Ground Games Power SWAC’s Biggest Wins as Conference Play Nears
Southern, Bethune-Cookman, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff combined for more than 1,200 rushing yards as SWAC teams produced five victories during a high-scoring weekend.
The Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Week Three schedule belonged to the running backs.
Southern University, Bethune-Cookman and Arkansas-Pine Bluff overwhelmed their opponents on the ground Saturday, while Alabama A&M and Jackson State delivered dominant all-around performances. The five victories gave the conference momentum before several programs turn their attention to SWAC competition.
Southern’s Trey Holly delivered one of the weekend’s most impressive individual performances, rushing for 200 yards and two touchdowns as the Jaguars defeated Louisiana Christian 50-31 at A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge.
Holly scored on runs of 2 and 69 yards during a 21-point first quarter. Mike Franklin added 130 rushing yards, helping Southern finish with 367 yards on the ground and 539 yards of total offense. The Jaguars led 30-10 at halftime and improved to 2-2. Holly entered the game with 141 rushing yards through Southern’s first three contests but surpassed that total in one night.
Southern will face Jackson State next in one of the season’s most anticipated early conference matchups.
Jackson State prepared for that showdown by pulling away from Tuskegee for a 41-7 victory. Quarterback Jared Lockhart passed for 376 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, while Nate Blount IV rushed for 108 yards and added 41 receiving yards.
The Tigers outgained Tuskegee 492-198 and held the Golden Tigers to only 35 rushing yards on 34 attempts. Jackson State’s defense forced two turnovers, recorded four sacks and closed the scoring when Keith Bass Jr. recovered a fumble in the end zone.
Bethune-Cookman posted the weekend’s largest margin of victory, crushing Virginia University of Lynchburg 62-3 at Daytona Stadium.
The Wildcats rushed for 530 yards and seven touchdowns while producing 655 yards of total offense. Isaiah Daniel rushed for 131 yards, Gerian Traynor added 124 and Rashon Brown finished with 108 yards and three touchdowns.
Bethune-Cookman also scored on Sam McCall’s 44-yard interception return. The Wildcats recorded 38 first downs, converted eight of 11 third-down attempts and limited Virginia-Lynchburg to 159 total yards. The victory improved Bethune-Cookman to 2-1.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff produced another major rushing performance, gaining 315 yards on the ground and 502 overall in a 41-35 victory over Central State.
Five Golden Lions scored touchdowns as UAPB built a 34-7 third-quarter lead. Central State rallied with 22 points in the fourth quarter, but the Golden Lions survived the late surge to improve to 2-2. UAPB averaged 8.7 yards per play in its home opener.
Alabama A&M entered conference play with a 3-1 record after dismantling Bowie State 45-3.
Cornelious Brown IV completed 25 of 32 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Jordan Chambers-Smith caught seven passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bulldogs finished with 538 yards of offense and held Bowie State to seven passing yards. Jeremiah Hudson-Davis supplied the final touchdown with an 82-yard return after a blocked field-goal attempt, Alabama A&M’s first blocked field goal returned for a score since 2005. The game was delayed 70 minutes because of lightning.
Fourth-Quarter Swing Costs Florida A&M
Florida A&M came within minutes of securing another SWAC victory, but a blocked extra point changed the direction of its game against Tennessee State.
The Rattlers took a 26-20 lead when Armond Parker connected with Jaquan Lee for an 80-yard touchdown with 5:12 remaining. Tennessee State blocked the extra point, however, and Syncere Safeeullah returned the ball 97 yards for two points, cutting FAMU’s advantage to 26-24.
Tennessee State then completed the comeback to win 29-26 after scoring nine unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
Florida A&M outgained the Tigers 449-390 but was hurt by the blocked kick, an interception returned 61 yards for a touchdown and a late fumble. The Rattlers fell to 1-3 and will host Alabama A&M in their next game.
Alcorn Rally Falls Short
Alcorn State erased much of an early 14-point deficit but could not finish its comeback in a 38-20 loss to North Alabama.
Fredrick Robertson scored on a 22-yard run, and Jaylon Tolbert connected with Tyree Kelly for an 18-yard touchdown that pulled the Braves within 21-14 before halftime. A third-quarter field goal cut North Alabama’s lead to 21-17.
North Alabama regained control with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Tolbert passed for 270 yards as Alcorn fell to 2-2 in the first meeting between the programs. The contest was also the first football game played at North Alabama’s new on-campus Bank Independent Stadium.
Mississippi Valley State fell to Delta State 21-6, while Prairie View A&M lost to Stephen F. Austin 31-10.
Alabama State, Texas Southern and Grambling State did not play.
SWAC Week Three Final Scores
- Bethune-Cookman 62, Virginia-Lynchburg 3
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff 41, Central State 35
- North Alabama 38, Alcorn State 20
- Southern 50, Louisiana Christian 31
- Delta State 21, Mississippi Valley State 6
- Alabama A&M 45, Bowie State 3
- Jackson State 41, Tuskegee 7
- Tennessee State 29, Florida A&M 26
- Stephen F. Austin 31, Prairie View A&M 10
The weekend’s results set up two notable conference matchups: Southern at Jackson State and Alabama A&M at Florida A&M. After a Saturday dominated by explosive offense, those games should provide an early indication of which teams are prepared to contend for SWAC divisional championships.
Weekly Press Sports: Return each week to The Weekly Press for final SWAC football scores, game highlights and developing conference storylines.
