'Bama State gets sweet revenge
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
Alabama State head football coach Charles Coe had done just about everything in his two years leading the Hornets, except beat Southern. That changed Saturday.
Coe's East Division champion Hornets (10-2)
got his first victory in four tries against the
defending champion Jaguars with a tense, 40-35
come-from-behind win in the sixth SWAC Championship
Game before a crowd of over 22,000 at Birmingham's
Legion Field. It was the East Division's first win since
the Championship Game was instituted in 1999.
"I don't know if getting the monkey off our back is the right phrase but we knew we had to beat Southern to get over the hump and we finally got it done," said a jubilant Coe, who lost last year's championship game to Southern, 20-9, and lost a heart-breaking 42-41 decision to the Jags on the last play of the game earlier this season.
"The two years I've had the pleasure and privilege of coaching these guys has been a blessing for me," said Coe, who was an emergency fix for the Hornets' program in August 2003 amidst a host of turmoil. He was named interim coach then and had that title removed after winning last year's E. Div. title.
"To see where these guys have come from, what has transpired in their lives and in this football program in the last two years for these guys to persevere and come out like this makes me very happy for them and the entire Alabama State family."
Inspired second-half performances from ASU quarterback Tavaris Jackson (34-17-1, 275 yds., 15 car., 103 yds., 1 TD) and star running back Keldrick Williams (19 car., 64 yds., 4 TDs) allowed the Hornets to keep up with and finally overtake the quick-strike Jags after trailing 14-7 at the half and 21-7 early in the third period.
Jackson, who was named the game's offensive MVP, ran or passed them into scoring position and Williams finished the drives off, scoring four times in the second half on runs of 24, 1, 2 and 3 yards, the last three in the fourth quarter. Jackson also had a third-quarter two-yard scoring run.
The Hornet defense then sealed the deal picking off Southern QB Thomas Ricks (42-27-4, 380 yds., 3 TDs) in the Jags' last two possessions, their third and fourth of the day, after Williams gave them their only lead of the game on his last scoring run with 6:23 to play. The Jaguars also lost two fumbles.
"I think any time you turn the ball over six times and have the breakdowns we did defensively, you can't expect to come out on top in a game like this," said Southern coach Pete Richardson.
Ricks had short scoring runs in each of the first two quarters to stake the Jags to a two-touchdown lead. Reserve RB Robert Randolph got ASU on the board going in from two-yards out to complete a four-play, 76-yard drive 6:36 before the half.
Junior wide receiver Antonio Overstreet kept Southern in front in the second half. He opened the second half scoring with a 32-yard reception and then answered Williams' first scoring jaunt with a 26-yarder with 5:35 left in the third quarter to give the Jags a 28-14 lead.
After Jackson and Williams both scored on short runs to tie the game at 28, Overstreet scored again on a 30-yard pass with 10:58 left in the game to give Southern its last lead at 35-28.
Williams scored on a two-yard run with 9:36 left following a perfectly lofted 51-yard fade pattern from Jackson to wideout Reginald Glover. But placekicker Anthony Johnson pushed the PAT attempt wide left to leave the Hornets trailing 35-34.
The ensuing kickoff hit one of the up-men for Southern and was recovered by ASU at the Southern 48. Jackson got 14 yards on a halfback throw-back and then ran 18 yards to set the Hornets up in the red zone. Two plays later Williams scored the winning TD.
© 2004 Azeez Communications, Inc.