2021 Spring SWAC Championship Preview: Alabama A&M vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

We are finally here! This weekend we will see the spring season of SWAC football come to an end as the SWAC East champions Alabama A&M Bulldogs will take on the somewhat surprising SWAC West champion Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions. On paper this game might seem like a shootout in the making but statistics will show you that this might not be a first to 50 wins sort of game.

How We Got Here

Alabama A&M started off the spring as the favorites to win the SWAC East for most knowledgeable FCS pundits (ahem). Jackson State came in with all the shine (and Prime), but the Bulldogs were primed in the fall to challenge Alcorn State for the title outright.

What we couldn’t predict is what COVID did to a lot of teams’ schedules, but especially Alabama A&M’s.

The Bulldogs beat the South Carolina State Bulldogs 31-7 in a game that was put on the calendar due to COVID cancellations, and then Alabama A&M wouldn’t play another game for OVER A MONTH. Not missing a beat, they hopped on ESPN and lit up Jackson State’s with Aqeel Glass putting up video game numbers.

As a result, the Magic City Classic against arch Rival Alabama State would serve as the de facto SWAC East championship game. The Bulldogs showed their experience and handled a talented, but young Hornets side to become SWAC East champions.

If the SWAC East went as scripted by writers, the West was anything but.

Four out of these Five teams had winning records in 2019 so we expected it to be competitive.

What was not expected was seeing Arkansas Pine Bluff make it out of this gauntlet.

The Golden Lions made their statement out of the gate with a 33-30 win over preseason favorites Southern, who would finish the spring with just that one loss. Following that up with a massive win against a despondent Grambling and surviving an improving Mississippi State, their game against Prairie View A&M became the de facto championship game for the SWAC West, a distinction usually reserved for the Bayou Classic.

The game did not disappoint and the Golden Lions came out on top.

We all knew this would be an improved team, but seeing them atop the SWAC West is probably something only their team and fans saw coming.

The Game

Lest you think this game will be all about offense, these defenses aren’t too shabby either. Alabama A&M boasts the second best scoring defense in the SWAC while Arkansas Pine Bluff has the fifth. Each defense has shown a knack for stepping up when they need to, and I expect both units will be keen on showing off their own prowess as the offensive side of the ball gets all the shine. Pressuring the quarterbacks and turnovers will likely be deciding factors in this game.

Fearless Prediction

It’s hard to imagine this game staying in the 20s, but I don’t expect a shootout either. As cliche as it sounds, the team that wins the turnover battle is the most likely to win this game. Neither offense is prone to turnovers, so it’ll make for an even more tantalizing game. At the end of the day, Alabama A&M have been building towards this moment, and I see them taking it on the back of Aqeel Glass and that potent wide receiver corp.

Alabama A&M 38, Arkansas Pine Bluff 30