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

Florida A&M spoils Alabama State's homecoming 28-27 behind two long Parker-to-Burris touchdowns and a blocked field goal on the final play.
Kyle Mosley|
FAMU Spoils Alabama State's Homecoming
FAMU Spoils Alabama State's Homecoming | SWAC

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Alabama State HornetsFlorida A&M Rattlers

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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Kyle T. Mosley
KYLE MOSLEY

I am Kyle T. Mosley, the Founder, Managing Editor, and Chief Reporter for the HBCU Legends. Former founder and publisher of the Saints News Network, and Pelicans Scoop on SI since October 2019.  Morehouse Alum, McDonogh #35 Roneagles (NOLA), Drum Major of the Tenacious Four.  My Father, Mother, Grandmother, Aunts and Uncles were HBCU graduates! Host of "Blow the Whistle" HBCU Legends, "The Quad" with Coach Steward, and "Bayou Blitz" Podcasts. Radio/Media Appearances:  WWL AM/FM Radio in New Orleans (Mike Detillier/Bobby Hebert),  KCOH AM 1230 in Houston (Ralph Cooper), WBOK AM in New Orleans (Reggie Flood/Ro Brown), and 103.7FM "The Game" (Jordy Hultberg/Clint Domingue), College Kickoff Unlimited (Emory Hunt), Jeff Lightsly Show, and Offscript TV on YouTube. Television Appearance: Fox26 in Houston on The Isiah Carey Factor, College Kickoff Unlimited (Emory Hunt). My Notable Interviews:  Byron Allen (Media Mogul), Deion Sanders (Collegiate Head Coach), Drew Brees (Former NFL QB), Mark Ingram (NFL RB), Terron Armstead (NFL OL), Jameis Winston (NFL QB), Cam Newton (NFL QB), Cam Jordan (NFL), Demario Davis (NFL), Allan Houston (NBA All-Star), Deuce McAllister (Former NFL RB), Chennis Berry (Collegiate Head Coach), Johnny Jones (Collegiate Head Coach), Tomekia Reed (Women's Basketball Coach), Chennis Berry (South Carolina State - HBCU Champions), Tremaine Jackson (Collegiate Head Coach), Curtis Symonds (President - HBCU GO), Jay Walker (ESPN), Tiffany Greene (ESPN), Taylor Rooks (NBA Reporter), Swin Cash (Former VP of Basketball - New Orleans Pelicans), Demario and Tamala Davis (NFL Player), Jerry Rice (Hall of Famer), Doug Williams (HBCU & NFL Legend), Emmitt Smith (Hall of Famer), James "Shack" Harris (HBCU & NFL Legend), Cris Carter (Hall of Famer), Solomon Wilcots (SiriusXM NFL Host), Steve Wyche (NFL Network), Jim Trotter (NFL Network), Travis Williams (Founder of HBCU All-Stars, LLC), Malcolm Jenkins (NFL Player), Willie Roaf (NFL Hall of Fame), Jim Everett (Former NFL Player), Quinn Early (Former NFL Player), Dr. Reef (NFL Players' Trainer Specialist), Nataria Holloway (VP of the NFL). I am building a new team of journalists, podcasters, videographers, and interns.  For media requests, interviews, or interest in joining HBCU Legends, please contact me at kmosley@hbcusi.com. Follow me:

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