Two days after playing in the Magic City Classic, the magic ran out for Alabama State coach Donald Hill-Eley.

The school announced Monday Hill-Eley was fired after losing 42-28 to Alabama A&M in the annual in-state rivalry game in Birmingham. The loss was the fourth consecutive to A&M and dropped Hill-Eley’s record in four-plus seasons to 20-21 after taking over midway through the 2017 season.

Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson was named interim coach and took Hill-Eley’s place on the SWAC coaches Zoom conference Monday. The Hornets were 3-4 overall and 2-3 in league play this season and play at Prairie View Saturday.

“We want to thank coach Hill-Eley for his seven years of service and commitment to Alabama State and wish him the best in the future,” Alabama State athletics director Dr. Jason Cable said in a statement on the university’s athletic website.

Alabama State’s last SWAC title came in 2004 when it defeated Southern, 40-35, in the championship game. The Hornets haven’t won a division title since 2010. They lost to Texas Southern, 11-6, in the title game.

Hill-Eley is good friends with his chief competitor Connell Maynor at A&M. The two often play golf together and joke back and forth on the weekly Zoom call.

“We talked about 10 minutes this morning and he’s doing OK,” Maynor said. “He understands it’s all part of it.

“(Going against him) It’s like going against your friends at home. You talk junk all day in school and then go to the park and play. You’ve got bragging rights until the next day when you play again. We have fun; we compete knowing we’re still going to be friends after the game. But for those three hours we have to get our teams as prepared as possible to win the game.”

Not ready for prime time

Jackson State coach Deion Sanders is still missing from the sideline and the Zoom call and a timeline for his return has not been announced. Sanders underwent foot surgery two weeks ago and missed the next game but was initially expected to return for the Tigers game at Mississippi Valley State. But Sanders was readmitted to the hospital last week while running backs coach Gary Harrell took over as interim coach.

Sanders did acknowledge his team’s come-from-behind, 28-19 victory which kept the Tigers unbeaten in SWAC play with a tweet ‘I AM SO DARN PROUD’ after the game.

“We have truly been tested these past couple of weeks regarding our strength, mentally, physically, as individuals as a team,” Sanders wrote. “I am so darn proud of each and every one of these young men and women that are a part and connected to this team.”

Harrell also filled in for Sanders in the Zoom call Monday. The Tigers (7-1, 5-0) host Texas Southern Saturday and can clinch the East Division title with a victory and a Florida A&M loss to Southern.

“As you know, recovering from my recent surgeries has taken longer than expected (mostly because I could not sit my butt down somewhere.),” Sanders wrote. “Thank God I have a wonderful team of doctors and nurses and I am still under their care.”

Polls

Southern slipped back into the BOXTOROW HBCU rankings this week at No. 9 in the coaches poll and No. 10 in the media poll. The top two teams remained Jackson State and Prairie View in both polls with Florida A&M moving up to No. 3 with Alcorn State’s loss to Southern. Alcorn dropped to No. 7 in both polls.

Norfolk State (6-2), coached by former Southern coach Dawson Odums, was ranked No. 4 by the coaches and No. 5 by the media.

Last week

Texas Southern 59, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 17; Alabama A&M 42, Alabama State 28; Florida a&M 26, Grambling 3; Jackson State 28, Mississippi Valley 19; Southern 38, Alcorn State 35.

This week

Alcorn State at Bethune Cookman, Texas Southern at Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State at Alabama A&M, Grambling at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alabama State at Prairie View, Florida A&M at Southern.