Tuskegee Homecoming, Senior Day & SIAC West “jockeying” set for Saturday with Thorobreds
TUSKEGEE, Ala. (goldentigersports.com) — For the first six weeks of the season, the fifth-ranked Tuskegee University Golden Tigers have viewed the next game on the schedule as the biggest game. And although this weekend is Senior Day and Homecoming, the feeling is the same; the contest on Saturday is the biggest game of the season.
Tuskegee (6-0, 1-0 SIAC West) and Kentucky State (3-4, 2-0 SIAC West) will meet at 1 pm inside Cleve L. Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium, with more than a homecoming victory at stake. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) West Division title hangs in the balance.
Kentucky State comes into Tuskegee in search of a victory, a victory that would wrap up the West Division title for the Thorobreds; while Tuskegee controls their destiny in search of the SIAC West Division title – win out, or get some help along the way.
“We have to be ready to play,” Tuskegee head coach Willie Slater said. “We have to be ready to equal the intensity and the play of Kentucky State. They are a very improved football team. Defensively they all run to the ball well and have some good players. They are much improved from years past, not just last year, but years past. There is just a different attitude in that time, and we have to be ready to play four quarters.”
Tuskegee, who has achieved their highest ranking in school history, is coming off of an off week following their victory over Morehouse two weeks ago. Following the win, the Golden Tigers were able to maintain their rankings nationally.
“We come off an off week and now we are in homecoming,” Slater said. “That is a double whammy for us, we have never had that before and it is going to be interesting to see how our guys respond to that. We might be a little rusty coming out of the off week. And it is also homecoming so there are distractions, so our guys are really going to have to do a good job of focusing and be ready to play.
“I haven’t seen a drop off in anything at practice, it is just a matter of keeping the guys focused. There are a lot of things going on around campus this week, and I am sure some of the guys want to try to get those events. Homecoming is really for the fans, it is our job to entertain them. At the end of the day if we do well it’s us, and if we don’t do well then it’s … us.”
The two teams have met 26 times, meeting for the first time in 1907, and Tuskegee leads the all-time series 17-9. The Golden Tigers have won the last four meetings and have won 17 of the last 18 meetings between the two schools. But this weekend is a little different.
“They are a really good football team,” senior quarterback Kevin Lacey said. “We have to be prepared to play, and play for four quarters. As a team, we know what is at stake and we always say you can’t achieve your goals if you don’t win the next game and this is the next game. We just have to mentally prepare ourselves and not get distracted, and execute the way we know how to execute.”
The Golden Tigers come into the game as the leading defense, not only in the SIAC, but also in NCAA Division II. Tuskegee is allowing just 228.3 yards per game, including just 79.7 yards per game on the ground (fourth in the nation). They are also among the nation’s leaders in passing yards allowed (fourth) and team passing efficiency defense (third).
Individually, Osband Thompson leads the team in tackles with 63 and is followed by his fellow linebackers Quavon Taylor (49) and Kalil Gray (29). As a team, Tuskegee has sacked the opposing quarterback 20 times – led by Daryl George and Vladimir Gray with 3.5 each – while they have picked off eight passes this season.
“Last year was tough,” Thompson said. “We didn’t execute for the entire game and they were able to make some plays on us. They are better this year, and we just have to be ready to execute.”
Offensively, the Golden Tigers lead the conference in scoring at 28.5 points per game. They are ranked near the top of the nation in passing yards per completion (ninth) and red zone offense (10th) through six games.
Individually, Lacey leads the offense with 1,336 yards passing and 13 touchdowns through six games. His favorite targets this season include Desmond Reece (23-532-6 tds), Leo Gilbert (15-267-4 tds) and Javarrius Cheatham (14-182-2 tds). The Golden Tigers have also rushed for 746 yards this season, led by freshman Jayjerien Craig with 332 yards and two touchdowns.
The game can be seen on the Tuskegee Digital Network beginning with pregame at 12:30 pm, and can also be heard on XM/Sirius Radio, as it will be carried by HSRN.
