TUSKEGEE, Ala. – In one of the most historic matchups in the nation, Tuskegee football dropped Saturday's game to Grambling State by a score of 37-20, despite a strong effort in front of a crowd of 9,247 at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
The Golden Tigers got off to a rocky start, with Grambling State scoring twice in the first quarter. Grambling quarterback Myles Crawley connected on two touchdown passes, including a 2-yard pass to Covadis Knighten and a 9-yard strike to Nick Howard. By the end of the first quarter, Tuskegee trailed 0-13.
In the second quarter, Grambling continued to apply pressure. Crawley added another touchdown, this time a 4-yard pass to Tony Phillips. Tuskegee's defense struggled to contain GSU's high-powered offense, allowing a 53-yard touchdown pass to Javon Robinson.
A late fumble by Tuskegee led to another Grambling score as Josh Darling returned the ball 45 yards for a touchdown, giving Grambling a commanding 37-0 lead with less than a minute left in the half.
Tuskegee refused to back down and came out stronger in the second half. After managing just a field goal by kicker
Lorcan Ryans at the close of the second quarter, Tuskegee opened the third quarter with an impressive drive.
Quarterback
Christopher Roberson and running back
Johnny Morris spearheaded an 8-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by Morris' 13-yard rushing touchdown, bringing the score to 37-10.
Tuskegee's defense tightened up in the second half, holding Grambling scoreless for the remainder of the game. Ryans added another field goal from 47 yards out in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit further.
In the game's final moments, quarterback
Raequan Beal connected with
Rodricus Magee Sr. on a 15-yard touchdown pass, closing the gap to 20-37. Despite Tuskegee's late rally, the early deficit proved too large to overcome.
Redshirt freshman
Gabriel Garmon had a career day, racking up a team-high 116 yards on five receptions, while Morris led Tuskegee's ground attack with 51 rushing yards on 12 carries, including the team's only rushing touchdown. Roberson completed 13 of 28 passes for 193 yards, while Beal added 77 passing yards and a touchdown.
Defensively,
Rossie Grimes led the charge with 12 total tackles, followed by
Charles Davis Jr. with seven, and
Malik Moore who added six tackles, a sack and forced fumble. However, Tuskegee's two interceptions and fumble recovery as a team were not enough to overcome the early onslaught by Grambling.
Up Next
Tuskegee will not return to the field for game action until Saturday, September 21, as they host Savannah State in not only the home opener, but the first SIAC contest of 2024.
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www.goldentigersports.com.
