MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Hornets have proven to be one of the top teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference over the past four years, finishing at the top of the Eastern Division three times earning a berth in the 2010 SWAC Championship game. This year, the Hornets will again strive for that lofty perch the rest of the conference has seen them sit as they have 63 lettermen and 16 starters returning from a team that finished 8-4 in 2013 and 7-2 in conference action.
After winning four games in the first full season in the Hornets new home stadium, ASU will again host six games in the all-impressive $62 million New ASU Stadium.
“It has brought great excitement, the guys have embraced it, and it is a different mindset and feeling when you go over to the stadium,” Head Coach Reggie Barlow said. “All over the country and around the state, people know about it and everybody is asking about it.”
“When you are recruiting guys they want to know where are they going to play and where are they going to stay, where’s your weight room, etc. We can take them over there and it has definitely helped us. It’s a great feeling when you’re able to bring them on campus and take them over to the stadium.”
OFFENSE
The Hornets averaged over 30 points per game last season and was one of the top rushing teams in all of the FCS averaging over 235 yards per game. ASU did show it had a balanced offense as the Hornets threw for 2,384 yards in 2013 averaging almost 200 yards per game. With seven returning starters, the Hornets are looking to once again be one of the top offenses in the SWAC.
It all starts on the offensive line and the Hornets are looking to replace four-year starter and All-SWAC honoree Edmond Davis at center which is a tall task to order, but the Hornets do have plenty of experience with nine returners and four starters returning along the offensive line.
Matthew Bates (6-3, 305) and Tovar Allen (6-6, 315) return to the tackle positions while Robert “Rock” Roquemore (6-5, 313) and Damian Love (6-4, 295) return to the guard spots.
Kerry Williams (6-2, 300) has been given the tall order of running the offensive line while replacing Davis at center.
The other experienced linemen are Darius Preyer (6-3, 280), Andre Hammon (6-4, 272), Demechery Hickingbottom (6-4, 320), Jylan Ware (6-6, 260) and Tony Jacob (6-8, 342).
“I like the depth we have on offense and I liked the competition we had at the offensive line position during spring,” Barlow said.
“Jylan is someone who stepped up and showed us this spring he can be a guy we can roll in there. We can even be creative with moving Tovar (Allen) to guard and letting Jylan play some tackle at times.”
“Losing Ed (Edmond Davis) is a big thing. He was everything for us. I think Damian Love showed great progression and got better over the spring. It’s a good group and I think we have some guys that can put some points on the board.”
ASU has two returning quarterbacks that saw plenty of action over the course of the season, including starter Daniel Duhart (6-0, 193). He threw for 1,903 yards and 18 touchdowns while completing over 54 percent of his passes. He also ran for 161 yards.
Quinteris Toppings (6-1, 220) stepped in as a freshman last season and played in three games. He was found himself in a tough situation when he had to step into the game against Prairie View after injuries to the two quarterbacks in front of him. All he did was lead ASU to a overtime win and in the process was named the SWAC Newcomer of the Week.
“It is good we have two talented guys back there at quarterback and both have played a lot of football,” Barlow said. “They have another year in the system under their belt and should be better players this fall.”
Whomever the quarterback is going to be they are going to have plenty of talented running backs to hand the ball off to. Even though ASU lost All-American Isaiah Crowell, the Hornets have five talented runners back led by Malcolm Cyrus (5-10, 180). He heads into his senior season coming off a year which saw him run for 759 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per rush. He played through injuries the second part of the season but only missed one game during that time. He has over 1,200 career yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. So the coaching staff does not expect there to be any fall off with Cyrus back.
Jahaad Coleman (5-9, 185) is a hard-running junior that was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player in the season-ending Turkey Day Classic. He finished the year with 207 yards rushing and three scores while averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
Khalid Thomas (5-9, 175) and Andre Kincey (5-9, 180) are both back and are both talented, and probably would start on most of the other teams on the Hornets schedule. They are quick and elusive and can go the distance each time they touch the ball.
“Malcolm (Cyrus) can do it all. He can run for power, he can run for speed on the edge,” Barlow said. “He protects well and can catch the ball. With (Andre) Kincey, Khalid and Jahaad Coleman, we have solid guys behind him.”
ASU has seven returning receivers including the top two receiving leaders in Earl Lucas (5-8, 160) and DeMario Bell (6-3, 180). Lucas finished with a team-high 51 receptions. He had 515 yards and scored three times. Bell had a team-high 594 yards receiving on 30 catches with three touchdowns. His 19.8 yards per catch also led the team.
