2020 Alabama A&M Bulldogs football team

2020 Alabama A&M Bulldogs football
Black college national champion SWAC champion SWAC East Division champion
SWAC Championship Game, W 40–33 vs. Arkansas–Pine Bluff
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Division	East Division
Ranking
STATS	No. 24
FCS Coaches	No. 19
Record	5–0 (3–0 SWAC)
Head coach	Connell Maynor (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Duane Taylor (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Granville Eastman (2nd season)
Home stadium	Louis Crews Stadium

2020 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 24 Alabama A&M x$		3	–	0					5	–	0
Alabama State		3	–	2					3	–	3
Jackson State		3	–	2					4	–	3
Mississippi Valley State		1	–	3					1	–	3
West Division
Arkansas–Pine Bluff x		4	–	0					4	–	1
Southern		4	–	1					5	–	1
Prairie View A&M*		2	–	1					2	–	1
Texas Southern		1	–	2					1	–	2
Grambling State		0	–	4					0	–	4
Championship: Alabama A&M 40, Arkansas–Pine Bluff 33
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Note: The SWAC played a spring conference-only schedule (February–May 2021) due to COVID-19 pandemic. Alcorn State opted out of the spring season; all of their scheduled games were counted as forfeit wins for their opponents. * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions. Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2020 Alabama A&M Bulldogs football team represented Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs were led by third-year head coach Connell Maynor and played their home games at Louis Crews Stadium in Huntsville, Alabama as members of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. On July 20, 2020, the Southwestern Athletic Conference announced that it would not play fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[1]

On May 3, 2021, A&M was voted HBCU National Champions by the BOXTOROW Coaches and Media Polls, after finishing the season undefeated.^[2] Their selections marks the first time in history the Bulldogs finished the season ranked as the #1 team in black college football. A&M ended ranked #19 in the 2020–21 Division I FCS Coaches Poll, head coach Maynor was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award for the top coach in FCS, and QB Aqeel Glass was a finalist for Walter Payton Award for best FCS player.^[3]

Schedule

Due to the SWAC's postponement of the 2020 football season to spring 2021, games against Mississippi State, Stephen F. Austin, and UAB were canceled.^[4] The SWAC released updated spring schedules on August 17.^[5] Initially, A&M's spring schedule featured 6 games, 3 away, 2 home and the Magic City Classic. The Bulldogs won their first game via forfeit after Alcorn opted out of their spring season.^[6] Additionally, games against Mississippi Valley State and Prairie View A&M were postponed and later canceled due to COVID cases in their respective programs. On March 3, the Bulldogs added a non-conference game against South Carolina State.^[7] Their last scheduled home contest against Grambling State was also canceled without a makeup game schedule. Alabama A&M lost its final opportunity to host a game at Louis Crews Stadium when the SWAC moved its championship game to a neutral site due to confusion over tiebreakers as a result of COVID related cancellations.^[8]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
February 27		Alcorn State	Louis Crews Stadium Huntsville, AL		W 2–0 (forfeit)
March 6	12:30 p.m.	at South Carolina State*	Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Orangeburg, SC	ESPN3	W 31–7	4,841
April 10	2:00 p.m.	at Jackson State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	ESPN	W 52–43	20,051
April 17	6:30 p.m.	vs. Alabama State	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Magic City Classic)	ESPNU	W 38–14	16,500
May 1	2:00 p.m.	vs. No. 24 Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (SWAC Championship)	ESPN2	W 40–33	17,248
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS All times are in Central time

^[9][10]

Game summaries

At South Carolina State

Alabama A&M at South Carolina State

1 2 3 4 Total • AAMU Bulldogs 0 14 14 3 31 SCSU Bulldogs 0 0 0 7 7 Date: March 6, 2021 Location: Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Orangeburg, SC Game start: 1:30 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 9 minutes Game attendance: 4,841 Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy Referee: Roy Bernard Television network: ESPN3

Scoring summary 2 09:08 AAMU Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim 16-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (4 plays, 55 yards, 1:01) AAMU 7–0 00:21 AAMU Odieu Hiliare 18-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (3 plays, 3 yards, 0:51) AAMU 14–0 3 13:22 AAMU Dami Adekunjo 65-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick)br/>(1 play, 65 yards, 0:17) AAMU 21–0 04:43 AAMU Brian Jenkins Jr. 20-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (3 plays, 20 yards, 1:47) AAMU 28–0 4 13:36 SCSU Alex James 23-yard rush (Jarrod Jones kick) (3 plays, 5 yards, 1:56) AAMU 28–7 07:52 AAMU Spencer Corey 37-yard field goal (9 plays, 80 yards, 3:54) AAMU 31–7

See also: 2020 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team

Over/under
SCSU −10.0	53

Statistics	Alabama A&M	South Carolina State
First downs	20	14
Total yards	433	297
Rushing yards	161	165
Passing yards	272	132
Turnovers	3	5
Time of possession	32:11	27:49

