews Stadium for the first time ever. The Bulldogs excelled on the field in every way. And their supporters never worried about the outcome, a 58-3 rout that pleased most folks in the crowd of 26,391.
The offense scored at least one touchdown in every quarter. The defense recorded a safety and yielded zero points after Tuskegee’s opening-drive field goal. Special teams contributed a blocked punt and several nice returns. There wasn’t much room for criticism from head coach Connell Maynor.
“I’m pleased with all three phases, not just offense,” Maynor told reporters afterward. “In all three phases we executed the way we’re supposed to. We’re a Division I team and they’re a Division II team. We got more scholarships. That’s the way the game is supposed to go.”
Falling behind wasn’t part of the script, but Tuskegee received the opening kickoff and drove 64 yards for a 38-yard field goal. However, the celebration was short-lived; the Golden Tigers generated just 138 yards on their subsequent possessions and couldn’t stop the Bulldogs from gaining 539 yards of total offense.
“I tell these guys all the time, it’s a D2 team,” Maynor said. “We’re going to respect all and fear none. We’re going to get ready to take care of us. If they’re ready to play, it’ll be a good ballgame. If they’re not, then the ballgame can get out of hand, which it did.”
AAMU scored on six of its eight possessions before halftime. Quarterback Quincy Casey was precise, completing 15 of 21 passes for 246 yards and four touchdowns in the first half alone. The reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week has passed for 624 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions in the last two games, constituting a noticeable rise in his level of play.
“I’m just more comfortable,” Casey told reporters afterward. “I’m believing everything that that the coaches say, believing in my teammates and just slowing the game down.”
The game was a blur for previously undefeated Tuskegee (4-1 overall, 3-0 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). The Golden Tigers yielded four touchdowns before forcing AAMU to punt midway through the second quarter. Quarterback Bryson Williams finished with just 132 yards passing on nine completions and an interception. The halftime score was 44-3.
“Everybody’s believing in each other so it makes us play faster and makes us play better,” Casey said. “We just gotta keep growing in that. We’re still not where we want to be, but we’re getting there.”
Casey sat out the fourth quarter and finished with 296 passing yards. A chunk of that total came on a 76-yard touchdown. Wideout Keenan Hambrick got behind his defender on the right sideline and caught Casey’s pass in stride before racing another 30 yards to the end zone. Hambrick had five catches for 147 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Backup QB Xavier Lankford completed his lone pass attempt to conclude scoring, a 42-yard touchdown to Braxton Tolliver early in the fourth quarter.
AAMU (3-2, 1-1 in the SWAC) extended its home winning streak to six games, dating to last season. The Bulldogs are away for the next three games – at Jackson State, at Grambling, and against Alabama State in the Magic City Classic at Birmingham – before returning home to face Florida A&M, potentially to determine the SWAC East champion. AAMU athletic director Paul Bryant expects another robust crowd like the Bulldogs drew for homecoming.
“We knew we were going to bring a different type of synergy here and everyone is just excited about what’s happening on The Hill,” Bryant told WAAY-TV regarding the unprecedented sellout. “It’s not just athletics. It’s the whole institution.”
With an assist from the football team’s dominant performance, fans enjoyed the best homecoming imaginable. The goal for Maynor is to keep winning conference games so the same energy exists at Lous Crews Stadium when SWAC East favorite FAMU visits on Nov. 4.
