TUSKEGEE, Ala. | The 13th-ranked Tuskegee University Golden Tigers step out of conference play this weekend, facing Florida A&M University for the first time in 20 years at the 5th Quarter Classic powered by the Mobile Sports Authority.
The two schools last met in 1996, but will kickoff this Saturday night at 6 pm inside Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game will be carried on HSRN and on the Tuskegee Digital Network (audio only).
Tuskegee (2-0) and Florida A&M (0-2), an FCS program, are two of the most storied programs in all of HBCU football. The Golden Tigers currently are the winningest program in HBCU football with 670 wins, followed by Florida A&M with 574. Each school has won 30 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) championships, although Florida A&M is no longer part of the conference.
The Golden Tigers are coming into the weekend matchup off of conference wins over Clark Atlanta and Albany State, while Florida A&M enters off of losses to Miami (Fla.) and Coastal Carolina. The game will be the third consecutive games for both schools away from home this season.
"We are excited that we were able to win again last week," Tuskegee head coach
Willie Slater said. "Not only did we win last week, but we improved from the previous week and we just need to keep doing that wee to week. Now we have a tremendous task ahead of us this week trying to get ready to play Florida A&M.
"They played Miami and then played another really good team in Coastal Carolina. I do know they have some very good football players and a good scheme. We have our work cut out for us."
Tuskegee comes into the contest averaging 32 points per game in the two games so far this season, and a lot of that can be attributed to several different players. This past week it was senior quarterback
Kevin Lacey who finished with three touchdown passes, and was awarded the SIAC Offensive Player of the Week and the BOXTOROW National Player of the Week.
"He has really come on for us," Slater said. "You hear a lot of people talk about the light coming on, I think the light has come on for him. He has been really impressive to everyone, including the coaching staff. He dedicated himself this summer improving his footwork, and it has reflected in his work and performance."
The senior quarterback enters the contest completing 19-of-27 passes for 429 yards and four touchdowns; however, the Golden Tigers have gotten production from several players this fall. Senior receiver
Desmond Reece and senior tight end
Leo Gilbert lead the team with five receptions each, while sophomore receiver
Javarrius Cheatham has added that same figure. Gilbert leads the team with three touchdown receptions.
Freshman
Jayjerien Craig leads the team in rushing with 191 yards through two games, running for 130 yards against Albany State last weekend.
"We have a lot of young guys that are playing," Slater said. "They are all productive and will continue to be throughout the year."
The Golden Tigers will face a Florida A&M defense that has face two high-powered offenses in the first two games of the season. The Rattlers have given up an average of 59.5 points per game in the first two games, as well as 481 yards of offense per game.
Tuskegee continues to improve defensively each week, allowing 15.5 points per game in the two conference games. However
"We did some extra running," defensive coordinator
Joseph Carter said of the team's penalties last week. "I call those mental loafs, and we can't afford to do that. The kids understand that, and understand that it hurts the team more when they happen."
The Golden Tigers will be facing a FAMU offense that is averaging 246.5 yards per game. The Rattlers will enter the game with one quarterback under center instead of rotating a pair, as Kenneth Coleman won the starting job and played every down last weekend against Coastal Carolina.
However, Florida A&M's Devin Bowers is questionable this week after injuring his elbow last week against Coastal Carolina. The sophomore rushed for 120 yards against Coastal Carolina last week and a touchdown before getting injured.
"They present a big difficulty," Carter said. "They line up in a lot of different formations, and our kids have to be attentive to the different formations they give us. We have been working this week with it, watching a lot of film and learning how to adjust."
Osband Thompson leads Tuskegee with 27 total tackles, while junior linebacker
Quavon Taylor has added 17. The team has combined for 18 tackles for loss, led by Thompson with four and
Darion Hall with three. They have also combined for nine sacks, with
Julian Morgan and Hall each with two each.
The game is a bit different than any other game the Golden Tigers have played this season, with it being a non-conference contest in Mobile. The ironic note about the contest is that 60 players on the Tuskegee roster were not even born when the two teams last met in 1996.
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