Alabama State and Auburn to meet for first time in school history

MONTGOMERY, Alabama | Two schools separated by less than 60 miles and have been playing football for a combined 245 years, will meet for the first time Saturday when Alabama State travels to Auburn to face the nationally-ranked Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The game kicks at 6:39 pm (cst) on the SEC Network Alternate Channel, and can also be heard on the Hornet Sports Network.



The contest will feature a pair of undefeated teams with Alabama State (1-0) entering the contest after a 26-20 overtime victory over Tuskegee at ASU Stadium last weekend. The Hornets used a pair of big plays to go with the game-ending 30-yard run by Ezra Gray in overtime to defeat the Golden Tigers for the first time since 2011.

Gray, who was named the SWAC Specialist of the Week, returned three kicks for nearly a 40-yard average and rushed for 60 yards in the win. Meanwhile, quarterback Darryl Pearson, Jr. finished the night with a career-high 164 yards passing and sent the game into overtime with a nine-yard touchdown run with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

Pearson connected with eight difference receivers in the contest, with six of those catching multiple passes.

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• LIVE STATS
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• PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES (.PDF)

Defensively, Alabama State forced two turnovers – both interceptions – and on special teams blocked two kick attempts by Tuskegee. The Hornets got blocked kicks from Ricky Haley and Christian Clark, both on the interior of the line of scrimmage. Both, Darron Johnson (first career interception) and Dennis Roberts IV picked off passes from the Golden Tigers to preserve the victory.

Kurron Ramsey led the defense with 14 total tackles on the day, while Joshua Hill added 11. Roberts and Johnson finished with nine and eight tackles respectively. The Hornets recorded 12 tackles for loss and one sack in the victory.

Meanwhile, seventh-ranked Auburn (1-0) moved up in the latest AP rankings after their 21-16 victory over Washington in Atlanta last Saturday. The Tigers racked up 420 yards of total offense against the Huskies that included 273 yards passing from quarterback Jarrett Stidham to nine different receivers. The Tigers also rushed 169 yards as a team, with 83 of those coming from Kam Martin.

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