2021 Alabama State Hornets football team

2021 Alabama State Hornets football
2021 Alabama State Hornets football
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
	East Division
Record	5–6 (3–5 SWAC)
Head coach	Donald Hill-Eley (4th season; first 7 games); Travis Pearson (interim, final 4 games);
Offensive coordinator	Joe Blackwell (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Travis Pearson (2nd season)
Home stadium	New ASU Stadium
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 22 Jackson State x$	8	–	0	11	–	2
No. 25 Florida A&M ^	7	–	1	9	–	3
Alabama A&M	5	–	3	7	–	3
Mississippi Valley State	3	–	5	4	–	7
Alabama State	3	–	5	5	–	6
Bethune–Cookman	2	–	6	2	–	9
West Division
Prairie View A&M x	6	–	2	7	–	5
Alcorn State	5	–	3	6	–	5
Grambling State	3	–	5	4	–	7
Southern	3	–	5	4	–	7
Texas Southern	2	–	6	2	–	8
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	1	–	7	2	–	9
Championship: Jackson State 27, Prairie View A&M 10
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2021 Alabama State Hornets football team represented Alabama State University as a member of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Hornets were led by fourth-year head coach Donald Hill-Eley for the first seven games of the season before he was fired on November 1.^[1] The team's defensive coordinator, Travis Pearson, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Alabama State compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 3–4 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the SWAC East Division. The team played home games at New ASU Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	5:00 p.m.	Miles*	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL		W 14–13 ^OT	12,876
September 11	11:00 a.m.	at No. 25 (FBS) Auburn*	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	SECN	L 0–62	82,745
September 25	5:00 p.m.	Bethune–Cookman	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL	ESPN3	W 38–24	9,450
October 2	5:00 p.m.	at Florida A&M	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN+	L 0–28	21,087
October 9	2:00 p.m.	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL	Bounce/YouTube	W 35–15	12,341
October 16	2:00 p.m.	at Jackson State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	ESPN3	L 7–28	53,578
October 30	2:30 p.m.	vs. Alabama A&M	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Magic City Classic)	ESPN3	L 28–42	28,096
November 6	2:00 p.m.	at Prairie View A&M	Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field Prairie View, TX		L 20–24	6,107
November 13	1:00 p.m.	at Mississippi Valley State	Rice–Totten Stadium Itta Bena, MS	YouTube	L 31–44	2,300
November 20	2:00 p.m.	Texas Southern	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL	ESPN+	W 24–21	4,389
November 25	2:00 p.m.	Tuskegee*	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL (Turkey Day Classic)	ESPN+	W 43–9	0
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[2]^[3]

Game summaries

Miles

Miles at Alabama State

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Golden Lions	0	0	0	7	6	13
• Hornets	7	0	0	0	7	14

Date: September 4, 2021
Location: New ASU Stadium
Montgomery, AL
Game start: 5:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 52 minutes
Game attendance: 12,876
Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: 4 mph
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Miles	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Miles	Passing	Octavious Griffin	2/6, 22 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Donte Edwards	20 carries, 107 yards
	Receiving	Marcus Lodge	1 reception, 16 yards, 1 TD
Alabama State	Passing	Ryan Nettles	19/29, 186 yards
	Rushing	Ezra Gray	10 carries, 67 yards
	Receiving	Jeremiah Hixon	8 receptions, 92 yards

At Auburn

Alabama State at Auburn

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	0	0	0	0	0
• No. 25 Tigers	6	14	35	7	62

Date: September 11, 2021
Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium
Auburn, AL
Game start: 11:00 a.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance: 82,745
Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SE 7 mph
Referee: Steve Marlowe
TV announcers (SEC Network): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (analyst), Andraya Carter (sideline reporter)

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama State	Auburn
First downs	11	22
Total yards	58–176	58–538
Rushing yards	29–46	39–364
Passing yards	130	174
Turnovers	19–29–1	11–19–0
Time of possession	32:51	27:09

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing	Ryan Nettles	19/27, 130 yds, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jacory Merritt	10 carries, 17 yds
	Receiving	Jeremiah Hixon	4 receptions, 46 yds
Auburn	Passing	Bo Nix	9/17, 108 yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jarquez Hunter	8 carries, 147 yds, 1 TD
	Receiving	Demetris Robertson	3 receptions, 61 yds, 2 TD

Bethune–Cookman

Bethune–Cookman at Alabama State

	1	2	Total
Wildcats			0
Hornets			0

Date: September 25, 2021
Location: New ASU Stadium
Montgomery, AL
Game start: 5:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Bethune–Cookman	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Bethune–Cookman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Florida A&M

Alabama State at Florida A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	0	0	0	0	0
• Rattlers	7	14	0	7	28

Date: October 2, 2021
Location: Bragg Memorial Stadium
Tallahassee, FL
Game start: 5:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama State	Florida A&M
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Arkansas–Pine Bluff

Arkansas–Pine Bluff at Alabama State

	1	2	Total
Golden Lions			0
Hornets			0

Date: October 9, 2021
Location: New ASU Stadium
Montgomery, AL
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Jackson State

Alabama State at Jackson State

	1	2	Total
Hornets			0
Tigers			0

Date: October 16, 2021
Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Jackson, MS
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama State	Jackson State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Vs. Alabama A&M

Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State

	1	2	Total
Bulldogs			0
Hornets			0

Date: October 30, 2021
Location: Legion Field
Birmingham, AL
Game start: TBD CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama A&M	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Prairie View A&M

Alabama State at Prairie View A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	10	10	0	0	20
• Panthers	7	3	0	14	24

Date: November 6, 2021
Location: Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field
Prairie View, TX
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Prairie View A&M	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Prairie View A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Mississippi Valley State

Mississippi Valley State at Alabama State

	1	2	Total
Delta Devils			0
Hornets			0

Date: November 13, 2021
Location: Rice–Totten Stadium
Itta Bena, MS
Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama State	Mississippi Valley State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mississippi Valley State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Texas Southern

Texas Southern at Alabama State

	1	2	Total
Tigers			0
Hornets			0

Date: November 20, 2021
Location: New ASU Stadium
Montgomery, AL
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Texas Southern	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Tuskegee

Tuskegee at Alabama State

	1	2	Total
Golden Tigers			0
Hornets			0

Date: November 25, 2021
Location: New ASU Stadium
Montgomery, AL
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CST
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Tuskegee	Alabama State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tuskegee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ "Alabama State fires head football coach Donald Hill-Eley after fourth consecutive loss to rival Alabama A&M". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
^ "Alabama State Hornets Schedule 2021". ESPN. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
^ "2021 Football Schedule". Alabama State University. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

[1] "Alabama State fires head football coach Donald Hill-Eley after fourth consecutive loss to rival Alabama A&M". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.

[2] "Alabama State Hornets Schedule 2021". ESPN. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

[3] "2021 Football Schedule". Alabama State University. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

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v t e Alabama State Hornets football
Venues	Cramton Bowl (1923–2012) New ASU Stadium (2012–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Alabama A&M: Magic City Classic Tuskegee: Turkey Day Classic
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912–1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919–1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

2021 Alabama State Hornets football

Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Division	East Division
Record	5–6 (3–5 SWAC)
Head coach	Donald Hill-Eley (4th season; first 7 games) Travis Pearson (interim, final 4 games)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Blackwell (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Travis Pearson (2nd season)
Home stadium	New ASU Stadium
Seasons ← 2020 2022 →