Big plays once again haunted Texas Southern as they dropped a 34-31 decision to Alabama State on Saturday inside Thorne Stadium.
Texas Southern wasted little time establishing its offensive rhythm in the opening quarter as the Tigers put together a methodical 13-play, 93-yard scoring drive that consumed 8:05 off the clock. McCoy capped the possession with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Roriyon Richardson with 4:11 remaining in the period. Miguel Arana III added the extra point for a 7-0 advantage.
In what would be the theme of the day, Alabama State answered immediately as quarterback Aaron Frye connected with Randall King on a 76-yard touchdown pass just 19 seconds later to tie the contest at 7-7.
Both defenses settled in during the second quarter as neither team managed to score until the closing seconds of the half.
The TSU special teams unit came up big as Jordan Thompson blocked an ASU punt which was recovered by Jaydon Broomfield with 39 seconds left. TSU wasted little time as McCoy found Richardson for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds remaining. The three-play, 27-yard drive took only 17 seconds and gave TSU a 14-7 lead entering halftime.
The Tigers would fumble the opening kickoff of the third quarter and ASU capitalized with a five-play drive and touchdown which tied it at 14-all after the PAT. TSU would punt the ball and downed it at the ASU 1 to flip field position. After an ASU false start on first down, the Hornets broke free for a 22-yard run. From there, the Hornets later capped off a 12-play, 99-yard drive which consumed 6:36 before Jamarie Hostzclaw scored on a two-yard run with 3:08 remaining in the third quarter. The touchdown gave Alabama State its first lead of the afternoon at 21-14.
Texas Southern responded with an impressive possession that began late in the third quarter and carried into the fourth. McCoy directed a 10-play, 66-yard drive before breaking free for a 20-yard touchdown run with 13:34 remaining. Arana's extra point tied the game at 21-21.
The Tigers continued to build momentum as their defense forced Alabama State to punt on its ensuing possession as Donovan Jones stuffed the ASU runner on a huge 3rd-and-2 midfield. TSU followed with a seven-play, 58-yard drive that ended with Arana III connecting on a 39-yard field goal at the 9:13 mark to put Texas Southern ahead 24-21.
However, the lead was short-lived as Frye broke loose for a 76-yard touchdown run on Alabama State's first play of the drive. The score returned the advantage to the Hornets at 28-24 with 8:44 remaining. TSU suffered a three-and-out on its next drive and ASU added another touchdown when Frye connected with Israel Tate on a 35-yard scoring pass with 5:13 left. The extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the Hornets ahead 34-24.
Texas Southern refused to go away as McCoy orchestrated a five-play, 50-yard scoring drive. The quarterback connected with Kordell Rodgers on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 3:12 remaining, and Arana's extra point pulled the Tigers within 34-31.
However, ASU ran out the clock with a pair of rushing first downs to complete the comeback and earn the win.
McCoy finished 10-of-20 passing for 113 yards and three touchdowns while adding a team-high 111 rushing yards on 13 carries. Athean Renfro Jr. contributed 77 yards on 23 attempts as the Tigers finished with 204 rushing yards.
Richardson led the receiving corps with two catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns. Daveon Walker added a 22-yard reception, while Rodgers finished with two catches for 17 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Jaquavus Hallman led Texas Southern with seven tackles, while Aaron Kizzee and Donovan Jones added six stops each. Kizzee recorded two tackles for loss, and Jordan Thompson finished with five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Alabama State's Frye completed 13-of-17 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 162 yards and another score. The Hornets finished with 486 yards of total offense compared to 317 for Texas Southern.
The Tigers controlled the ball for 31:59 and converted all three of their red-zone opportunities into points.
TSU hits the road next week as they'll head to Alabama A&M for a 2 p.m. start in Huntsville, Ala.
