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« on: October 07, 2016, 12:25:20 PM »
Don't look now, but Tuskegee is undefeated and ranked No. 8 in Division 2 football
Tuskegee is ranked No. 8 in Division 2 football as the Golden Tigers head to Morehouse College for a Saturday conference matchup. (Photo, Tuskegee Athletics)
Tuskegee takes an undefeated record and a No. 8 Division 2 ranking on the road Saturday to Columbus, Georgia for its annual matchup against Morehouse College.
The Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic is one of the most entertaining off-the-field events among college football with parades, music and band displays--but this year, the action on the field will be just as important to the visiting team from Alabama.
The Golden Tigers bring a 5-0 record and a No. 8 ranking in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division II poll into the game. Morehouse sits at 2-3, after starting the season 2-0 and blowing a 22-point lead last week against Clark Atlanta.
Tuskegee head coach Tuskegee coach Willie Slater said in at a Wednesday press conference that the game will be a challenge for his team.
"Morehouse brings a very good football team, and it's going to be a tremendous challenge for us," he sad. "Hopefully, our guys can recover from what has been five very tough weeks. This is not going to be anything different. Hopefully we'll get our guys mentally and physically ready to play."
Tuskegee has been impressive during the early stretch of games this season.
The Golden Tigers rank at the top of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in both offense and defense, averaging 28.6 points per game and allowing just 14.2 points per game. They are the only SIAC team in the current Division 2 polls.
Senior quarterback Kevin Lacey leads Tuskegee this season with 1,036 yards through the air and nine touchdowns. He has completed 62-of-101 passes with just two interceptions on his way to a pair of SIAC Offensive Player of the Week awards.
Lacey and four other Tuskegee players-- linebacker Osband Thompson, defensive lineman Julian Morgan, offensive lineman Leeward Brown and defensive back Jonah McCutcheon--have been named to the Black College Football Hall of Fame Player of the Year Watch List.
The Golden Tigers are coming off of a come-from-behind 21-16 victory over then 21st-ranked UNC Pembroke last weekend. They've also notched the following wins this season: 36-13 over Clark-Atlanta, 28-18 over Albany State, 20-17 over Florida A&M and 38-7 over Lane College.
Saturday's game against Morehouse kicks off at 1 p.m. Central Time, and can be seen on ASPiRE TV and heard on the Tuskegee Digital Network
Cheryl Wray | cwray@al.com By Cheryl Wray | cwray@al.com
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on October 07, 2016 at 10:40 AM, updated October 07, 2016 at 10:42 AM
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