Five early season home games highlight Tuskegee schedule for next seasonTUSKEGEE, Alabama -- The Tuskegee University Department of Athletics released its 2014 Football Schedule today. The Golden Tigers finished 8-3 in 2013 while making history by making the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time, and will look to capitalize on that momentum.
An immediate benefit of the new schedule is the increase in home games played on the TU campus. Director of Athletics Curtis Campbell directly addressed the issue of a relative lack of games played at home over the last couple of years, and Willie Slater's team will have five games at Cleve L. Abbott Stadium. Four of those home games will take place during the first five weeks of the season.
Tuskegee opens up with Alabama A&M coming to Tuskegee to play the Golden Tigers. After traveling to Huntsville to pick up the victory against the Division I SWAC member last season in a 23-7 victory, Tuskegee will welcome the Bulldogs in their first game on the gridiron in the historic town since the early '90's.
The schedule will pick up the following week, as TU will play the defending SIAC Champion Albany State Rams at home. Tuskegee was the only one of ASU's four opponents at home that was able to defeat the Rams, as the Golden Tigers earned a 19-13 victory in Week 2.
The third week of the season will see Tuskegee make their only road contest of the first five weeks.
The Golden Tigers will look to get payback against the Winston-Salem State Rams, the only other HBCU in Division II to qualify for the NCAA Playoffs in 2013. Tuskegee fought hard in the first half of the 2013 Cleveland Classic, before WSSU managed to pull away late in a 35-13 loss.
Lane College will then travel to Tuskegee to wrap up the month of September, as Tuskegee will look to earn another win against the Dragons. The Golden Tigers defeated Lane 42-14 in their largest margin of victory during a road game last year.
Fort Valley State will make the trip to Tuskegee during the first week of October, as the Wildcats will be the fourth team in five weeks to play inside Cleve L. Abbott Stadium. The Golden Tigers were able to overcome key injuries during the road trip in 2013 to pull out a 21-13 victory against FVSU.
The first of two road games after the Fort Valley State contest will take place the following week in Columbus, GA, as TU will partake in the annual Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic for their only neutral site game of the year. Tuskegee earned their largest margin of victory during this past season against the Maroon Tigers, as Slater's offense scored early and often in a 54-10 victory.
A trip to Tuscaloosa will mark Tuskegee's final road trip before Homecoming, as a date with the Stillman Tigers awaits. This will mark the first trip to Stillman since a regionally televised 16-0 victory two seasons ago; Tuskegee defeated their in-state rivals 35-7 this past season.
The Homecoming game in late October will feature Kentucky State for the second time in the past three seasons. Over the past two years, the Golden Tigers have defeated the Thorobreds by an average of 33 points per game.
Road games at the end of the season will include Tuskegee's first-ever trip to Wilberforce, OH to play Central State University, and the annual SIAC West Division showdown in Fairfield, AL against Miles College. Over the past two seasons, this very game has determined the champion of the SIAC West Division, with each team winning the game in the other team's home stadium.
2014 TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama A&M University | Cleve L. Abbott Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | |||
| Albany State University | Cleve L. Abbott Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | |||
| Winston-Salem State University | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 1:30 p.m. | |||
| * | Lane College | Cleve L. Abbott Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | ||
| * | Fort Valley State University | Cleve L. Abbott Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | ||
| 79th Annual Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic | |||||
| * | Morehouse College | Columbus, Georgia | 2:00 p.m. | ||
| * | Stillman College | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | 1:00 p.m. | ||
| 90th Annual Tuskegee University Homecoming | |||||
| * | Kentucky State University | Cleve L. Abbott Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | ||
| * | Central State University | Wilberforce, Ohio | 1:30 p.m. | ||
| * | Miles College | Fairfield, Alabama | 4:00 p.m. | ||
Neutral Site Games are in italics
* denotes a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest
BY: Michael Stewart, Sports Information Director,
COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
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