Alabama State defeats rival Alabama A&M 31-7 in sloppily-played Magic City Classic

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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama---Alabama State didn't play its best game by any standard Saturday.

The Hornets were penalized 16 times for 136 yards, lost the time of possession battle, missed a field goal and had another blocked.

But Alabama A&M played much worse, committing three turnovers, including an interception and two lost fumbles, one of which occurred on the 1-yard line, and ASU rolled to a 31-7 victory in the 72nd Annual State Farm Magic City Classic presented by Coca-Cola at the historic Legion Field.

It was the Hornets sixth-straight win after starting the season 0-2 and their second consecutive in the Classic, following last year's 31-13 triumph. A&M still owns the overall series 36-32-3.

"We were real sloppy today," ASU head coach Reggie Barlow said. "Defensively, we were jumping offside. Offensively, we were sputtering there but we found a way a day to make some plays."

After a scoreless first quarter, which included a missed field goal by kicker Alex Louthan, the Hornets took a double-digit lead on a pair of scores in the second.

First quarterback Daniel Duhart, returning to action after missing the Hornets' 48-42 overtime win against Prairie View A&M two weeks ago, connected with wide receiver Jarrett Neely on a 15-yard score with 11:30 to play in the second. Then he hit DeMario Bell on a fade route in 1-on-1 coverage in the corner of the end zone with 10 seconds to play before break.

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