Tuskegee held Kentucky State scoreless in the second half and Taurean Taylor ran for a career-high 160 yards as TU won its conference opener in Frankfurt, Kentucky inside Alumni Stadium, 13-6. The Golden Tigers improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play.
A pair of first-half fumbles prevented the Golden Tigers from manufacturing anything in the first half. One of those turnovers came on the first play of the second quarter when TU fumbled in the red zone on first down.
The Thorobreds broke open a scoreless game in the second quarter when Jaylen Myers found an open Isaac Fields on a 21-yard touchdown pass. The extra point made it 7-0 and the score would remain the same at halftime.
On the opening drive of the second half, TU tied the game on a 12-play 77-yard drive when Jamarcus Ezell scored on a quarterback sneak from the one-yard line, making the score 7-7 after the Arnes Huskic point after touchdown.
The biggest stop of the game defensively for Skegee came with under three minutes to play when KSU had the ball on third down and five. Andre August penetrated the offense causing a six-yard loss, which gave the Golden Tigers the ball back setting up the game winning drive.
With 2:54 remaining in the game, TU put together a 4-play 94-yard drive, capped off with a 35-yard touchdown run by Taylor. The PAT was no good making the score 13-7. KSU had one last chance with 29 seconds left, but Carl Mathews intercepted a Myers Hail Mary and Skegee would run out the clock from there.
Taylor’s performance resembled what Hoderick Lowe did two years ago with a school-best 260 yards on 13 carries against the Thorobreds. The Tucker, Ga. native averaged 20 yards per touch this afternoon.
TU was led defensively by Davoris Thomas who had nine tackles. Ricky Norris, Brandon Roberts, and Kameron Tate each finished with seven tackles. Norris had four tackles for a loss.
Ezell who got the start ran for 45 yards on nine carries and completed nine of his 21 attempts for 120 yards. Ladarrell Pettway hauled in three passes for 45 yards.
TU plays its home opener next Saturday against Winston-Salem State in the bi-annual Hall of Fame Game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Cleve Abbott Memorial Stadium.
Courtesy: Tuskegee Athletics
