Tuskegee balanced offensive effort puts away Central State

TUSKEGEE, Alabama  -- In a game that Tuskegee never trailed in, the Golden Tigers cruised to a 31-point victory over Central State in the 90th Annual Homecoming game.  The 41-10 victory is the sixth consecutive win for Tuskegee, and sets up another matchup between TU and Miles for the SIAC West Division Championship next Saturday at Cleve L. Abbott Stadium.  The Golden Tigers had 417 yards of offense and 27 first downs for the game.

In spite of the great offensive effort by TU, not a single offensive player finished with even 75 yards individually for the contest.  The running game once again establishd a pattern of whoever the coaching staff felt was hot at the moment, as six Tuskegee players ran for a minimum of 20 yards on the afternoon  A total of 279 yards were gained against the Marauders.

"I thought they did a good job," said Tuskegee coach Willie Slater.  "They did a great job maintaining pass protection, and we were able to rely on the run whenever we needed it.  They are only getting better, and the linemen continue to improve every single week."

Montgomery native Rashard Burkette started for the fourth consecutive week, and Slater's mastery of the two quarterback system showed up in the stats.  Both the Sidney Lanier graduate and junior Justin Nared threw for 60 yards and a touchdown apiece, as they combined to complete six of their 18 passing attempts.

The Tuskegee defense had an outstanding effort, and was led by Reginald Woods.  He had game highs in solo and total tackles (with eight and ten, respectively), while also picking up one of four team interceptions to go with 2.5 sacks and four tackles for a loss.  The Marauders finished the game with 232 total yards, and just 57 of those yards were through the air.  They also had two lost fumbles to add with the four interceptions.

Miles College held up their end of the billing later in the day, as they were able to comeback from three scores down to take the lead for good over Stillman College in Tuscaloosa to earn a 31-30 victory.  Slater said that he expects a hard-fought battle, as games played over the course of the last two seasons have proved.

"It will be a tough game,"  Slater said.  "They always play us tough, and we always manage to have a battle with them.  We know that we have to play at our very best."

But, for this weekend, Coach Slater will look back at the Homecoming celebration and marvel at the strong showing of support.

"There's nothing like a TU Homecoming," Slater said.  "It's hard to believe how many people show up to it each and every year, and I really believe that it has grown.  I can't wait to see what it looks like next year."

Box Score




BY: Michael Stewart, Sports Information Director, Tuskegee University
COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION