Late night at Center Parc Stadium was worth the wait for the Alabama State football team and first-year head coach Eddie Robinson as the Hornets opened the 2022 season with a 23-13 victory over Howard.
Weather postponed the start of Saturday's MEAC-SWAC Challenge Kickoff between Alabama State and Howard for more than 90 minutes and ended it at 1:38 EST with 2:12 still on the clock. The teams waited out long delays in the first quarter and late in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the weather couldn't stop the Hornets from delivering Robinson's first college victory.
Alabama State quarterback Dematrius Davis threw for 186 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Hornets also got rushing touchdowns by Jacory Merritt and Ja'Won Howell.
The Hornets' best drive came late in the third quarter when they marched 99 yards on nine plays. The big play was a 61-yard pass from backup quarterback Myles Crawley to Isaiah Scott. Two plays later, Merritt skirted around the right side and outran the defense to complete a 21-yard scoring run that gave Alabama State a 20-6 lead.
Keenan Isaac had seven tackles, and Adrian Maddox had six tackles and an interception for the Hornets.
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