FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- For the first time in three games, Justin Nared returned to action for the Golden Tigers on Saturday. However, the game was all but decided by the time he entered into action during the early portion of the second quarter, as Tuskegee already had a 14-0 lead on the road against the Thorobreds. Two rushing touchdowns by Senior QB Rashard Burkette led the way to 29 first half points en route to a 36-7 blowout of Kentucky State (4-4 to start 2013) on Saturday afternoon by Tuskegee (7-1 overall; 4-0 in the SIAC).Tuskegee Coach Willie Slater wouldn't absolutely rule out that Burkette is the de facto starting quarterback for the final two games of the 2013 regular season. But, given how the Senior from Montgomery has played, any unbiased eye would have to say that he has all but earned it with his play on the field for three consecutive weeks.
"He's playing good," Slater said. "We'll see."
Slater described how Burkette was able to take advantage of the first two offensive drives of the game for the Golden Tigers.
"I think one was a pass, and then he broke pass containment before he ran it in for a touchdown," Slater said. "The other one was a designed run. He just read it, and kept the ball, and broke the ball behind pursuit and ran it in for a touchdown. I thought that he had a really good game."
A really good game could be deemed an understatement for Burkette's performance, as he ended up as the leading rusher for the Golden Tigers in addition to having a good completion percentage on the afternoon. The Sidney Lanier graduate had nine carries for 72 yards to go with the two aforementioned scores, in addition to completing 14-of-23 pass attempts for 136 yards and a late 26-yard touchdown pass to Kaleep Williams during garbage time inside the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.
Major errors on special teams by Kentucky State allowed Tuskegee to break the game open and essentially end the game by halftime. First, Cameron Lee missed a 43-yard field goal that would have given KSU the first lead of the game. Then, the Golden Tigers were able to recover an onside kick after Burkette ran in his first touchdown. In the second quarter, Damarquis Lumpkin recovered a fumble for the Golden Tigers at the KSU 32-yard line, where Nared was able to begin his first offensive drive in 12 quarters. Michael J. Thornton was able to run in a one-yard score seven plays later.
Slater attributed the burst in the opening half to a stingy effort for Tuskegee on both special teams and defense.
"I think that speaks for itself," Slater said. "We didn't turn the ball over, and then they (the defense) got turnovers. It goes with my saying. The team that has the most big plays and the least turnovers wins 100 percent of the time."
Up next for Tuskegee is the 90th annual Homecoming game against SIAC newcomer Central State. The Marauders dropped to 2-6 on Thursday night after a two-point loss on the road against Stillman, but they had previously defeated Miles and Lane in back-to-back weeks in their first victories as a member of the SIAC.
"They're a very good team," Slater said. "You can see them getting better and better each week. They've beaten some good teams."
Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. Central/2:00 p.m. Eastern at Cleve Abbott Stadium next Saturday.
By: Michael Stewart, Sports Information Director, Tuskegee University
COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION
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