Tuskegee RB Derrick Washington rushes for 208 yards in 27-17 win at Miles College

FAIRFIELD, Alabama  --  Big time players. Big time games. Big time plays.
The adage is trite. The adage is true.

And when a running back explodes for a 208 yards on 22 carries on the road against a top-ranked opponent with a spot in the conference title game on the line like Tuskegee's Derrick Washington did in the Golden Tigers' 27-17 triumph at Miles College Saturday, it fits like spandex.

The 6-foot, 215-pounder got it going early, bolting for a 39-yard run on his first carry of the game to go over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

When he got off the ground, he held his hand to his mouth and motioned as if he was feeding himself as he ran back to the Golden Tigers' huddle.

"I'm eating," he said, explaining the celebration. "I want them to feed me because I'm eating. That broke the tone. The line had been talking all week that I needed 33 yards and I'm sure that was over 33 yards to get a 1,000. We just did it right there."

Washington did it all night to help the Golden Tigers' capture their eighth straight victory.

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 2-Minute Drill: Tuskegee 27, Miles College 17

FAIRFIELD, Alabama  --  WHY TUSKEGEE WON...

Derrick Washington had a lot to do with it.  Washington, a Missouri transfer, looked like a man, a grown man, playing against boys all day Saturday. He had 229 all-purpose yards, rushing for 208 on 22 carries and catching a pair of passes for 21 yards. Quite simply he made every play his team needed him to when they needed him to, especially on third down.

"That's a great football player," Tuskegee coach Willie Slater said. "That's all a part of it. You got a great football player you need to use him."

KEY MOMENT

Trailing 21-14 with less than six minutes go, Miles looked as if it was all set to tie the game up. The Golden Bears had driven the ball from the 50-yard line to the Tuskegee 16. However, Miles running back Floyd Graves fumbled an option pitch from quarterback David Thomas and Golden Tigers linebacker Quavon Taylor recovered to thwart Miles' best chance at tying the game in the second half.

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