Preview: Morehouse vs. No. 8 Tuskegee
Duane Rankin Montgomery Advertiser
FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY
1. Comeback: Tuskegee rallied from a 16-0 fourth-quarter deficit to beat then No. 21 UNC Pembroke, 21-16. Kevin Lacey threw two touchdowns, both to Desmond Reese, with the latter one — a 65-yarder — being the game-winner with 3 minutes, 55 seconds left in the fourth. Tuskegee scored two touchdowns in a span of 19 seconds after forcing a turnover.
2. Possible poll shakeup?: The Golden Tigers are eighth in the latest AFCA NCAA Division II Top 25 poll, but several teams ranked higher than them play against ranked opponents this week. No. 2 Grand Valley State plays No. 14 Ferris State, No. 4 Texas A&M-Commerce faces No. 7 Midwestern State and No. 6 Indiana (Pennsylvania) plays at No. 15 California (Pa.).
3. Fewer INTs: Lacey, a Wetumpka High graduate, continues to do a better job of protecting the football this season. The senior quarterback is 62-of-101 (61.3 completion percentage) for 1,036 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. Last season, he completed just 43.2 percent of his passes (113-of-261) for 1,950 yards, 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
4. Make it five in a row?: Tuskegee is trying to beat Morehouse for a fifth consecutive season. Last year, the Golden Tigers won 35-7. In the last three seasons, they've outscored Morehouse 138-17. Tuskegee has won 11 of its last 12 games against Morehouse with the loss coming in 2011 when Morehouse won 17-14.
Desmond Reece
WR, 5-10, 162, Senior
Reece, the Valley native native, racked up six receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns with the latter being the game-winner in last week's comeback victory over UNC Pembroke. He has caught a touchdown in Tuskegee's last four games as he has five touchdown receptions on the year.
3: Number of times Tuskegee has stated a season 5-0. The Golden Tigers previously did in 2007 and 2008 before doing it again this season.
13: Numbers of tackles by Tuskegee junior linebacker Osband Thompson in earning SIAC defensive player of the week honors. Thompson also forced a fumble that led to a touchdown last week.
22: Numbers of points Morehead led by before losing to Clark Atlanta 37-36 last week on a last-second field goal.
Tuskegee too strong for Morehouse. Tuskegee 31, Morehouse 20.
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: AJ McClung Stadium, Columbus, Ga.
Records: No. 8 Tuskegee (5-0, 1-0 SIAC), Morehouse College (2-3, 0-1)
On the Air: TV – Aspire TV. Radio – www.goldentigerssports.com.
Twitter: @MGMsports, @SKegeeGT
Hashtag: #Skegee, #AllTUDoIsWin, #TUPride