PINE BLUFF -- Momentum changes began and ended in favor of the Alabama A&M Bulldogs.
Despite sophomore Kayvon Britten's 279 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on 32 carries, Alabama A&M scored late and held on for a 34-31 victory over the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday at Simmons Bank Field.
The game was originally scheduled for the Dome of America's Center in St. Louis but was shifted to Pine Bluff after financial arrangements by organizers fell through. The move was announced Wednesday.
"I have to give [UAPB] credit," A&M Coach Connell Maynor said. "They never gave up, but we never gave up, either. I know both teams had to deal with a lot of adversity. We both need bye weeks, and then we all had to deal with that thing in St. Louis."
Britten, whose rushing total was the second highest for UAPB since its football program began in 1916, scored from 4 yards out for his final touchdown to tie the score at 31-31 with 11:58 left in the fourth quarter.
"I don't have much to say about my game," Britten said. "The thing is, we didn't finish."
A&M (3-4, 3-1 SWAC) answered with a 13-play, 84-yard drive completed by freshman Victor Barbosa's 29-yard game-winning field goal with 5:59 left.
In his first start, freshman quarterback Chancellor Edwards led UAPB's final drive from the A&M 35. After four plays UAPB faced first and 10 at the A&M 40. Two runs for no yards and an overthrow to wide-open sophomore receiver Daemon Dawkins left UAPB at fourth and 10.
Edwards found Dawkins open at the 29. Dawkins seemed to have caught Edwards' slightly-high spiral, but junior defensive Marquez Beason flew into Dawkins' back and knocked the ball incomplete with 1:48 left.
"We have to make that catch," Gamble said.
Both teams relied on their ground games in the second half.
"There might have been five passes thrown in the whole second half," Maynor said. "We both just kept running it down each other's throat."
There were 10 passes thrown and 41 rushing attempts in the second half.
Sophomore running back Donovan Eaglin led A&M with 126 yards on 19 carries.
A&M started fast.
It held UAPB (2-5, 0-4) to three plays and a punt after the opening kickoff. A&M scored to conclude an 11-play drive with a 30-yard field goal by Victor Barbosa with 9:18 left in the first quarter.
UAPB also punted to end its second possession. A&M took over UAPB's 45 and scored on its fifth play with a 20-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Xavier Lankford to sophomore receiver Kennan Hambrick that gave A&M a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
UAPB responded with two long runs by Britten.
On the first play of UAPB's third possession, Britten carried for a 58-yard touchdown run to cut A&M's lead to 10-7 with 4:11 left in the first quarter.
A&M was stopped again and punted into UAPB's end zone. On the first play from the 20, Britten ran 78 yards. He followed with a 2-yard touchdown run that gave the Golden Lions a 14-10 lead with 43.3 seconds left in the first quarter.
"[UAPB] played with a lot of fight in the game," A&M junior quarterback Xavior Lankford said. "They stayed in it, but we stayed in it, too. We could've had our heads down, but we didn't. We just kept persevering. I'm proud of our team."
The Bulldogs took control with two second-quarter 10-yard touchdown runs, the first by senior running back Harold Jemison, Jr., followed by Lankford's keeper that put A&M's lead at 24-14 with 7:46 left.
UAPB pulled to within 24-17 seconds before halftime with senior Cristofer Thompson's 42-yard field goal.
"Both teams played hard," Maynor said. "We just made one more play."