By james art
By Donald Hunt | For the Birmingham Times
The nation’s largest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Classic comes to Birmingham on Saturday, October 26 at 83rd annual Magic City Classic between Alabama State and Alabama A&M. More than bragging rights will be on the line when these two longtime rivals meet at historic Legion Field for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Hornets (2-1, 3-3) and Bulldogs (1-1, 3-3) are trying to keep pace in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) East. Jackson State (3-0, 5-2) leads the division with Florida A&M (1-1, 3-3) also in the mix.
Both teams enter the Classic after a bye week.
Alabama State has outstanding linebackers in DeMarcus Cunningham and Rico Dozier who can cover a lot of ground. Cunningham has 21 solo tackles and leads the team with 50 total tackles. Dozier has 26 solo and 47 total tackles, and also has 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. The Hornets’ point guards set the tone for the defense.
AAMU will look to break through ASU’s defense with offensive quarterback Xavier Lankford, wide receiver Keenan Hambrick and running back Donovan Eaglin. Lankford had a big game two weeks ago, leading AAMU to a 56-12 victory over Bethune-Cookman. Lankford completed 15 of 24 passes for 315 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 80 yards on 15 carries while scoring three rushing TDs. After that effort against the Wildcats, he earned SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Hambrick and Eaglin have consistently performed well throughout the season. Hambrick has 21 receptions for 322 yards while averaging 15.3 yards per catch. Eaglin is one of the top running backs in the SWAC with 76 rushing attempts for 435 yards and two TDs. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry.
In the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), Miles College (5-2, 5-0) will host Benedict College (3-4, 3-2) on Saturday, October 26. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. The Golden Bears are coming off a 49-28 shellacking of Clark Atlanta last week. Miles College is in first place in the SIAC standings and is currently on a five-game winning streak. Quarterback Khalil Anglin had a great performance against Clark Atlanta, completing 12 of 20 passes for 122 yards and two TDs. Anglin could be a player to watch in this contest, which features a passing game featuring wide receivers Jaih Andrews, Jaylin Peterson and tight end Travaunta Abner.
Tuskegee University (4-3, 4-1) will play Central State (1-4, 1-3) on the road on Saturday. The start will be at 13:00. The Golden Tigers picked up their fourth straight win with a 27-13 win over Edward Waters last week. Along with Miles, Tuskegee University is one of the hottest teams in the SIAC. The Golden Tigers are playing great football under quarterback Raequan Beal.
