TUSKEGEE, Ala. | A national audience will be tuned in to Cleve L. Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon as perennial power Winston-Salem State University travels south to face 24th-ranked Tuskegee University. The game will kickoff at 1:04 pm, and can be seen (and heard) on multiple platforms including ESPN3.
 
But for Tuskegee and head coach Willie Slater, it is a big game because it is the next game on the schedule.
 
"We hope that the home field advantage will help us," Slater said. "But it doesn't matter where you are you still have to play good football. You can't turn the ball over, you can't make a lot of mental mistakes, can't have a lot of penalties, you just have to play good football if you are going to beat anybody. This is a big game because it is the next game, it is going to be a challenge for us."
 
The game will be the second home game of the season for Tuskegee, the first was a 26-0 victory over Clark Atlanta in the season opener. So far in 2015, the Golden Tigers have not ventured more than 45 minutes from home in their first two games.
 
Tuskegee (2-0) enters the game off a 27-14 victory over Albany State, a game in which they had three scoring plays go for 70-plus yards. But they also struggled offensively, managing just 232 yards of total offense.
 
"Last week I was inconsistent," junior quarterback Kevin Lacey said. "I wasn't hitting the typical throws I normally would. Last week was a building block for me, and I came back out this week and worked hard. I feel like I had a better week.
 
"It starts with me, I touch the ball every play. If I can't get my job done, it is going to trickle over into every area of the offense. Coach (Slater) has great play calls and his composure on the sideline keeps everyone calm, but it starts with the quarterback. You have to keep a level head, and if I am consistent we will be better on offense."
 
This season, the Golden Tigers rank fifth in the SIAC in scoring offense at 26.5 points per game and are sixth in total offense at 272 yards per game. They are also fourth in the league in rushing offense at 138 yards per game.
 
However, on the defensive side of the ball, Tuskegee is first in the SIAC at allowing just seven points per game and second in the league in total defense (247.5 yards per game). They have also forced seven turnovers, including six interceptions. Last week against Albany State, sophomore linebacker Ricky Norris sealed the victory with a record-tying 95-yard interception return in the waning seconds for a touchdown.
 
"We played well," defensive coordinator Joseph Carter said. "We played well enough to win obviously. We are still making some mistakes, missing too many tackles but the effort is there. That is what we talk to our guys about all the time … right; wrong or indifferent give us a lot of effort. They had opportunities to make plays and they made plays."
 
On special teams, the Golden Tigers lead the league in kick returns, averaging 30 yards per return.
 
Tuskegee will face a Winston-Salem State (0-2) team who was ranked in the preseason polls, but have falling out since losing to UNC-Pembroke and Valdosta State. That still doesn't matter to the coaching staff, as they know how good this Winston-Salem State team is.
 
"I just have to be prepared as a coach," Slater said. "I have to be prepared, our coaches have to be prepared and I have to make sure our players are prepared. If we give them our best effort and they beat us, then they just beat us. We just have to prepare. They are a good football team."
 
The Rams are led offensively by quarterback Rod Tinsley who has thrown for 195 yards and a touchdown, while Marcel Caver has eight receptions for 90 yards. On the ground, Tyree Massey has carried the ball 12 times for 58 yards to lead Winston-Salem State.
 
Tuskegee is led offensively by Lacey with 279 total yards of offense, with 249 of that coming through the air. On the ground, senior transfer Dennis Norfleet leads the way with 109 yards on 14 carries with an average of 7.6 yards per carry. He has split carries with sophomore Kenno Loyal with 41 yards on 10 carries; as the duo are leading the ground game as Tyree Brooks missed the first two games of the season.
 
Through the air, senior receiver Marquel Gardner caught his 100th career reception last week and has four this season. Van Powell has three catches, including a 79-yard catch and run after the defenders from Albany State thought he was down last week.
 
Meanwhile, on defense, a pair of linebackers –Jewell Ratliff and Osband Thompson – leads the Golden Tigers with 20 tackles each this season. The duo has combined for seven tackles for loss, while Ratliff leads the way with a pair of interceptions.
 
"Those two guys (Ratliff and Thompson) have gotten a lot of reps," Carter said. "It is hard to coach experience. When I talk to those guys in the course of the game, simple adjustments can be made without writing down things while plays are happening on the field."
 
But it all comes down to one thing … execution. And that is something that Slater and the rest of the Golden Tigers have noticed when it comes to  Winston-Salem State, even if they are struggling right now at this point in the season. They have executed well over the last few years and have been a perennial power in Division II football.
 
"We haven't beaten them," Slater said. "They have beaten us every time since I have been here. They are a very good football program; their program is where we want to be. They played for the national championship before, and we would like to be in that position at some point. It is going to be a benchmark for us to play on the same field as they are playing on."
 
The game can be seen, and heard on a variety of different platforms, which include ESPN3, the Tuskegee Sports Network (106.5 FM/1300 AM in Tallassee), HSRN (Sirius 126/XM 204), the Tune-In app for the network, and in the stadium (only) at 102.5 FM.
 
For more information on Tuskegee University athletics, follow us on Twitter @MyTUAthletics and like us on Facebook.