Tuskegee, Alabama - (September 20, 2009) - The Golden Tigers enjoyed their most productive offensive game of the season Saturday en route to a 31-21 SIAC victory over Clark Atlanta at Cleve Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium.
The Golden Tigers, 3-1 in the SIAC and overall, rolled up 419 total yards - 215 passing and 204 on the ground - as they had their highest point total of the season while handing Clark Atlanta its first loss. The defeat dropped Clark Atlanta to 3-1 in the SIAC and leaves Albany State as the only unbeaten team in the conference.
"We played better than we did last week,'' Coach Willie Slater said, referring to the Golden Tigers' 22-15 win against Fort Valley State in which they had just 175 total yards. "Fort Valley State was really good, especially their front. That had a lot to do with it last week. Clark Atlanta was good too, but I thought we played better on both sides of the ball.''
The Golden Tigers broke Clark Atlanta's back with three long scoring plays, a 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jeremy Williams to Antoine Mitchell on the second play of the game, a 24-yard pass from Jeremy Williams to Wayne Williams and a 60-yard run by Tony Forney.
Jeremy Williams read the Panthers' blitz on the Golden Tigers' first possession and connected with Mitchell on a curl-flag pattern. Mitchell made a defender missed and outran the Panthers' secondary to the end zone.
Tuskegee's second score came on basically the same play, except Jeremy Williams hooked up with Wayne Williams to give the Golden Tigers a 21-14 lead.
Jeremy Williams, a red-shirt freshman, completed five of nine passes for 157 yards in an efficient performance. "He's making the right reads,'' Slater said. "Earlier in the season he was making the right reads but he was making bad throws. Other than the interception that he threw, he made all the right reads and he's getting better with his throws.
Williams threw an interception early in the second quarter that led to Clark Atlanta's first touchdown. However, Slater blames himself for the turnover. The interception came on a first-and-15 play at Tuskegee's eight-yard line. Clark Atlanta linebacker William Hollis intercepted Williams' pass at the 20 and returned the ball to the one-yard line. "I shouldn't have put the quarterback in that position,'' Slater says. "We were backed up and went for the deep one. I'll take the blame for that one.''
The Golden Tigers led 24-21 with 13:55 left in the fourth quarter when the game was delayed for 30 minutes by lightning.
After play resumed, Forney scored on a 60-yard run at the 4:07 mark that sealed the victory. "The last touchdown was just a good executed running play,'' Slater said. Forney finished the game with 118 rushing yards to complement the passing of Jeremy Williams and Joshua Harris, who shared time at quarterback. Harris completed five of eight passes for 58 yards.
"Playing Josh gives the young guy (Williams) a chance to stand over there and see what he's doing,'' Slater said, "and the other guy deserves a chance to play.'' Slater didn't say if Williams would continue to split time for the remainder of the season. "We'll just go one week at a time and try to do what's best for the team,'' he said.
Slater said he was pleased with the way the Golden Tigers' reconstructed offensive line performed in the absence of All-American center Michael Stevens, who is out for the season with a back injury. When Stevens went down, Danny Daniels moved from left guard to center; Ryan Jackson moved from left tackle to left guard, and Robert Dorsey took over at left tackle. They allowed just two sacks.
"The offensive line is really playing well,'' Slater said. "Pass protection has been good. The only time we had problems was when they brought more than we could block. They're progressing real well. I'm pleased with the offensive line.''
Slater was not pleased, however, with the Golden Tigers fumbling the ball. One fumble came at Tuskegee's five-yard line and set up a Clark Atlanta touchdown. The other one occurred at Clark Atlanta's 14-yardline and prevented a possible touchdown for the Golden Tigers. Tuskegee has lost seven fumbles this season, all in the last three games.
"We've got to stop doing that,'' Slater said. "There are two reasons for fumbles - poor ball carrying technique and lack of courage. We will look at the tape which it was and correct it.''
The victory extended the Golden Tigers' home winning streak to 22 consecutive games. They begin a stretch of five consecutive road games Saturday when they play Kentucky State in the 16th Annual Gateway Classic in St. Louis. Their next game at Abbott Stadium is Homecoming against Stillman Nov. 7, which will be the final home contest of the season.
Slater is undaunted by the prospect of going on the road. "It's what we got to do,'' he said. "We've always been a good road. We're together more on the road and there are not a lot of distractions. In Tuskegee, it's a lot of distractions.''
