Alabama State wins 100th Turkey Day Classic over Tuskegee, 34-6

Alabama State University beat Tuskegee 34-6 in the 100th Turkey Day Classic this afternoon in Montgomery.

Alabama State held the Tuskegee to 93 passing yards and 138 yards on the ground while extending its string of quarters without allowing a touchdown to nine.

Quarterback Kareem Keye completed 12-of-18 passes with a career-high 331 yards and four touchdowns while Robert McMinn caught four passes for a career-high 152 yards and two touchdowns on offense.

The victory improved Alabama State’s record to 7-5 securing a third straight winning season under Head Coach Eddie Robinson Jr., The last time Alabama State had three straight winning seasons came under Head Coach Reggie Barlow, who led the Hornets to five straight winning seasons from 2010-2015.

The Tuskegee Golden Tigers ended their regular season with a 5-6 record.

The first quarter was dominated by Alabama State, which jumped to a 21-3 lead. The Hornets quickly capitalized on big plays, including a 45-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kareem Keye to Jalen Jones at 13:07.

Just 48 seconds later, Alabama State struck again with a 73-yard touchdown pass to Robert McMinn.

By the 5:45 mark of the first quarter, Alabama State added another touchdown, a 20-yard pass to Eric Horn, putting the Hornets ahead 21-0.

Tuskegee responded with a 30-yard field goal by Lorcan Ryans to cut the deficit to 21-3, but the Golden Tigers were unable to generate consistent offense.

In the second quarter, Tuskegee mounted a brief rally. A strong 13-play, 50-yard drive resulted in another field goal by Ryans, this time from 47 yards, to make it 21-6.

However, Alabama State responded almost immediately with a 63-yard touchdown pass to McMinn, putting the Hornets up 28-6 with just under six minutes remaining in the half.

Despite a solid effort from the defense, including a sack and a few key stops, Tuskegee was unable to find the end zone before halftime.

Alabama State continued to dominate in the third quarter, extending their lead to 31-6 with a 42-yard field goal by Brandon Gilliam at 4:30. The Golden Tigers struggled to gain traction offensively, failing to capitalize on a key interception and a punt return.

Despite a couple of promising drives, Tuskegee was unable to score, and Alabama State closed out the game with another field goal from Gilliam, making the final score 34-6.

Offensively, Tuskegee managed just 231 yards of total offense, with 138 yards rushing and 93 yards passing. Johnny Morris led the rushing attack with 88 yards on 17 carries, while Raequan Beal completed 9-of-20 passes for 86 yards but was intercepted twice.

Defensively, the Golden Tigers were led by Terence Maize, who recorded five tackles, and Masiah Wells, who had two tackles for loss.