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama A&M	Passing	Aqeel Glass	15/33, 272 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTs
	Rushing	Gary Quarles	21 carries, 87 yards
	Receiving	Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim	6 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD
South Carolina State	Passing	Corey Fields	10/22, 132 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Kendrall Flowers	13 carries, 115 yards
	Receiving	Shaquan Davis	2 receptions, 51 yards

At Jackson State

Alabama A&M at Jackson State

1 2 3 4 Total • Bulldogs 7 21 10 14 52 Tigers 7 14 7 15 43 Date: April 10, 2021 Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 37 minutes Game attendance: 20,051 Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Mostly Clear • Wind: WSW 13 MPH Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary 1 11:50 AAMU Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim 9-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (9 plays, 74 yards, 3:10) AAMU 7–0 02:33 JSU Warren Newman 6-yard rush (Glenn Misiak kick) (8 plays, 66 yards, 3:29) TIE 7–7 2 13:37 JSU Santee Marshall 54-yard rush (Glenn Misiak kick)br/>(3 play, 65 yards, 1:10) JSU 14–7 12:14 AAMU Gary Quarles 43-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (4 plays, 65 yards, 1:23) TIE 14–14 08:04 AAMU Aqeel Glass 5-yard rush (Spencer Corey kick) (6 plays, 48 yards, 2:46) AAMU 21–14 04:32 JSU Warren Newman 17-yard pass from Quincy Casey (Glenn Misiak kick) (8 plays, 53 yards, 3:21) TIE 21–21 03:45 AAMU Zabrian Moore 61-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (2 plays, 80 yards, 0:38) AAMU 28–21 3 12:04 AAMU Odieu Hilaire 11-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (4 plays, 70 yards, 1:22) AAMU 35–21 09:49 JSU Daylen Baldwin 24-yard pass from Quincy Casey (Glenn Misiak kick) (5 plays, 61 yards, 2:08) AAMU 35–28 03:41 AAMU Spencer Corey 34-yard field goal (8 plays, 33 yards, 3:02) AAMU 38–28 4 14:29 AAMU Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim 25-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (7 plays, 75 yards, 2:25) AAMU 45–28 06:59 JSU Warren Newman 7-yard pass from Quincy Casey (Glenn Misiak kick) (11 plays, 79 yards, 3:51) AAMU 45–35 02:49 AAMU Anthony Howard 4-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:10) AAMU 52–35 01:29 JSU Warren Newman 7-yard pass from Quincy Casey (Quincy Casey two-point conversion pass to Corey Reed Jr.) (5 plays, 67 yards, 1:13) AAMU 52–43

See also: 2020 Jackson State Tigers football team

Over/under
SCSU −10.0	53

Statistics	Alabama A&M	Jackson State
First downs	28	26
Total yards	533	463
Rushing yards	93	140
Passing yards	440	323
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	29:12	30:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama A&M	Passing	Aqeel Glass	27/40, 440 yards, 6 TDs
	Rushing	Gary Quarles	16 carries, 86 yards
	Receiving	Zabrian Moore	4 receptions, 114 yards, 1 TD
Jackson State	Passing	Quincy Casey	30/47, 323 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Santee Marshall	19 carries, 126 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Daylen Baldwin	6 receptions, 135 yards, 1 TD

Vs. Alabama State

Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M

1 2 3 4 Total Hornets 7 7 0 0 14 • Bulldogs 7 10 14 7 38 Date: April 17, 2021 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game start: 6:30 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 45 minutes Game attendance: 16,500 Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Light Clouds Television network: ESPNU

Scoring summary 1 08:30 ALST Jacory Merritt 1-yard rush (Hunter Hanson kick) (11 plays, 95 yards, 0:00) ALST 7–0 03:14 AAMU Gary Quarles 7-yard rush (Spencer Corey kick) (9 plays, 78 yards, 0:00) TIE 7–7 2 07:30 ALST Michael Jefferson 9-yard pass from Chris Scott (Hunter Hanson kick)br/>(11 plays, 58 yards, 5:40) ALST 14–7 06:42 AAMU Gary Quarles 15-yard rush (Spencer Corey kick) (5 plays, 85 yards, 0:42) TIE 14–14 00:00 AAMU Spencer Corey 46-yard field goal (1 play, 0 yards, 0:04) AAMU 17–14 3 12:13 AAMU Zabrian Moore 44-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (9 plays, 78 yards, 2:47) AAMU 24–14 03:17 AAMU Zabrian Moore 38-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (10 plays, 99 yards, 4:28) AAMU 31–14 4 12:31 AAMU Odieu Hilaire 2-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (9 plays, 52 yards, 3:32) AAMU 38–14

See also: 2020 Alabama State Hornets football team and Magic City Classic

Over/under
AAMU −4.5	52

Statistics	Alabama State	Alabama A&M
First downs	20	24
Total yards	285	484
Rushing yards	181	112
Passing yards	104	372
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	31:12	28:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing	Chris Scott	13/28, 89 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Ezra Gray	19 carries, 101 yards
	Receiving	Jahod Booker	5 receptions, 58 yards
Alabama A&M	Passing	Aqeel Glass	25/40, 372 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Aqeel Glass	5 carries, 45 yards
	Receiving	Zabrian Moore	4 receptions, 138 yards, 2 TDs

