NASHVILLE — The Tennessee State football team fell to Alabama A&M, 23-12, on Saturday afternoon in the inaugural Legacy Series contest at Nissan Stadium.
Kendric Rhymes paced the Tigers' offense, rushing for 111 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries (4.6 yards per attempt). He also added 64 receiving yards and another score through the air. Zack Simmons-Brown provided a strong complement on the ground, picking up 75 yards and a touchdown while averaging 8.3 yards per carry.
Brock Montgomery chipped in with two receptions for 29 yards.
On defense, Epoki Fakaosi made his presence felt with four tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, one sack, and a forced fumble. Bryce Gray also notched a sack, while Kaiki Baker anchored the unit with a team-high 11 tackles.
The Tigers moved the chains effectively, converting 7-of-15 third-down attempts (46.7 percent). Defensively, they limited Alabama A&M to just 67 rushing yards, outgaining the Bulldogs on the ground by 112 yards.
How It Happened
Alabama A&M jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Tennessee State answered in the second quarter with a touchdown to make it 10-7. The Tigers then surged ahead on a 27-yard touchdown run, grabbing a 14-10 advantage.
The Bulldogs responded to trim the score to 14-13, but Tennessee State struck again with :11 left before halftime to push the margin to 21-13. From there, however, the Tigers were held scoreless, while Alabama A&M added 10 unanswered points to secure the 23-12 victory.
Game Notes
» Alabama A&M outgained Tennessee State 422-336 in the contest.
» Tennessee State tallied 21 points in the second quarter, accounting for 100% of their total score.
» Tennessee State converted 7 of 15 third downs while Alabama A&M was successful on 3 of 12.
» Kaiki Baker led the Tigers with 11 tackles.
» Tennessee State scored three second-quarter touchdowns.
» Tennessee State won the time of possession battle 35:44 to 24:16.
» Cornelious Brown led the Bulldogs passing attack, completing 21 of his 33 attempts for 329 yards and two touchdowns.
» Travaunta Abner was Alabama A&M's leading receiver with 104 yards.
