Game Day Preview: Alabama State at Southern

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1. Heavyweight battle: Alabama State took a tough 21-18 defeat at the hands of two-time defending SWAC champion Alcorn State last Saturday. Jenkins compared Saturday’s game to a heavyweight title fight from yesteryear. “It was an Ali-Frazier type event,” Jenkins said. “We went back-and-forth, and Alcorn deserves to be called the champions. They found a way to make a play when it was needed.” Alabama State is off to a 0-2 start for the second straight season and for the third time in four years.

2. Business as usual: Alabama State linebacker and reigning SWAC Defensive Player of the Year Kourtney Berry made his season debut last Saturday and picked up where he left off. Berry finished with 10 tackles and two forced fumbles against the Braves. Jenkins said Berry’s performance came as no surprise to him. “He did as he always does,” Jenkins said. “Kourtney has a certain level of play that he expects from himself and he did exactly what we needed him to do.”

3. Going deep: One area that Alabama State has struggled with early this season has been getting big plays in the passing game. So far, both ASU quarterbacks have a combined 211 passing yards. “It’s definitely an area where we need to upgrade our performance,” Jenkins said. “We’ll continue to work on things to get better. We feel that we can throw the ball pretty well.” Last week against Alcorn State, the Hornets only gained 69 yards through the air.

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