Alabama A&M rolled past Tuskegee 45-35 in a high-scoring Gulf Coast Challenge on Saturday, with quarterback Aqeel Glass throwing for 405 yards and four touchdowns in front of more than 18,000 fans at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile.
The annual matchup, which has become a popular early-season draw for HBCU football fans across the Gulf Coast, lived up to its billing as both offenses moved the ball with ease for long stretches. Glass, a 6-foot-5 senior from St. Louis who has drawn attention from NFL scouts, completed 27 of 39 passes despite being intercepted twice. He connected with wide receiver Dee Anderson three times for touchdowns covering 20, 2 and 30 yards, and hit Odieu Hilaire for a 21-yard score.
Running back Gary Quarles added a physical dimension to the Bulldogs’ attack, finishing with 164 rushing yards and touchdown runs of 8 and 44 yards. Kicker Spencer Corey chipped in a 39-yard field goal to round out the scoring for Alabama A&M, which improved to 3-0 on the season and remains the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion.
Alabama A&M led 17-7 at halftime, a margin that head coach Connell Maynor felt should have been larger given how the Bulldogs moved the ball in the opening two quarters.
“We just played a little harder in the second half,” Maynor said after the game. “We dropped balls and had a couple of penalties and just weren’t playing as hard as we needed to in that first half. The second half we just came out and played better. We didn’t make any adjustments. We didn’t talk about anything at halftime, but effort.”
Maynor was matter-of-fact when discussing his quarterback’s performance, saying Glass’ steady excellence has become something of an expectation in Huntsville. “He’s always going to play good,” Maynor said. “I don’t know what his stats were, but he got another W and he played well, although he could’ve played better.”
Anderson, a 6-foot-6 receiver from Dallas, credited the offensive line for creating the space that allowed his connection with Glass to click throughout the afternoon. “Without my offensive line and without a great quarterback I couldn’t do it,” Anderson said. “So I give all credit to my offensive line and everybody that helped out up front. I practiced hard and worked hard.”
Tuskegee, playing as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, did not go quietly. Golden Tigers quarterback Louis Williams threw touchdown passes to Jamaal Pritchett and Steven Hodges, while running back Ivonte Patterson Jr. scored three times on runs of 1, 1 and 6 yards. The loss dropped Tuskegee to 1-3 on the young season.
Despite the win, Glass was critical of his own team’s execution, particularly in the opening half when the Bulldogs struggled to establish any consistency running the ball.
“We didn’t play our game the first half, but that’s on me,” Glass said. “I didn’t have our guys ready to play. We didn’t execute, we couldn’t run the ball. We did an OK job passing the ball, but we’ve got to start our drives better. We killed ourselves.”
Glass, who has been mentioned by NFL draft analysts including ESPN’s Mel Kiper as a potential mid-round pick in an upcoming draft, said he is trying to stay focused on the present rather than any future professional opportunities.
“I’ll worry about that when it gets here,” Glass said of the draft buzz surrounding him. “I’m worried about this season right now. We’ve got some tough games coming up and we’ve got to get better.”
The Gulf Coast Challenge has grown into a notable event on Mobile’s sports calendar since its debut, drawing thousands of fans and alumni from both programs to Ladd-Peebles Stadium each year and contributing to the local economy through hotel stays, dining and other spending tied to the game weekend.
Alabama A&M will look to carry its momentum into next Saturday’s road game against Grambling State, while Tuskegee returns home to host Clark Atlanta as it looks to right the ship after back-to-back losses.