SWAC: 2015 Alabama State Hornets Football Preview

Courtesy SWAC.org Courtesy: SWAC.org View Photo 2015 Football Preview: Alabama State Courtesy SWAC.org Mon, July 27, 2015 Brian Jenkins takes over at Alabama State where the Hornets are hoping to improve upon a 7-5, 5-4 2014 showing. Jenkins was lured to Montgomery, Alabama following a highly-successful stint at Bethune-Cookman. Under Jenkins' tutelage, the Wildcats won or shared the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title in each of his four seasons and claimed a pair of HBCU national championships. Despite the loss of running back Malcolm Cyrus (1,662 yards, 12 touchdowns), the SWAC's leading rushing and co-Offensive Player of the Year, the Hornets should continue to run the ball effectively. Senior left guard Damian Love and right tackle Jylan Ware, both of whom earned first-team All-Conference accolades last fall, are back to anchor an offensive line which helped pave the way for the nation's 12th-ranked ground attack (227.8 yards per game). Also back are junior center Kerry Williams and junior tight end Brandon Barnes. Cyrus' graduation means more opportunities for junior Khalid Thomas. Besides rushing for 545 yards and five touchdowns on 89 carries, Thomas led the conference in punt returns with an 11.4-yard average on 38 tries. At quarterback, Daniel Duhart returns for his senior season after completing 176-of-323 passes for 2,318 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Waiting in the wings is junior Quinteris Toppings. Averaging 22.3 yards per catch, junior wide receiver DeMario Bell (28 receptions, 625 yards, 4 touchdowns) emerged as a big-play threat last season. Sophomore Jamir Hannah added 26 grabs for 290 yards. Jenkins' 2014 Bethune-Cookman team led the nation in total defense (237.5 ypg) and rushing defense (79.9). At ASU, he inherits one of the SWAC's top defenses and one of the Football Conference Subdivision's premier defenders. First-team All-SWAC junior linebacker Kourtney Berry spearheads a unit which ranked No. 2 in both scoring (24.7) and rushing defense (151.1). Leading the conference in tackles for the second straight year, Berry recorded 128 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, seven quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Overall, ASU returns its top four tacklers. Among the remaining notable veterans are senior linebacker Daerius Washington (98 tackles, 15 TFL, 4 sacks), senior strong safety Najee Bright (44 tackles, 5 interceptions), junior free safety Ka'Ra Stewart (58 tackles, 5.5 TFL) and junior Torey Davis (46 tackles, 9 TFL, 4 sacks). Sophomore Preston Clark will handle the placekicking and punting assignments. ALABAMA STATE SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT TIME Sept. 6 at Tennessee State 6:00 Sept. 12 Alcorn State* 6:00 Sept. 19 Grambling State* 6:00 Sept. 26 at Mississippi Valley State* 6:00 Oct. 1 at Texas Southern* 6:30 Oct. 10 Southern* 6:00 Oct. 15 at Arkansas Pine Bluff* 6:30 (State Farm Magic Classic) Oct. 31 Alabama A&M* (at Birmingham) 2:30 Nov. 7 at Jackson State* 6:00 Nov. 14 Prairie View A&M* (HC) 2:00 Nov. 21 Miles 2:00 Bold: Home Games * Conference Games