In the first game of the Teddy Keaton era, the Clark Atlanta Panthers defeated Fort Valley State 45-35.
The Panthers’ win snapped a 13-game losing streak and gave them their first win since week seven of the 2022 season.
Meanwhile, Fort Valley State had a five-game win streak snapped, which dated back to the 2022 season as well.
Clark Atlanta struggled to begin this game, particularly on offense, with many routine pass attempts falling incomplete on their first couple of drives.
Then, on special teams, back-to-back errant snaps on punt attempts gave Fort Valley State the ball in the red zone on their first two offensive possessions.
The Wildcats took full advantage of Clark Atlanta’s special teams blunders, scoring touchdowns on each of the ensuing drives and taking a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter.
“David Clark and the Clark Atlanta Panthers are for real,” says HBCU Sports D2 analyst @JHSportsPlug after @CAU_Football takes down Fort Valley State 45-42 on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/IRWHtnLz2t
— HBCU Sports (@HBCUSports) August 31, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
However, once David Wright and the Clark Atlanta offense got comfortable, they were virtually unstoppable. The reigning SIAC Player of the Year ended the game with 415 passing yards, scoring a career-high seven passing touchdowns.
Trailing 45-28 in the final 10 minutes, Fort Valley State looked like they were going to mount a comeback led by quarterback Kelvin Durham and featured back Brandon Marshall.
He scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to trim their deficit to three with a minute remaining.
After a failed onside kick attempt, the Wildcats managed the clock well enough to get the ball back with 10 seconds left with a chance to win the game.
They had a chance to score on a hail-mary attempt, but it fell incomplete, sealing Clark Atlanta’s win.
David Wright’s SIAC Player of the Year performance last season was no fluke. He is ready to make Clark Atlanta a contender in the SIAC.
If they can clean up the mistakes on special teams and Wright continues to build on the connection he has with his receivers, the Panthers will be dangerous going forward.
Fort Valley State, on the other hand, will need to improve its defensive play if it wants to compete for a conference title.
Clark Atlanta will play its home opener against Wright’s former team, the Allen Yellow Jackets.
