Courtesy of Miles College
TUSKEGEE, Ala. — Historically, Tuskegee has been a thorn in the collective side of the Miles College football program. But while one win – even as thoroughly dominant as the one the Golden Bears put together in a 37-7 dismantling of the Golden Tigers at Cleve Abbott Memorial Stadium on Saturday – does not erase the past, it has charted a new path where Miles is now the hunter, not the hunted in Division II HBCU football and the SIAC.
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The victory was the eighth straight this season for Miles College (8-2, 8-0 SIAC) and capped the program’s first undefeated romp through the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in more than 40 years as a Division II institution. The win streak now matches the longest in-season run in the program’s modern history. Just as impressive, it is the fifth win in seven tries at Tuskegee (5-5, 5-3) since 2011, with three of them coming on TU’s Homecoming.
Miles’ defense continued its dominant run, allowing just 134 total yards and nine first downs. 65 of those yards came on Tuskegee’s final drive of the game when the outcome was no longer in doubt. The Golden Tigers entered the fourth quarter with just 48 yards of offense and had turned the ball over twice, both on interceptions by Donshae Gaither.
The blistering defense was a wonderful compliment to the offensive production, as Miles churned out 394 yards. The ground game continued to impress as the Golden Bears racked up 245 yards on the ground and averaged more than five yards a carry. Jonero Scott led the charge with 63 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run on the opening possession that gave Miles a 7-0 advantage. But six different players had at least 25 yards rushing as Tuskegee offered little resistance to an offensive line that had its way.
The Golden Bears led 17-0 at the half as Roderick Smith connected on a 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter and Kamren Ivory hit Keiderris Griffin for a score on fourth-and-goal from the 3. Miles continued to pour it on in the second half. Javonta Leatherwood scored his ninth touchdown of the season on a 1-yard blast in the third quarter before Ivory (200 total yards) and Griffin connected again – this one from 41 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 31-0 advantage. The final score came when Edward Osley, in to control the ball and burn some clock, spun out of a tackle and dashed 38 yards for his fourth touchdown of the season.
With the HBCU football regular season complete, Miles now turns its attention to the SIAC Championship Game, where it will host Clark Atlanta on Saturday at 11 a.m. It is a rematch from Week 7 when the Golden Bears downed the Panthers 49-28 on their Homecoming. But the stakes are much higher this time, with an HBCU conference championship and potential NCAA Playoff bid on the line. It will be the seventh SIAC Championship Game appearance for the Golden Bears but the first time that they will not face Albany State, the opponent in the previous six encounters.