Alabama State Football and Jackson State set to battle Saturday

MONTGOMERY, Alabama | The battle for the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) East Division is picking up as the weeks count down in the 2018 season, and two of the teams battling for the crown meet Saturday afternoon at ASU Stadium.

Alabama State (3-5, 2-2 SWAC) and Jackson State (4-4, 3-2 SWAC) will face each other at 2 pm Saturday afternoon in a game shown on ESPN3. The game will be carried on the Hornet Sports Network beginning with the pregame at 1:30 pm.

Although Jackson State leads the all-time series 28-13-1, the Hornets have won the last four meetings and six of the last eight in the series. Alabama State was able to come away with a 13-3 victory last season in Jackson, however, the last three meetings have been decided by an average of just seven points per game. Dating back to 2010, only three games in the series have been decided by 10 or more points, including last season.

Alabama State enters the contest after a 30-21 victory over Texas Southern, ending a two-game losing streak for the Hornets and giving the team their second win at home on the season. The Hornets rode the arm and leg of KHA'Darris Davis, who finished with 104 yards rushing and 275 total yards of offense. He also accounted for three touchdowns on the day – one on the ground and two through the air. They also used an interception return from Joshua Hill – one of two interceptions on the day for the junior – and a safety by Trevor Goodrum to run past the visiting Tigers.

The last time Hill had multiple interceptions in a game came last season when the then-sophomore helped Alabama State pick off five Jackson State passes en route to the victory.

On the defensive side of the ball this season, Darron Johnson (61 tackles) leads the team in tackles. He, along safeties Kurron Ramsey (52) and Hill (43), have continued to lead the team in tackles. The Hornets are among the nation's best in fumbles forced and recovered this season, and have recorded 53 tackles for loss and 10 tackles as a team.

Offensively, Ezra Gray returned for the first time in two weeks against Texas Southern and caught three passes out of the backfield to lead the team alongside Jeremiah Hixon, who caught his first touchdown pass in his career. Wallace Corker leads the team in receiving this season with 17 receptions, while Tyrek Allen leads the team in big-play receptions with three touchdowns over 65 yards.

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