Alabama A&M celebrated homecoming with the Bulldogs' first victory of the season. Sophomore running back Donovan Eaglin compiled more than 200 yards in offense in the 35-27 win over Bethune-Cookman in front of a crowd of more than 18,000 at Lewis Crews Stadium.

The 5-foot-11, 226-pound Eaglin, a Houston native, who is a transfer from Michigan State, had 190 rushing yards on 27 carries with touchdown runs of 7 and 6 yards and had two catches for 12 yards with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Quarterback Xavier Lankford. His touchdown catch gave the Bulldogs a 35-20 lead with 8:20 left in the game.

The Bulldogs rushed for 255 yards on 50 carries as a team. Lankford was 16 of 25 for 204 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

Defensively, the Bulldogs shut down the running game. Bethune-Cookman had 84 yards on 24 carries. However, Alabama A&M had trouble stopping the pass. Bethune-Cookman quarterback Jalon Jones was 24 of 38 for 353 yards with a touchdown. He was sacked three times.

SAMFORD 34, FURMAN 27: Senior running back Jaylan Thomas took advantage of his opportunities, rushing for 104 yards and scoring three touchdowns on just five carries. His touchdown runs came from 28, 14 and 44 yards, with the last one coming in the third quarter when Samford extended a 20-17 halftime lead with 14 unanswered points.

“I am extremely excited, of course, to beat a team like Furman at their place is a very special feeling," said Samford head coach Chris Hatcher, whose team improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Southern Conference. "I thought they are probably the best team, outside of Georgia, that we've played this year. 

Furman (3-2, 1-1) had 427 yards in offense, did not commit a turnover and scored on all five of its red zone possessions. But the opportunistic Samford offense made enough big plays to pull out the victory.

Samford quarterback Michael Hiers was 29 of 38 for 228 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He was sacked five times. His touchdown passes went to Jay Stanton (36 yards) and JR Tran-Reno (6 yards). The touchdown pass to Tran-Reno extended the Bulldogs' lead to 34-17 late in the third quarter.

Wide receiver Chandler Smith caught 11 passes for 83 yards. Linebacker Nathan East had 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.  

HUNTINGDON 42, MARYVILLE 28: Maryville (1-4 overall, 1-1 USA South) scored all its points in the first half, building a two-touchdown lead at halftime. Quarterback Landon Cotney led the comeback for the Hawks.

Cotney threw a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter, connecting with Kahari McReynolds from 40 yards and Conner Bradford from 50 yards. Cotney scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 8-yard run with 7:17 left in the game. The Hawks (4-1, 2-0) sealed the win on a 3-yard run by Troy Garner with 4:45 left.

Casey Peppers had nine tackles and a sack. Fellow linebacker Tucker Spence had nine tackles and an interception.

FAULKNER 49, CAMPBELLSVILLE 17: Styles Hughes scored four rushing touchdowns, and Jaiveyon Tucker caught three touchdown passes in the dominating victory for the Eagles (3-2 overall, 2-1 MSC). The Eagles scored 42 points in the second and third quarters.

Faulkner quarterback Ben Anderson was 13 of 20 for 211 yards with three touchdowns.

ALBANY STATE 20, MILES COLLEGE 3: Miles College (1-4 overall, 1-1 SIAC) managed just 153 yards in offense against a stingy Albany State defense. Albany State’s Jaree Turner opened the scoring with a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown, and the Golden Rams (4-1, 2-0) never trailed.  

WEST ALABAMA 37, SHORTER 14: The Tigers (3-2 overall, 1-1 GSC) turned a close game into a blowout with a strong second half. West Alabama has won all 11 meetings against Shorter (2-3, 0-2).

The Tigers rushed for 338 yards and four touchdowns behind running backs Bry Webb 15 carries for 164 yards, two touchdowns), Demetrius Battle (18 carries for 84 yards, touchdown) and Antonio Brown (10 carries for 84 yards, touchdown). West Alabama limited Shorter to 215 yards and 2 of 18 on third down. The Tigers also had six sacks, with Davonchae Bryant collecting 2.5 sacks.

TUSKEGEE 45, CLARK ATLANTA 43 (2 OTs): A wild game that included 934 yards and 88 points came down to a pair of two-point conversions in the second overtime. Tuskegee (3-2, 2-0 SIAC) stopped a two-point conversion attempted pass by Clark Atlanta in the opening possession of the second overtime. The Golden Tigers scored on a 10-yard pass from Malik Davis to Corey Petty, and Bryson Williams ran for the game-winning two-point conversion.

Tuskegee piled up 578 yards but had to dig out of a 10-point hole in the fourth quarter. Clark Atlanta (1-4, 1-3) took a 30-20 lead on a 1-yard run by Shariff Brown with 10:48 left in the game. The Golden Tigers scored the final 10 points of regulation on a 6-yard run by Donte Edwards and a game-tying 24-yard field goal by Ames Huskic with eight seconds remaining.

SOUTH ALABAMA 20, LOUISIANA 17: Diego Guajardo nailed a 43-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Jaguars to an emotional and important Sun Belt victory over a previous nemesis. The game-winning field goal came at the end of a gut check drive that began with 42 seconds remaining.

“He is a rock star. That whole crew – Travis Drosos and Jack Brooks – they have a special thing, and they expect to be in those moments,” said South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack. “He wants to be in those moments. He said coach get the ball on the 40, and I told him we were going to get him closer than that.”

South Alabama jump-started the game-winning drive with a 21-yard third-down run by La’Damian Webb. The final play of the drive was a critical 17-yard pass from Carter Bradley to Jalen Wayne.

“What a (great) play by Jalen Wayne in that moment. This is [how] programs are made,” Wommack said. “You got to have these types of games, and I hope we learn from it and do it over and over again. You have to find a way to respond. It’s a fun time to be in Mobile and a great time to be at South Alabama.”

ALABAMA STATE 16, TEXAS SOUTHERN 13: The second half was winning time for the Hornets (3-2, 1-1) in a SWAC victory on the road. The winning touchdown came on a 2-yard run by Ja’Won Howell with 7:27 left in the game. The score came at the end of a six-play, 39-yard drive that was set up when defensive lineman Brandon Gaddy forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Demaurez Bellamy.

The Alabama State defense was sensational in the second half, allowing 112 yards after halftime, including minus-9 yards rushing and 46 yards passing in the fourth quarter.

Alabama State rushed for 225 yards, with Santo Dunn rushing for 101 yards on 15 carries and Howell gaining 75 yards on 16 carries.

BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN 24, BERRY COLLEGE 10: The Panthers scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to emerge with an SAA victory. The Panthers took a 17-10 lead on a 25-yard pass from Matt McClary to Branden Rew early in the second half and iced the game with Jon Lewis’ 36-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes left in the game.

To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.

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