Barbosa’s three field goals lift Alabama A&M to Legacy Series victory over Tennessee State

NASHVILLE — Victor Barbosa booted three field goals, including a career-high 45 yarder late in the third quarter, which turned out to be the game-winner Saturday as Alabama A&M  secured a 23-21 victory over Tennessee State in The Legacy Series at Nissan Stadium.

After both teams punted the football to begin the game, Alabama A&M marched 62 yards in nine plays. The Bulldogs capitalized on a 3rd-and-8 from their own 32 as quarterback Cornelious Brown IV connected with Franck Pierre down the right sideline for 46 yards to put AAMU deep in Tennessee State territory.

However, the drive stalled on the TSU 8 and Barbosa booted his first field goal of the season, a 26-yarder, giving Alabama A&M the 3-0 lead with 8:26 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs (2-1) extended their lead with the longest drive of the season, going 98 yards in nine plays, as Brown connected with Myles Parker for a 5-yard touchdown strike, pushing the advantage to 10-0 with 13:51 remaining in the first half.

Tennessee State (1-2) responded on its very next drive. The Tigers marched 75 yards, mostly on the ground, as Kendric Rhymes scored on a 5-yard touchdown run, closing the gap to 10-7 with just over 10 minutes to play.

The Tigers continued to use the ground game to their advantage, putting together a 9-play, 68-yard drive as Zack Simmons-Brown broke free from the Bulldog defense and scored on a 27-yard touchdown, giving Tennessee State its first lead of the day, 14-10, with 4:29 left in the quarter.

Back came to the Bulldogs on their next drive, marching to the TSU 8 before the drive stalled and AAMU had to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Barbosa, capping a 10-play, 67-yard drive with 1:39 remaining.

Alabama A&M left too much time on the clock right before halftime and Tennessee State capitalized.

The Tigers took advantage of a 51-yard kickoff return by Lelan Wihoite and Byron McNair found Rhymes in the corner of the endzone for a 22-yard touchdown strike as Tennessee State took a 21-13 lead with just 11 seconds left in the half.

After Tennessee State was forced to punt the ball on its first possession of the second half, Alabama A&M went right to work, mixing the run and pass. Brown found Daveon Walker across the middle for a 30-yard touchdown, capping an 8-play, 84-yard drive as the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 21-20 with 8:49 remaining in the third.

Brown caught fire on AAMU’s next drive. He tossed a 40-yard pass to Jordan Chambers-Smith and a 23-yard completion to Andre Craig, moving the ball to the TSU 22 and forcing the Tigers to call a timeout.

However, penalties backed the Bulldogs to the Tigers’ 33. After a Brown 6-yard run, Barbosa booted his third field goal, a career-high 45-yarder, as Alabama A&M closed out a 9-play, 62-yard drive by taking a 23-21 lead with 51 seconds left in the quarter.

CHECKING THE BOX SCORE

• Alabama A&M finished with 422 total yards of offense, including 355 through the air
• The Bulldogs recorded 19 first downs
• Brown was 21 of 33 passing for 329 yards and two touchdowns
• Maurice Edwards added 38 yards on 10 carries
• Travaunta Abner caught six passes for 104 yards
• John Robinson posted nine tackles, including eight solo stops
• Tennessee State finished with 336 total yards, with 179 coming on the ground
• The Tigers had 21 first downs
• Byron McNair was 17-of-27 passing for 157 yards, with one touchdown and one interception
• Kendric Rhymes rushed 24 times for 111 yards and one score
• Rhymes caught seven passes for 64 yards and one touchdown
• Kaiki Baker registered 11 total tackles, with 10 solo stops

NEWS & NOTES

• Alabama A&M and Tennessee State met for the 24^th time
• The matchup marked the inaugural game in The Legacy Series
• AAMU will host TSU in the Legacy Series in 2026 and 2028
• Saturday’s game marked the first time in 15 years the two programs had met (last was in 2010)
• AAMU is now 9-15 all-time against Tennessee State
• Alabama A&M’s last win in the series came in 2009
• The Bulldogs are 7-3 over the Tigers in the last 10 meetings
• Alabama A&M is now 2-0 over in the series in games decided by three points or less
• Brown had his first 300-yard passing game of the season
• Barbosa’s 45-yard field goal in the third quarter is a career high
• The Bulldogs had four drives that started inside their own 20, two resulting in touchdowns and one field goal

UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to action Saturday for its final home night game as the Bulldogs welcome Lane College to Louis Crews Stadium. Kickoff is for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed on SWAC TV.