Alabama A&M wins SWAC title, 40-33

LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI – Alabama A&M battled back from a 26-18 halftime deficit to take the lead but had to ward off a late Arkansas-Pine Bluff rally to come away with a down to-the-wire 40-33 win in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Alabama A&M quarterback Aqeel Glass threw three touchdown passes, two in the second half, as the East Division champion Bulldogs (5- 0) staged their comeback. His final scoring toss found Zabrian Moore from 13 yards out to put the Bulldogs up 40-26 with 7:16 left.

But West Division champ UAPB (4-1), who had been shutout in the second half, rallied late behind quarterback Skyler Perry whose 11- yard touchdown pass to Josh Wilkes with 2:30 to play at the end of an 11-play, 72-yard drive pulled the Golden Lions within 40-33.

Eschewing an onsides kick, UAPB kicked the ball off hoping its defense could get a stop and give them another possession. That’s exactly what happened as they forced an A&M threeand-out and got the ball back after a punt at the A&M 44-yard line with just :37 seconds left.

They got off five plays and penetrated to the A&M 22 before Perry was picked off in the A&M endzone by Bulldogs’ defensive back Trenton McGhee with just six ticks left.

The championship game win, coming in an unprecedented and unpredictable spring season of SWAC football brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, is the first for the Bulldogs since the 2006 season and first for third-year head coach Connell Maynor. It’s also the first time the Bulldogs have prevailed as the final No. 1 team in the BCSP ranking.

“It was a great football game,” Maynor said in the postgame press conference. “You have to take your hats off to (UAPB) Coach (Doc) Gamble. His kids were ready to play from the opening kickoff.

“The first half score really wasn’t indicative of the what the game was like because they scored on a kickoff return and a scoop-andscore. They scored 26 points but our defense only gave up 12 points in the first half.

“We just had to calm the offense down and get Aqeel to make a few more throws. That’s what we did in the second half and we made just one more play.”

A&M forced a three-and-out on UAPB’s opening possession of the third quarter and methodically marched 79 yards in 12 plays capped by Glass’s 7-yard pass over the middle to tight end Anthony Howard. Corey Spencer’s PAT cut the deficit to 26-25 with eight minutes left in the quarter.

UAPB speedster Tylin Ralph returned the ensuing kickoff to near midfield but the Golden Lions got off only five plays before punting into the end zone.

In hurry-up mode, Glass needed only eight plays to cover the 80 yards as he hit Abdul-Fattai Ibrahim for 18 yards and wide-open tight end Kendric Johnson for 35 yards. Running back Gary Quarles finished off the drive with a 3-yard run. After the PAT, A&M had its first sec Alabama A&M wins SWAC title, 40-33 second-half lead at 32-26 with a little over a minute left in the period.

Glass’s scoring pass to Moore with 7:16 left set up the final heroics.

Glass, who had a big 15-yard run on 3rdand-10 in the game-winning drive, finished 24 of 45 for 271 passing yards and the three scores to win the game’s MVP award. He was also the league’s offensive player of the year this season.

Perry finished 23 of 36 for 231 yards and one TD but was picked off three times, twice in the second half. Dejuan Miller led UAPB receivers with six catches for 69 yards. Perry also was the leading rusher with 71 yards on 16 carries. He was sacked twice. Defensive end Isaac Peppers had two sacks of Glass.

Quarles ran for 69 yards on 23 carries to lead the A&M ground attack. Moore hauled in five passes for 111 yards and two scores. Defensive end Marcus Cushine had both sacks of Perry.

The game started off like the shootout most had predicted from the high-scoring teams as each scored on its first two possessions.

Glass hit Moore on a 54-yard pass on the game’s first play from scrimmage. The drive stalled and the Bulldogs settled for a 29-yard Spencer field goal and a 3-0 lead with less than three minutes gone in the game.

UAPB answered as Wilkes returned the ensuing kickoff to the A&M 46. He later hauled in an 18-yard pass down to the A&M 4. Running back Mattias Clark took it in from there completing a seven-play drive to put the Golden Lions up 7-3 after the PAT with 10:24 left in the first period.

A&M came right back, driving 75 yards in eight plays to score as Glass lofted a perfectly thrown pass to Moore who hauled in an over the shoulder 30-yard reception in the corner of the left endzone. After Spencer’s PAT, A&M led 10-7 with 7:38 left in the period.

On the ensuing kickoff, Ralph hauled it in at his own 19 and sprinted straight up the field cutting it back before taking it to the house. After Zack Piwniczka’s PAT, UAPB was up 14-10 with 7:26 left in the opening period.

It was in the second quarter where the offenses started to sputter and the defenses made some plays.

A&M defensive back Quintravis Kelly picked off Perry early in the period returning the ball to the UAPB 43. Nine plays later, Quarles took it in from three yards away as A&M went back up 16-14. Spencer’s PAT attempt was blocked.

After the kickoff, UAPB drove 71 yards in nine plays to score. The big plays were a 31-yard completion from Perry to Harry Ballard IIII and a 24-yard hookup with Miller. Back-up QB Taylor Holston came in after Perry had to sit out a play for taking off his helmet and promptly hit Miller on a 5-yard score to put UAPB up 20-16. But Piwniczka’s PAT was blocked with A&M’s Ja’Maria Green picking it up and going the other way for two points. A&M was still down 20-18 but was receiving the ensuing kickoff.

On third down on the ensuing drive, UAPB sophomore defensive back Chris Newton blitzed up the middle, hit Glass and caused a fumble that linebacker Kolby Watts scooped up and rambled 33 yards to paydirt. UAPB’s two point run attempt failed leaving the Lions up 26- 18.

The teams exchanged punts and turnovers but went into the half with that score. Ralph fumbled on a reverse at the A&M 13 with Eli Jackson recovering and Glass gave it right back four plays later on an interception by UAPB safety Jalon Thigpen.

For the half, Glass was 13 of 27 for 162 yards, one TD and the late pick. Moore led the receivers with 98 yards on four catches with one score. Quarles had 41 yards on 11 carries with one score. Cushine had his two sacks.

Perry was 9 of 12 for 116 yards and one pick. Miller led the receivers with four catches for 48 yards and one score.