Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s defense fell one play short.
On fourth down with less than a minute remaining, Chris Mitchell threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Fred Ragsdale, giving Alabama State a 12-10 victory Saturday night over the Golden Lions in Pine Bluff.
“These guys, these guys just refused to quit fighting,” Hornets coach Reggie Barlow said. “We were down and in a tough spot but we never quit.”
UAPB (1-2, 1-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) led 10-6 in the fourth quarter, but a short punt by John Heflin gave Alabama State the ball at the Golden Lions’ 49-yard line. The Hornets (3-0, 2-0) then went on an 11-play drive, scoring the winning touchdown with 41 seconds to play.
UAPB is in the Football Championship Subdivision, which was formerly called Division I-AA. Central Arkansas, the state’s other FCS team, beat Tennessee-Martin 48-34.
In Division II on Saturday night, Henderson State lost 9-7 to Delta State, which is No. 7 in the AFCA Division II poll. Also, Arkansas Tech beat West Georgia 52-34, Ouachita Baptist beat Arkansas-Monticello 31-10, and Southern Arkansas beat West Alabama 31-17.
In a Division II game Thursday night, Harding lost to No. 3 North Alabama 58-17.