Cyrus did a good job out of the backfield with 17 receptions for 174 yards and Myles Everett (5-10, 170) caught nine balls for 117 yards and two touchdowns while Marcus Gamble (6-3, 200) had eight catches for 92 yards and two scores.
“We have guys like Earl Lucas and DeMario Bell who can make plays on the edge,” Barlow said. “We have other guys that have good speed to stretch the defense, so we like what we have on offense.”
ASU has two sophomores returning that are talented and can give the opposing defenses a lot of problems with their size, speed and running ability.
Brandon Barnes (6-6, 230) played in 11 games a season ago and only caught two balls, but both were for touchdowns. Wyndell Archie (6-3, 280) played in three games and will see more time this season on the field.
“Both Brandon and Wyndell are perfectly suited for what we do on offense,” Barlow said. “Both run good routes and can catch the ball. Both are big and strong enough to be effective blockers and they both had a good spring. We know they will really help us this fall.”
DEFENSE
ASU’s defense has been one of the top defenses in the SWAC for several years and it looks like that may be the case again this season with nine starters returning on that side of the ball. They were second in the conference in scoring defense (25.8 ppg) and led the conference in rushing defense (110.1 ypg).
The opposition’s failure to run the ball against ASU’s defense last season started on the defensive line and with seven of the top eight defensive linemen returning, that stat may be even better this season.
All-SWAC linemen Edward Mosley (6-3, 256) and Derrick Billups (6-3, 308) will return to lead the down linemen, but Justin Mitchell (6-3, 305), Chris Terry (6-4, 250) and Roderick “Ghost” Henderson (6-3, 330) cannot be overlooked.
Billups and Mosley go into the season as two of the top offensive disrupters in the conference. Billups finished last season with five sacks and 13 tackles behind the line of scrimmage while Mosley seven sacks and eight tackles for loss. Mosley also had six pass break ups and six quarterback hurries.
Mitchell and Henderson were the other defensive linemen that made it hard for the opposition to get any yards up the middle of the field. Mitchell’s line of work included three sacks, seven TFL’s, forcing two fumbles and recovering two, one of which he returned for a 40-yard score in ASU’s win over Prairie View.
Henderson may have been the best reserve defensive linemen in the SWAC. He finished the year with 33 tackles, with 8.5 of those behind the line of scrimmage.
“Our defense goes off the mode of 212, that’s 212 degrees, that’s what they want to make you feel like. They are an aggressive group and it’s anchored by our defensive lineman. That is a big group of guys. I like the physicality we have up front and the speed they have.”
Last season, the linebacking corp was probably the deepest it had been since the Barlow era started. This season will not be any different. The Hornets will have to replace all-everything Leland Baker who led the Hornets and was second in the SWAC with 17.5 TFL.
Back to lead the group and man the middle of the defense will be sophomore Kourtney Berry (6-0, 215), who took the SWAC by storm last season. He finished the year with 105 tackles to lead ASU and was second in the conference. He had seven sacks and 12.5 TFL while also recovering two fumbles and picking off a pass. He was named the SWAC Newcomer of the Year while also garnering First Team All-SWAC honors.
Daerius Washington (6-0, 205) cannot be overlooked. He returns to his outside linebacker position. The junior finished with 80 tackles, with 6.5 behind the line. He also had an interception he returned for a score against Grambling and he recovered two fumbles.
ASU is looking at several other linebackers to have an impact this season in Deontrelle Silmon (6-4, 210), Kadeem “Poncho” Thomas (6-0, 230) and Will Roller (6-2, 230).
“Our linebackers are not overly big guys, but they are guys that are tough and can run,” Barlow said. “They are led by Kourtney (Berry) who did all kinds of stuff his freshman year. Silmon is coming into his own and doing some good things. Washington has been consistent and I think we have good back ups with Poncho (Kadeem Thomas) and Will Roller. It should be a good group.”
The coaching staff went into spring practice looking to shore up the Hornets secondary. While they are a talented group they did not always show that talent on the field. ASU does have all four returning starters coming back and have several young players that could work their way into the rotation.
Najee Bright (6-2, 180) returns as free safety and was the team’s leader in interceptions with four to go along with his 65 tackles. Deandre Rashada (6-1, 195) was the team’s fourth-leading tackler with 76, but the coaches are looking for him to improve on his one interception from his strong safety position.
Nick Martin (6-0, 175) and Bradley Street (6-0, 183) return to cornerback but will face some stiff competition from some of the younger players.
Meryles Gilbert (5-8, 185), T.J. Presley (5-11, 170), Dionte Ponder (5-11, 160), JaQuez Bowser (5-9, 175) and Trey Jenkins (6-0, 180) have all seen playing time and with the return of 2012 starter Marcus Berg (6-0, 170), who sat out last season with an injury, the secondary will be very competitive once fall practice begins.
