More Than Bragging Rights Are on the Line in 83rd Magic City Classic

By Donald Hunt | For The Birmingham Times The largest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Classic in the country comes to Birmingham on Saturday, October 26 in the 83rd annual Magic City Classic between Alabama State and Alabama A&M. More than bragging rights will be on the line when these two longtime rivals meet at historic Legion Field Stadium for the 2:30 p.m. kickoff. The Hornets (2-1, 3-3) and the Bulldogs (1-1, 3-3) are trying to keep pace in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) East. Jackson State (3-0, 5-2) leads the division with Florida A&M (1-1, 3-3) in the mix as well. Both teams come into the Classic following a bye week. Alabama State has outstanding linebackers DeMarkus Cunningham and Rico Dozier who can cover a lot of ground. Cunningham has 21 solo tackles and leads the team with 50 total tackles. Dozier has 26 solo and 47 total tackles and also has 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. The Hornets’ playmaking linebackers set the tone for the defense. AAMU will try to penetrate the ASU defense with its offensive standouts quarterback Xavier Lankford, wide receiver Keenan Hambrick and running back Donovan Eaglin. Lankford had a big game...