In a game that started out as a defensive battle, Alabama State triumphed over Alabama A&M in the Magic City Classic, 31-16. The Alabama A&M Bulldogs, best known for their offensive firepower, could not move the ball effectively against the Hornets, especially in the second half.

This year was the 87th meeting between Alabama State and Alabama A&M. The schools created the Magic City Classic a few years later; this iteration marks the 82nd Classic. Last season, Alabama State won a 24-17 nail-biter as the Bulldogs ran out of time in regulation.

Despite the final score, offense was hard to come by for both teams for much of the first half. They both took turns punting the ball back and forth, even though the Bulldogs entered the game with the second best offense in the SWAC.

The Hornets finally broke the ice with a punt return touchdown. Receiver Robert McMinn shot out of a cannon the second he caught the ball, returning it for a 48-yard touchdown to get a 7-0 lead.

The Bulldogs could not respond and punted it back to the Hornets. Their drive stalled too, put on the punt, the ball flew over the punter's head. He recovered the football but got drilled by Alabama A&M's front line, coughing it up. A&M picked up the fumble and took the ball down to the one-yard line.

The Bulldogs almost squandered the golden opportunity, as a set of repeated runs did not result in a touchdown. Fortunately for them, the Hornets gave their opponent a fresh set of downs due to a penalty. Finally, after multiple attempts, quarterback Xavier Lankford punched in the rushing touchdown to tie the game.

For basically the rest of the first and second quarters, the Alabama HBCUs took turns punting the ball back and forth. Alabama State couldn't get anything going in the passing game. Meanwhile, their defense did an excellent job bottling up Lankford's runs, which is the spine of Alabama A&M's offense.

After an A&M punt, Hornet quarterback Damon Stewart found his receiver Kisean Johnson for a completion to get inside the red zone. The pressure from the Bulldogs killed the possession, but they were able to take the lead with a field goal.

On the final possession of the half, Alabama A&M started to gain some offensive momentum. On a fourth-and-four with just 19 seconds left, Lankford found receiver Terrell Gardner for a huge completion. Gardner caught the ball, shook his defender, and ran for a 39-yard touchdown to close the quarter.

Or so they thought. With only seconds remaining, the Bulldog defense collapsed in on itself. They allowed Johnson to shake loose for a 47-yard Hail Mary, giving the Hornets the 17-14 lead at the half.

To start the third quarter, A&M linebacker Xavier Billingsley made a statement. Stewart made a completion to his receiver Isaiah Scott. Scott tried to turn up field, but Billingsley snatched the ball right out of his hands.

Though the Bulldog defense held up somewhat, the offense could not find its footing. That was in part, again, due to the lack of success on quarterback runs for Xavier Lankford. The Hornets made it a point to make Lankford a pure pocket passer. In some instances, they got burned, but the Bulldogs did not score another touchdown in the second half.

Even with the strip fumble from Billingsley, Alabama A&M could not move the ball. On third down and pressure screaming at him, Lankford kept backing up and eventually got sacked.

The Bulldogs set up for a field goal, but they didn't block it well enough. The Hornets swarmed the placekicker and swatted the ball in the air. James Burgess, a cornerback, picked up the ball and got a 53-yard touchdown return to get a commanding 24-14 lead.

The score remained at 24-14 for a while. Lankford had some successes through the air, but the Bulldogs were not consistent enough to threaten the red zone. They also got very little production from running back Donovan Eaglin, another pillar of their offensive assault.

Alabama State had an opportunity in the fourth quarter to put the game away. After an interception from Lankford, they drove the ball close to the red zone, but the drive fell apart. They settled for a field goal that flew wide left of the goal post.

In Alabama A&M's last gasp for hope, they actually got some momentum. They moved the ball across the 50-yard line and got somewhat deep into Hornet territory when disaster struck. On a second-and-five, Lankford took a quarterback run and got hammered, coughing up the ball. The Hornets retrieved the fumble and completely iced the game.

On a play-action pass, the Bulldogs dialed up the right defense: they sent pressure after Stewart. Stewart, however, was light on his feet, dodging defenders and directing downfield traffic. He found tight end McRae Errington for a 30-yard bomb to get the Hornets deep into the red zone. On the next play, running back Ja'Won Howell got the Hornets' lone rushing touchdown, extending their lead to 31-14.

Surprisingly, Alabama A&M's offense got down to the goal line off of three big catches by receiver Jacolby Hewitt. With time burning off the clock, they nearly scored a third touchdown, but Hewitt was deemed short of the goal. With only a minute remaining, the Hornets swatted Lankford's final passing attempt, sealing the victory in spite of the safety (that the Hornets took willingly to burn the rest of the clock).

Damon Stewart had a very good, clean game. He completed 17 of his 23 passing attempts for 202 yards and a touchdown. Kisean Johnson and AJ Gates led their receiving room with four receptions each, although Johnson had 82 yards and a touchdown to go with it. Ja'Won Howell led all rushers with 52 yards on just nine carries.

Xavier Lankford, meanwhile, did not have such a clean game. He barely completed over 50% of his passing attempts, going 22-40 for 231 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He led the Bulldogs in rushing as well, taking 14 carries to gain 26 yards and a touchdown. Donovan Eaglin did next to nothing on his seven carries, which resulted in just 21 yards. Terrell Gardner and Jacolby Hewitt led A&M's receiving corps. Gardner has six catches for 86 yards, while Hewitt brought in five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.

At 4-3, the Hornets stay at home to face Grambling State in the Port City Classic next week.

The Bulldogs, now 4-4, return to home next week to face the scorching 7-1 Florida A&M Rattlers.