Albany State 31, Tuskegee 21

October 1, 2005

Albany State University wiped out Tuskegee University’s hopes of a perfect season Saturday night. The Golden Rams tamed the Golden Tigers, 31-21, in a battle of the SIAC powerhouses at Albany Municipal Coliseum in Albany, GA.

It was Hosea Harris that led Albany State’s offensive attack with 188 passing yards and two touchdowns, and 112 rushing yards for another touchdown.

Tuskegee’s Kevin Huff put numbers on the scoreboard first for the Golden Tigers on a one-yard quarterback keeper on a 15-play, 93-yard drive at 6:36 in the first quarter. Kenneth Henderson’s missed PAT rush left Tuskegee’s score at 6-0.

ASU Matthew Hawthorne kicked a 22-yard field goal in the first quarter to bring Albany State to with three points of the Golden Tigers. Early in the second quarter, TU’s Richard Fitzhugh’s three-yard run increased the Tigers’ score to 13-3 over the Golden Rams. But Albany State responded, scoring 28 unanswered points. Harris ran 70 yards into the Tiger end zone to up ASU’s score. Albany State took the lead after Antonio Ivey caught a one-handed 28-yard pass on a one-play drive late in the second quarter. Antwan Andrews, who rushed for 65 yards on 21 carries, ran two yards into the TU end zone early in the third quarter, and then Harris hit Brandon Green with a 21-yard pass late in the third quarter to seal ASU’s victory.

Huff scored again for Tuskegee on a 16-yard rush in the fourth quarter. The quarterback passed for 244 yards, completing 29 or 49 passes, and threw two interceptions.

The Golden Rams racked up 389 total offensive yards, including 201 rushing and 188 passing yards on 57 plays, while the Golden Tigers had 356 total offensive yards, including 112 rushing yards and 244 passing yards.

The ASU “Dirty Blue” defense was led by Demetrie McCray with 11 tackles (six solos), an interception and two pass breakups. Mike Pittman had 10 tackles and Roderick Whipple added nine tackles and an interception for 32 yards. Alton Pettway recorded eight tackles (five solos), forced a fumble and had two sacks. He also shared a sack with Eric Crosby, who had nine tackles.

The Golden Rams (4-1, 4-1) will be open on Oct. 8, and travel to Atlanta, Ga., on Oct. 15 to take on the Panthers of Clark Atlanta University in their homecoming game at 1:30 p.m. Tuskegee (4-1, 3-1) will play Morehouse College in the 70th Annual Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic in Columbus, Ga., on Oct. 8 at 2:30 p.m.