Sports

Let the hype begin

Scott Chancey

It’s “Ring Week” at Albany State.

Make no mistake about it, although Rams players and coaches might say they will treat the Tuskegee Tigers just like any other team, don’t believe that.

It’s all about the ring — an SIAC championship ring coach Mike White’s Rams have won every year since 2003.

“The Tuskegee game means a lot,” said Rams punter Randy Allen, who punted twice to the Clark Atlanta 1-yard line Saturday night, resulting in two safeties and a 17-14 win.

The Tigers and Rams have too big a rivalry. There is too much at stake, such as a conference championship. The two teams even tied for the SIAC crown last season.

At 7 p.m. Saturday at Albany Municipal Coliseum, these two SIAC titans will clash again under the lights in front of a crowd that could only be rivaled by Homecoming.

To understand the significance of the game, all one has to do is look up past SIAC records. Tuskegee has won 22 conference championships, and the Rams have won nine. In fact, no team but Tuskegee or Albany State has won the conference since Fort Valley State did it in 1999.

And to realize what is behind this game’s buildup, all one has to do is look back to 2004.

The Rams, during a game that seemed lost, rallied during the final quarter and won on one of the program’s most thrilling plays. Uyl Joyner, who now is the offensive coordinator at Dougherty, threw a Hail Mary pass as the clock expired, and his team caught it, setting off pandemonium at the goal line while all stunned Tuskegee players could do was watch.

That was just one of two Tigers losses that season. And in 2005, the Tigers lost their only game of the season, and it was at Albany State. Although the Rams had lost Joyner to graduation, Hosea Harris scored a pivotal touchdown, and Tuskegee once again was on the outside looking in during the SIAC title race.

On a clever pass play by Kevin Huff last season, however, the Tigers defeated Albany State and seemed on their way to winning their first outright conference title since 2002.

Clark Atlanta defeated Tuskegee the very next week, and yet another twist was added to the rivalry. Although Albany State was at first declared the conference champion, another team’s forfeit enabled Tuskegee to claim a share of last year’s crown.

So this year, it only seems fitting that these two teams meet as co-champions because of their recent SIAC dominance.

Here are just a few storylines concerning Saturday’s game:

• Can Tuskegee’s defense, which is ranked first in the SIAC, stop a Rams rushing attack that has been the toast of the conference?
• Can Albany State quarterback Kisan Flakes, if the Rams are unable to run the football, make enough big passing plays to still move his team downfield?
• Can Tuskegee quarterback Jacary Atkinson use his balance of athleticism and throwing ability to hold off an Albany State defense that still manages to make big plays when it has to?

This is easily the biggest game of the week in black college football, and it is arguably the biggest conference game of the year.

“Ring Week.”

Back to today's Sports>>