Albany State releases 2020 football schedule

ALBANY, Ga. – Albany State University has announced its 2020 football schedule. For ASU fans, the slate has a familiar look, as the Golden Rams will face some of the same opponents as last year, with the Golden Rams hosting four home games in 2020.

“We put together a challenging schedule for 2020. We tell our recruits, they will have the opportunity to play in a tough conference and they will have the chance to play quality opponents outside of the SIAC. This schedule makes good on that promise,” Golden Rams head football coach Gabe Giardina said.

The Golden Rams will start off the 2020 campaign in Miami Gardens, Florida for the Orange Blossom Classic against Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) on September 6th. FAMU, a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), completed the 2019 season with a 9-2 record.

ASU will host its first home game of the season as they welcome the Mississippi College Choctaws to campus on September 12. The Choctaws finished the 2019 season with a 5-5 overall record.

The Golden Rams will then host two back-to-back home games with Valdosta State University Blazers coming to campus on September 19th in a non-conference matchup. Valdosta State University finished 2019 with a 10-1 record and the last time the two teams faced in 2019, the Blazers came away with the 38-3 win. ASU will next welcome the Panthers of Clark Atlanta University for its first Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest and homecoming on September 26th. CAU and ASU last faced off in 2019 as the Golden Rams secured a 54-19 victory.

After the contest at CAU, the Golden Rams will hit the road as they travel to Tuskegee, Alabama for a matchup against Tuskegee University. The Golden Rams and Golden Tigers last faced off last season where the Golden Rams collected a 21-0 victory. Tuskegee finished 2019 with a 5-5 record.

On October 10th, the Golden Rams will face off against the Dragons of Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. These two teams faced off during the 2019 season in the ASU Coliseum with the Golden Rams coming out with the 33-13 homecoming win. The Dragons completed the 2019 campaign with a 4-6 record overall and a 2-4 record in SIAC play.

Next, the Golden Rams will wrap up a three-game road stand as they travel to Columbia, South Carolina to take on Benedict College on October 17th. The Golden Rams hosted Benedict College in 2019 and secured a 7-2 contest victory over the Tigers. Benedict College finished the 2019 campaign with a 1-9 record overall and a 1-5 mark in the SIAC. After the tilt with Benedict, ASU will return home as they host Savannah State University. The Tigers finished the 2019 season finished with a 7-3 overall record and undefeated in conference play 5-0. The last time to two schools met was last season where the Tigers collected a 35-19 victory.

Albany State will then travel to face the Maroon Tigers of Morehouse College on October 31st. The contest highlights the 9th straight year that these two have faced off against each other since 2011 with the Golden Rams boasting a 9-0 record.

To wrap up the regular season, the Golden Rams will face their rival Fort Valley State University at the 31st Annual Fountain City Classic on Saturday, November 7thin Columbus, Georgia. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. The Golden Rams secured their season finale victory 42-6 over the Wildcats last season. The Wildcats finished the season with a 6-4 record overall and a 4-2 record in the SIAC.

The 2020 SIAC Championship game will take place Saturday, November 16thon the campus of the western division champion.

Courtesy: ASU Athletics