Florida A&M Spoils Alabama State's Homecoming With Fourth-Quarter Rally, 28-27

Florida A&M Spoils Alabama State's Homecoming With Fourth-Quarter Rally, 28-27

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Florida A&M Spoils Alabama State's Homecoming With Fourth-Quarter Rally, 28-27
FAMU Spoils Alabama State's Homecoming
FAMU Spoils Alabama State's Homecoming | SWAC

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Quarterback Armond Parker connected with Burris for fourth-quarter touchdowns of 88 and 89 yards before Davis blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt as time expired, securing the Rattlers' 28-27 victory over Alabama State on Friday at ASU Stadium.

Bama State falls to a 1-2 hole in the SWAC East behind Jackson State, Bethune-Cookman, Alabama A&M, and Mississippi Valley State for postseason contention; Florida A&M is suspended from the 2026 postseason.

The Hornets suffer another Homecoming loss to the Rattlers as they did two seasons ago.

Florida A&M trailed 27-14 after Andrew Abu-Akel's 32-yard field goal with 12:18 remaining. The Rattlers answered with two touchdown drives that required just five plays and consumed a combined 2 minutes, 31 seconds.

Burris finished with four catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns. Parker completed 13 of 20 passes for 290 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He added 49 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries.

Parker completed all three of his fourth-quarter passes, including the two scoring strikes to Burris.

FAMU Spoils Alabama State's Homecoming
FAMU Spoils Alabama State's Homecoming | SWAC

Two Throws, 177 Yards

A holding penalty and a 3-yard loss left Florida A&M facing second-and-23 at its own 12. Parker found Burris deep over the middle at the Alabama State 46, and the receiver raced the rest of the way for an 88-yard touchdown with 11:13 remaining.

Nehemiah Hixon blocked Gabriel Caison's extra-point attempt, preserving Alabama State's 27-20 lead.

After an Alabama State punt, another holding penalty pushed Florida A&M back to its own 8. Two Parker runs netted 3 yards, leaving the Rattlers facing third-and-7.

Parker climbed the pocket to locate Burris again for a deep pass down the left side. Burris caught the pass in stride at the Alabama State 45 and finished an 89-yard touchdown with 6:03 left.

Parker rolled out to his right, then connected with Tamez Young alone in the endzone to his left for the two-point conversion, putting Florida A&M ahead 28-27.

Defense and Special Teams Close It Out

Alabama State reached its own 49 on the next possession, aided by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Florida A&M kicker Emilio Bacardi. On fourth-and-1, Justin Bostic stopped quarterback Aaron Frye for no gain, giving the Rattlers possession with 4:07 remaining.

Florida A&M lost 9 yards on its next series, but Bobby Engstler's 51-yard punt pinned Alabama State at its own 7. Jaden Desir downed the kick.

Two plays later, Andre Powell Jr. forced a fumble by Jamarie Hostzclaw, and Caden Brown recovered at the Alabama State 15 with 1:35 left. It's the same fate the Hornets faced against Bethune-Cookman in Week 5.

Still, the Rattlers could not put the game away. Alabama State stopped Jamal Hailey for no gain on fourth-and-4 at the 9, taking over with 32 seconds remaining.

Frye completed a 20-yard pass to Israel Tate. A 5-yard illegal substitution penalty against Florida A&M helped move the Hornets closer before Frye found Kareem Keye for 29 yards. Frye then ran 7 yards to the Florida A&M 30, setting up Abu-Akel's potential game-winning kick.

Davis blocked the 47-yard attempt on the final play to preserve the comeback.

Hornets Controlled the Clock, But Special Teams Faltered

Alabama State held the ball for 37:39 and ran 70 plays to Florida A&M's 43. The Hornets rushed for 274 yards on 54 attempts and converted seven of 13 third downs.

Florida A&M finished with a 386-381 advantage in total offense and averaged 9 yards per play.

  • Alabama State rushing: Hostzclaw led the Hornets with 128 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. Frye added 76 yards on 11 carries, and Jareese Howard gained 46 yards on 10 attempts.
  • Alabama State passing: Frye completed 10 of 15 passes for 107 yards and an interception.
  • Florida A&M defense: Denzel Johnson led the Rattlers with 10 tackles, followed by Bostic with seven and Anthony Baxter with five.
  • Alabama State defense: Mitchell Robinson Jr. led the Hornets with nine tackles.
  • Special Teams errors: FAMU – 1 blocked field goal; ASU – 1 missed, 1 blocked, 2 successful
  • Penalties: Both teams committed eight. Florida A&M was assessed 68 penalty yards and Alabama State 79.
  • Attendance: The announced crowd was 16,994.

Next up

With games on Saturday, Oct. 17: Alabama State travels to Pine Bluff for a 2:00 PM CT meeting with UAPB. Florida A&m will meet Jackson State at The Vet for a 2:00 PM CT kickoff.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/hbcu as Florida A&M Spoils Alabama State's Homecoming With Fourth-Quarter Rally, 28-27.

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