Vs. Arkansas–Pine Bluff

Arkansas–Pine Bluff vs. Alabama A&M

1 2 3 4 Total No. 24 Golden Lions 14 12 0 7 33 • Bulldogs 10 8 14 8 40 Date: May 1, 2021 Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS Game start: 2:06 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 45 minutes Game attendance: 17,248 Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: SE 8 MPH Referee: Marty Adams Television network: ESPN2

Scoring summary 1 13:29 AAMU Spencer Corey 29-yard field goal (7 plays, 67 yards, 1:31) AAMU 3–0 10:24 UAPB Mattias Clark 4-yard rush (Zach Piwniczka kick) (7 plays, 46 yards, 3:05) UAPB 7–3 07:38 AAMU Zabrian Moore 30-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick)br/>(8 play, 75 yards, 2:46) AAMU 10–7 07:26 UAPB Tyrin Ralph 81-yard kickoff returned (Zach Piwniczka kick) (0 plays, 0 yards, 0:12) UAPB 14–10 2 11:07 AAMU Gary Quarles 3-yard rush (Spencer Corey PAT blocked) (9 plays, 43 yards, 3:41) AAMU 16–14 07:04 UAPB DeJuan Miller 5-yard pass from Taylor Holston (Zach Piwniczka PAT blocked) (9 plays, 71 yards, 4:03) UAPB 20–16 07:04 AAMU Ja'Marian Green Defensive PAT conversion (9 plays, 71 yards, 4:03) UAPB 20–18 05:17 UAPB Kolby Watts 33-yard fumble returned (3 plays, 3 yards, 1:47) UAPB 26–18 3 08:00 AAMU Anthony Howard 7-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Spencer Corey kick) (12 plays, 79 yards, 4:55) UAPB 26–25 01:24 AAMU Gary Quarles 3-yard rush (Spencer Corey kick) (8 plays, 80 yards, 3:15) AAMU 32–26 4 07:16 AAMU Zabrian Moore 13-yard pass from Aqeel Glass (Aqeel Glass two-point conversion pass to Terrell Gardner) (7 plays, 66 yards, 2:40) AAMU 40–26 02:30 UAPB Josh Wilkes 11-yard pass from Skylar Perry (Zach Piwniczka kick) (11 plays, 72 yards, 2:41) AAMU 40–33

See also: 2020 Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions football team and SWAC Championship Game

Over/under
AAMU −3.5	61

Statistics	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Alabama A&M
First downs	18	30
Total yards	324	368
Rushing yards	88	97
Passing yards	236	271
Turnovers	4	2
Time of possession	26:06	33:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Passing	Skyler Perry	23/36, 231 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs
	Rushing	Skyler Perry	16 carries, 71 yards
	Receiving	DeJuan Miller	6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD
Alabama A&M	Passing	Aqeel Glass	24/45, 271 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Gary Quarles	23 carries, 69 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Zabrian Moore	5 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TDs

Postseason honors

Deacon Jones Trophy/Black College Football Player of the Year

• QB Aqeel Glass

BOXTOROW HBCU Player of the Year

• QB Aqeel Glass

BOXTOROW HBCU All-American First-Team

• QB Aqeel Glass
• OL Jonathan Williams
• WR Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim
• DL Marcus Cushnie

BOXTOROW HBCU All-American Honorable Mention

• RB Gary Quarles
• WR Zabrian Moore

SWAC Player of the Year

• QB Aqeel Glass

All-SWAC First Team

• QB Aqeel Glass
• OL Dexter Fuqua
• WR Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim
• DL Marcus Cushnie

All-SWAC Second Team

• RB Gary Quarles
• OL Antearius Harrington
• OL Jonathan Williams
• WR Zabrian Moore
• LB Armoni Holloway
• DB Amari Holloway
• K Spencer Corey

References

1. Stephenson, Creg (July 20, 2020). "SWAC becomes latest FCS conference to postpone 2020 football season to spring". AL.com. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
2. "BOXTOROW Polls: Alabama A&M claims first ever HBCU national championship". May 3, 2021.
3. "FCS finalists announced for 2020-21 Walter Payton Award, other top honors | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com.
4. Visser, David (July 21, 2020). "SWAC Suspends Fall Football Season". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
5. "SWAC Releases 2021 Spring Football Schedule". swac.org. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
6. Marshall, Kendrick. "Alcorn State to forfeit spring games, will play some scheduled fall home contests on road, SWAC announces".
7. "Alabama A&M will open 2021 season at South Carolina State". rocketcitynow.com.
8. "2021 Cricket Wireless SWAC Football Championship Game relocates to Jackson, MS". rocketcitynow.com.
9. "2020-21 Alabama A&M Bulldogs Football Schedule". Retrieved August 12, 2021.
10. "Alabama A&M Bulldogs". ESPN. Retrieved August 12, 2021.