The Tuskegee University athletic department released the 2017 football schedule that features a trio of home games and Classics, the renewal of a pair of rivalries and the first-ever meeting with another NCAA Division II program.
Tuskegee, who finished 9-3 and reached the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2016, will open the season against long-time rival Alabama State University in Montgomery at ASU Stadium on Labor Day Weekend. The game will take place on September 2 and kick off the 2017 season, in a series that Tuskegee leads 61-34-4. [easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B01N0IZ45Z” locale=”US” tag=”hbcusports-20″]
The Golden Tigers will remain on the road the following week, playing the fourth annual Whitewater Classic against Albany State University at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City (Ala.), a game in which the Golden Tigers will be the visiting team. Tuskegee has won all three of the Whitewater Classics played against Albany State in Phenix City, and leads the series 24-19-1, which includes five consecutive series wins. Following the Albany State contest, the Golden Tigers will face Clark Atlanta University (September 16) in their home opener. The Golden Tigers lead the series with Clark Atlanta 60-16-2, including winning the last eight contests.
Tuskegee will hit the road in weeks four and five, facing the University of Findlay (Ohio) for the first time on September 23 and then traveling to Jackson (Tenn.) to face Lane College in their Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) West Division opener September 30. The Golden Tigers and Lane have met 22 times, with Tuskegee winning each meeting including last season (38-7) in Tuskegee.
The Golden Tigers will play back-to-back Classic games in weeks six and seven, traveling to Columbus (Ga.) to face Morehouse College in the 82nd annual Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic held at A.J. McClung Stadium. Tuskegee will be the home team in the contest against Morehouse, and leads the series 71-28-7 after last season’s defensive battle in which the Golden Tigers won 28-19. Following the contest against Morehouse, the Golden Tigers will travel to Mobile to face Jackson State University in the 5th Quarter Classic held at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The two teams have not met since 1993 when Jackson State – who leads the series 2-1 – won 24-12. The Golden Tigers will be the visitors against Jackson State, and will be seated on the non-pressbox side of the stadium.
The final three games of the season remain the same as they have in years past with the Golden Tigers traveling to Frankfort (Ky.) to face Kentucky State University October 21, before finishing the regular season off at home against Central State (October 28) and ending with Miles for Homecoming (November 4) in the regular season finale. The final three games on the schedule are all SIAC West Division games.
2017 Tuskegee Football Schedule
| Sept 2 | TBA | Alabama State | Montgomery, AL | ||
| Sept 9 | 5pm (ET) | Albany State | Phenix City, AL | Whitewater Classic | |
| Sept 16 | 1:00pm | Clark Atlanta | Tuskegee, AL | ||
| Sept 23 | TBA | Findlay | Findlay, OH | ||
| Sept 30 | 2:00pm | Lane | Jackson, TN | ||
| Oct 7 | 7:00pm | Morehouse | Columbus, GA | 82nd Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic | |
| Oct 14 | 6:00pm | Jackson State | Mobile, AL | Fifth Quarter Classic | |
| Oct 21 | TBA | Kentucky State | Frankfort, KY | ||
| Oct 28 | 1:00pm | Central State | Tuskegee, AL | ||
| Nov 4 | 1:00pm | Miles | Tuskegee, AL | Homecoming |
Courtesy: Tuskegee Athletics
I am looking forward to seeing how Tuskegee plays against those two SWAC schools. Slater usually has his team ready to play FCS/I-AA schools. Miles serving as the Homecoming opponent and having Homecoming as the last game of the year seems strange…but scheduling is a challenging task.