“I think secondary wise we have to identify the players that are going to play consistently with confidence,” Barlow said. “T.J. Pressley has done some good things for us and Trey Jenkins has come along. That group should be pretty good.”
SPECIAL TEAMS
ASU lost two-time All-American and three-time All-SWAC pick Bobby Wenzig to graduation. Wenzig is arguably the most decorated player that has ever played at Alabama State. Replacing him will not be an easy task for the Hornets since he was the primary kicker, punter and place kicker the last three years.
ASU does have Alex Lauthan (5-10, 210) returning. He was able to see action in eight games, handling both kick off and kicking duties as Wenzig nursed an injury part of the year. Louthan hit two of his six field goals during the season and was a perfect 20-20 on his PAT’s. He also averaged 56.8 yards per kickoff.
“Bobby could have very easily been our most valuable player the last two or three years,” Barlow said. “He could change field position, kicking off and punting, and that is a huge loss for us. We were grateful to get Alex and get him some experience last year. I think he really improved this spring. I thought the ball jumped off his foot on field goals and he did a pretty good job punting. We were blessed to get two solid kickers in recruiting we think will be able to come in here and give us a good opportunity to pick up where we left off with Bobby.”
The Hornets have the luxury of returning one of the top return specialists in the conference in Myles Everett (5-10, 170). He finished the season with 19 punt returns for 122 yards for a 6.4 return average, but it was his returns of kick-offs that were impressive. He had 660 yards on 29 kickoff returns, averaging 22.8 yards per return. He had a long of 86 yards against Jackson State that he returned for a score.
SCHEDULE
Once again the Hornets will face one of the most challenging schedules in the SWAC. ASU will hit the road to open the season at perennial Football Championship Series (FCS) power Sam Houston State on August 30. The Bearkats have 53 letterwinners returning from a 2013 team that advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs before a 30-29 loss to fourth-ranked Southeastern Louisiana.
Things will not get any easier in the second game of the season as the Hornets will open the home portion of the year hosting Tennessee State University at New ASU Stadium on Sept. 6. The Tigers will roll into Montgomery fresh off a 2013 season which saw the Sheridan Poll name them the 2013 Black College Football Champions. TSU won a first round FCS Playoff game over Butler before falling to second-ranked Eastern Illinois in the second round.
The Hornets will jump into SWAC action hosting Mississippi Valley State (Sept. 13). ASU will play a pair of Thursday night contests which will be broadcast by ESPN. The first of those will be ASU’s home game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Sept. 18). The Hornets will then host Texas Southern (Sept. 27) before hitting the road for the next two weeks.
Starting that road trip will be another Thursday night game against an always-tough match up with Alcorn State (Oct. 2) in Lorman, Miss. A week later the Hornets will make their second trip of the season to Texas as they play at Prairie View A&M (Oct. 11).
Following the PVAMU game, the Hornets will get a much-needed week off before facing Alabama A&M in the 73rd State Farm Magic City Classic (Oct. 25) in Birmingham. ASU will look to continue their recent success against AAMU winning three of the last four Classics.
The Hornets will be back on the road at Southern (Nov. 1) before returning to New ASU Stadium to face Jackson State (Nov. 8).
ASU’s final road game of the season will have the Hornets traveling to Grambling to face the Tigers on Nov. 15.
For the second consecutive season, the Hornets will host Stillman College for the 91st Turkey Day Classic. ASU has won two of the past three Classics and this year’s Classic has been moved from its former playing day of Thanksgiving to the following Saturday which is Nov. 22.
“I thought last year was tough when we opened with Jacksonville State and Jackson State, but this year is a tougher start with Sam Houston and then Tennessee State,” Barlow said. “Sam Houston has been great for a lot of years. They sit there in Texas and get a lot of transfers; they have a bunch of talent, and really great coaches. We will have our work cut out for us.”
“I think if we are going to have a tough schedule and we are going to play tough teams I think this will be the group I would want to do it with,” Barlow said. “In my eight years of coaching this group of guys here I think could play at a Sam Houston or Tennessee State. It will be a great challenge to see how we measure up against two really good teams that have consistently been at the top. Tennessee State has great tradition and history. They have been at the top of their conference a long time.”
“Of course we also have a tough nine-game schedule against our SWAC competition. There has always been great competition in the conference and it shows as there have been four different champions the past four years. Then we get to end our season in the Turkey Day Classic against Stillman who has always been a good team and they came in here last year and gave us a great game. We have a challenging 12-game schedule this season and it will be exciting to see how it turns out.”