TUSKEGEE __ In a rematch from the 2021 season opener, the Golden Tigers battled close for three quarters before a late score gave the Wildcats the 21-6 win inside the Cramton Bowl on Sunday evening in the second Boeing Red Tails Classic.
After winning the opening toss, Tuskegee (0-1) threw and opening drive interception that led to the first score of the game minutes later, with the Wildcats getting into the endzone. The Golden Tigers put together a solid drive in response, however missed a field goal to end the drive before Fort Valley State extended their lead to 14-0 with just over nine minutes to play in the first half.
Tuskegee responded on their next possession with a five-play 43-yard drive for a score, capped off with a touchdown pass from
Ryan Nettles (Evergreen, Ala.) to
Jordan Ogletree (LaGrange, Ga.), but could not convert the extra point, making the score 14-6 and remained that way through the remainder of the half.
Long drives by both teams took up a majority of the third quarter, with Fort Valley receiving the ball first for a 12-play, 54-yard drive that ended in a punt, but maintained over seven minutes of possession. Tuskegee followed that with a six-minute, 45-yard drive on 12 plays that ended with a turnover on downs.
After both teams went three-and-out to start the fourth, Fort Valley extended their lead to 21-6 on the next possession with a game-high 87-yard rush from Emanuel Wilson, which would prove to be the final score, giving the Wildcats the win.
Checking the Box Score
- Tuskegee held Fort Valley State to just 51 total passing yards on the game, yet the Wildcats ran for 328 yards on the ground in the game.
- The Golden Tigers were held to just 209 yards of total offense, while Fort Valley finished with 379
- Running back Donte Edwards (Mobile, Ala.) rushed for a team-high 81 yards on 20 carries, good for just over four yards per attempt. Bryson Williams (Lithonia, Ga.) rushed three times for a gain of six, while freshman Jatavion Elliott (Huntsville, Ala.) rushed once.
- Nettles finished with 131 yards on 15-for-24 passing with one touchdown after coming off the bench, while targeting nine total receivers in the game.
- True freshman Corey Petty (Warner Robins, Ga.) led the way on the outside with four catches for 43 yards, followed by Ogletree who caught a pair of passes for 27 yards, including the 17-yard touchdown.
- Rodricus Magee (Jackson, Miss.) also recorded four receptions, good for 22 yards, while Antonio Meeks (Lilburn, Ga.), Jonathan Montrevil (Miami, Fla.), and Latrevien O'Neal (Notasulga, Ala.) all caught passes.
- Antonio Kennon Jr. (Atlanta, Ga.) and Vincent Hill (Fairburn, Ga.) led the way defensively for the Golden Tigers, with Kennon recording eight tackles -- including five solo -- while Hill also added eight tackles, with six assisted.
- Fletcher Jordan (Columbus, Ga.) recorded a pair of tackles for loss, including the only sack for Tuskegee, followed by Jeremy Dees (Evergreen, Ala.) who had 1.5 tackles for loss, along with Davir Hamilton-Jackson (Compton, Calif.) and Kennon who both had one.
UP NEXT
Tuskegee will travel north to take on Hampton University for non-conference play. The game will kick at 6 pm eastern inside of Armstrong Stadium.
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