Hornets Fly High — Southern Falls 30-7 in Home Opener

Clendell Caliste
Sep 8
2 min read

BATON ROUGE, LA — In their home opener at A.W. Mumford Stadium on Saturday, Southern University’s Jaguars surrendered to the Alabama State Hornets with a final score of 30-7, dropping their record to 1–2 on the season. Alabama State evened theirs at 1–1, displaying efficient offense and opportunistic defense to secure the win

First Half: Tight Defense, Field Goals Dominate

The first half was a defensive tug-of-war. Alabama State managed only two field goals—31 and 21 yards—from Brandon Gilliam, taking a narrow 6–0 lead into halftime

Third Quarter: Jaguars Strike First, Hornets Respond

Southern came out swinging to start the second half. Cam’Ron McCoy, orchestrating a 69-yard drive, connected with Cam Jefferson for a 7-yard touchdown pass that put the Jaguars ahead 7–6

But that brief lead was short-lived.

On the ensuing drive, Alabama State’s Marcus Harris II erupted for a 47-yard touchdown run, reclaiming the lead for the Hornets

Moments later, Southern’s special teams faltered: Jaguars’ kicker Nathan Zimmer had a field-goal attempt blocked, nullifying a chance to tie and giving ASU prime field position

Then came the decisive blow: ASU quarterback Andrew Body threw a touchdown pass to Ajai Harrell, extending the lead to 23–7

Fourth Quarter: Hornets Pull Away

The Hornets weren’t done. Body delivered another strike—this time a 22-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Djete—pushing the final margin to 30–7

Game Changers: Turnovers and Special Teams

Southern’s undoing lay in four critical turnovers—two fumbles and two interceptions—which directly resulted in 17 points for Alabama State

Special-teams mistakes compounded the Jaguars’ woes, as a blocked and a missed field goal replaced potentially momentum-shifting opportunities.

Performance Snapshot

Andrew Body (ASU): Efficient game—16-of-25 passing, 198 yards, 2 TDs; also contributed on the ground .
Southern Offense: McCoy threw 160 yards and 1 TD, but had two interceptions; ran for 55 yards on 11 carries . Trey Holly led the ground game with 70 yards
Gilliam (ASU Kicker): 3-for-4 on field goals (37, 21, 31 yards); one miss

Summary

Southern showed early spark, in particular with the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. However, their inability to protect the ball and capitalize on red-zone opportunities, coupled with Southern's special teams failures, allowed Alabama State to wrest control and dominate the remainder. The Hornets' second-half surge proved decisive, showcasing their depth and poise under pressure.