SWAC Football: 3 Takeaways from Jackson State v. Alabama State

Takeaways for the Hornets: 

Alabama head coach Donaly Hill-Eley has to be happy with how the offense played. The Hornets had 466 yards of offense against a Jackson State defense that has been pretty stingy this season. Alabama State quarterback Ryan Nettles was far from perfect but played with poise toward the end of the game.

Running back Ezra Gray was outstanding this afternoon running for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, the line was solid for most of the game. Hill-Eley knows they have to fix some of the sloppy play from the second half, but it is not easy to keep an offense as good as Jackson State down for four quarters.

Next up for ASU: On the road against Arkansas-Pinebluff, March 27th.

Takeaways for the Tigers:

It is hard to quantify the ramifications of this game for the Tigers. Were their first three games against lesser competition or was this game their one bad game of the season? One thing is for sure, the Tigers’ offensive line has not been great all season and coach Sanders has to get that fixed.

This was yet another game where the Jackson State running game was inconsistent at best. Jackson State broke off some big runs but did not run the football consistently. Without the consistent running game, the Alabama State defense keyed in on the passing game. JSU could not move Alabama State’s two big defensive tackles.

Next up for JSU: April 3rd versus Southern