2021 Alabama State Hornets football team

2021 Alabama State Hornets football
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Division	East Division
Record	5–6 (3–5 SWAC)
Head coach	Donald Hill-Eley (4th season; first 7 games) Travis Pearson (interim, final 4 games)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Blackwell (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Travis Pearson (2nd season)
Home stadium	New ASU Stadium
Seasons ←  2020 2022  →

2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 22 Jackson State x$		8	–	0					11	–	2
No. 25 Florida A&M ^		7	–	1					9	–	3
Alabama A&M		5	–	3					7	–	3
Mississippi Valley State		3	–	5					4	–	7
Alabama State		3	–	5					5	–	6
Bethune–Cookman		2	–	6					2	–	9
West Division
Prairie View A&M x		6	–	2					7	–	5
Alcorn State		5	–	3					6	–	5
Grambling State		3	–	5					4	–	7
Southern		3	–	5					4	–	7
Texas Southern		2	–	6					2	–	8
Arkansas–Pine Bluff		1	–	7					2	–	9
Championship: Jackson State 27, Prairie View A&M 10
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2021 Alabama State Hornets football team represented Alabama State University as a member of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Hornets were led by fourth-year head coach Donald Hill-Eley for the first seven games of the season before he was fired on November 1. ^[1] The team's defensive coordinator, Travis Pearson, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Alabama State compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 3–4 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the SWAC East Division. The team played home games at New ASU Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	5:00 p.m.	Miles *	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL		W 14–13 OT	12,876
September 11	11:00 a.m.	at No. 25 (FBS) Auburn *	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	SECN	L 0–62	82,745
September 25	5:00 p.m.	Bethune–Cookman	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL	ESPN3	W 38–24	9,450
October 2	5:00 p.m.	at Florida A&M	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN+	L 0–28	21,087
October 9	2:00 p.m.	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL	Bounce/YouTube	W 35–15	12,341
October 16	2:00 p.m.	at Jackson State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	ESPN3	L 7–28	53,578
October 30	2:30 p.m.	vs. Alabama A&M	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Magic City Classic)	ESPN3	L 28–42	28,096
November 6	2:00 p.m.	at Prairie View A&M	Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field Prairie View, TX		L 20–24	6,107
November 13	1:00 p.m.	at Mississippi Valley State	Rice–Totten Stadium Itta Bena, MS	YouTube	L 31–44	2,300
November 20	2:00 p.m.	Texas Southern	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL	ESPN+	W 24–21	4,389
November 25	2:00 p.m.	Tuskegee *	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL (Turkey Day Classic)	ESPN+	W 43–9	0
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

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Game summaries

Miles

Miles at Alabama State

1 2 3 4 OT Total Golden Lions 0 0 0 7 6 13 •Hornets 7 0 0 0 7 14 Date: September 4, 2021 Location: New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL Game start: 5:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 52 minutes Game attendance: 12,876 Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: 4 mph Referee:  TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: Miles College

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Miles	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Miles	Passing	Octavious Griffin	2/6, 22 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Donte Edwards	20 carries, 107 yards
	Receiving	Marcus Lodge	1 reception, 16 yards, 1 TD
Alabama State	Passing	Ryan Nettles	19/29, 186 yards
	Rushing	Ezra Gray	10 carries, 67 yards
	Receiving	Jeremiah Hixon	8 receptions, 92 yards

At Auburn

Alabama State at Auburn

1 2 3 4 Total Hornets 0 0 0 0 0 •No. 25 Tigers 6 14 35 7 62 Date: September 11, 2021 Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL Game start: 11:00 a.m. CDT Elapsed time:  Game attendance: 82,745 Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SE 7 mph Referee: Steve Marlowe TV announcers (SEC Network):  Dave Neal (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (analyst), Andraya Carter (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Auburn Tigers football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama State	Auburn
First downs	11	22
Total yards	58–176	58–538
Rushing yards	29–46	39–364
Passing yards	130	174
Turnovers	19–29–1	11–19–0
Time of possession	32:51	27:09

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing	Ryan Nettles	19/27, 130 yds, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jacory Merritt	10 carries, 17 yds
	Receiving	Jeremiah Hixon	4 receptions, 46 yds
Auburn	Passing	Bo Nix	9/17, 108 yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jarquez Hunter	8 carries, 147 yds, 1 TD
	Receiving	Demetris Robertson	3 receptions, 61 yds, 2 TD

Bethune–Cookman

Bethune–Cookman at Alabama State

1 2 Total Wildcats 0 Hornets 0 Date: September 25, 2021 Location: New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL Game start: 5:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  Game attendance:  Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:  TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Bethune–Cookman	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Bethune–Cookman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Florida A&M

Alabama State at Florida A&M

1 2 3 4 Total Hornets 0 0 0 0 0 •Rattlers 7 14 0 7 28 Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL Game start: 5:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  Game attendance:  Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:  TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama State	Florida A&M
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Arkansas–Pine Bluff

Arkansas–Pine Bluff at Alabama State

1 2 Total Golden Lions 0 Hornets 0 Date: October 9, 2021 Location: New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  Game attendance:  Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:  TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Jackson State

Alabama State at Jackson State

1 2 Total Hornets 0 Tigers 0 Date: October 16, 2021 Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  Game attendance:  Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:  TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Jackson State Tigers football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama State	Jackson State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Vs. Alabama A&M

Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State

1 2 Total Bulldogs 0 Hornets 0 Date: October 30, 2021 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game start: TBD CDT Elapsed time:  Game attendance:  Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:  TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Alabama A&M Bulldogs football team and Magic City Classic

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama A&M	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Prairie View A&M

Alabama State at Prairie View A&M

1 2 3 4 Total Hornets 10 10 0 0 20 •Panthers 7 3 0 14 24 Date: November 6, 2021 Location: Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field Prairie View, TX Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  Game attendance:  Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:  TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Prairie View A&M	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Prairie View A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Mississippi Valley State

Mississippi Valley State at Alabama State

1 2 Total Delta Devils 0 Hornets 0 Date: November 13, 2021 Location: Rice–Totten Stadium Itta Bena, MS Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time:  Game attendance:  Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:  TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama State	Mississippi Valley State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mississippi Valley State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Texas Southern

Texas Southern at Alabama State

1 2 Total Tigers 0 Hornets 0 Date: November 20, 2021 Location: New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  Game attendance:  Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:  TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Texas Southern Tigers football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Texas Southern	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Tuskegee

Tuskegee at Alabama State

1 2 Total Golden Tigers 0 Hornets 0 Date: November 25, 2021 Location: New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL Game start: 2:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time:  Game attendance:  Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:  TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: Tuskegee Golden Tigers football and Turkey Day Classic

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Tuskegee	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tuskegee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. "Alabama State fires head football coach Donald Hill-Eley after fourth consecutive loss to rival Alabama A&M". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
2. "Alabama State Hornets Schedule 2021". ESPN . Retrieved November 1, 2022.
3. "2021 Football Schedule". Alabama State University . Retrieved November 1, 2022.