COLUMBUS, GA - No Nared, no problem.  In Tuskegee's 54-10 blowout victory over their oldest gridiron rival in the 78th Annual Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic, Rashard Burkette had an impressive performance in what was his first start in 18 games.  The Senior from Montgomery's Sidney Lanier High School was 12-for-19 for 247 yards and a touchdown, and he also ran for 29 yards in his first start since Sept. 1, 2012.  On that day, Tuskegee dropped a close 7-6 decision to Alabama A&M before winning ten consecutive games with Justin Nared as the starter while winning the 2012 SIAC Championship in the process.

Nared came out during the second quarter of last week's 21-13 victory over Fort Valley State University in a rematch of the 2012 SIAC Championship Game.  Playing the entire second half, Burkette was 3-for-10 passing for 43 yards and an interception in relief.

Tuskegee Coach Willie Slater said that Burkette performed valiantly under pressure against Morehouse, and thinks that he can still improve as the regular season winds down.

"He did really well," Slater said.  "He had the ability to keep plays alive with his mobility.  He still made a few mistakes, like when we ran plays in the option.  But, he is a better player than he was last year.  He is much more mature, and it shows when working with his coaches and his teammates."

Even more impressive than Burkette's showing at A.J. McClung Stadium on Saturday was the performance from Atlanta native Hoderick Lowe.  The freshman was the catalyst in bringing about a long day to his hometown collegiate program, as he had nine rushes for 75 yards and three touchdowns to go with three receptions for 93 yards and another touchdown.

The 211 all-purpose yards (including 43 yards on kickoff returns) put Lowe in strong consideration for Offensive Player of the Week in the SIAC, but Slater said that most of the yards came with a God-given attribute of speed.

"He's a good football player," Slater said.  "He's fast.  You can't teach that.  He knows how to run the ball.  He is only getting better."

The victory, which included a total of 351 out of 598 total offensive yards on the ground, allowed for other massive contributions on Saturday.  Six Golden Tigers rushed for at least 24 yards, and three of those players ran for a minimum of 72 yards.  These contributions look very similar to the last two weeks, when the offensive line for Tuskegee became 100 percent healthy.

"It all starts up front," Slater said.  "Since we've gotten our top players back and made the necessary adjustments, we've realy been able to take advantage of our running game."

At 5-1 to start the season in the toughest schedule that Slater said he has ever had in his entire coaching career, Tuskegee finally gets to play in the first home game of the 2013 season next week.  However, Slater was cautious to ensure that his team not make the mistake of assuming that anything is easy now that they are in the friendly confines of Cleve Abbott Stadium for three of the regular season's final four games.

"We're getting to the heart of conference play," Slater said.  "We still have to play both Stillman and Kentucky State, who both have just one conference loss.  We also can't take Central State lightly, since they happened to beat Miles this afternoon.  Of course, Miles always plays us pretty tough.  But, I hope we take this schedule to our advantage.  Some of the biggest losses I've experienced here have been at home.  That is a given."

The Golden Tigers will have an opportunity to defeat two teams of rival tigers in consecutive weeks, when Stillman is in town next Saturday.  Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. Central/2:00 p.m. Eastern.