TUSKEGEE, Ala. – The students came out in droves and brought the intensity, but Tuskegee fell behind 20-0 at the break and could not recover.
 
The Basics
 

• Final Score: West Alabama 33, Tuskegee 7

 

• Records: Tuskegee (0-2, 0-0 SIAC) | West Alabama (2-0, 0-0 GSC)

 

• Location: Tuskegee, Alabama – Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium

 

• Series History: West Alabama Leads 8-3

 

• Winning Streak: West Alabama (W2) | Tuskegee's Last Win: September 4, 2004 (20-0)

How It Happened

1st Quarter
 

• West Alabama took the opening kickoff and immediately put points on the board with a nine play, 56-yard drive over four minutes and 15 seconds that ended with a 47-yard boot through the uprights by Gabriel Dunkle (3-0, West Alabama).

 

• The opening drive for Tuskegee looked just as promising, aided by a roughing the passer penalty and a 13-yard dump-off to Taurean Taylor.

 

• The turning point came down to a 4th-and-2 from the UWA 47. Bryson Williams tried a naked bootleg but it was snuffed out for a loss of two and the Tigers took over near midfield.

 

• Consecutive three-and-outs for both squads followed.

 

• When West Alabama received the punt and began its possession at the five-minute mark, they went 42 yards and punched it in from a yard out on a Reginald Davenport carry to move in front by two scores (10, West Alabama).

 

• TU had a golden opportunity to crack the scoreboard before the end of the opening frame, but Huskic's 38-yard field goal drifted wide right as Coach Slater's men came up empty.

 

• West Alabama ended the quarter with the football on the TU 16, 2nd down and six.

2nd Quarter
 

• Tuskegee's defense locked them down after a fiery speech on the sideline and held UWA to a chip shot field goal (13-0, West Alabama).

 

• Williams once again drove the offense into the opponent's territory but a miscommunication between quarterback and wide receiver resulted in an interception by Shemar Lewis, ending a promising drive.

 

• West Alabama got to the 50 but Darren Peterson put an end to that, bringing down quarterback Jack McDaniels for a sack on third-and-six for the team's first takedown of the season.

 

• TU lost a yard on the next possession and UWA took advantage immediately, lofting a 43-yard bomb from McDaniels to Bayley Blanchard for a score on the first play to go up by 20 (20-0, West Alabama).

 

• Coach Slater inserted backup quarterback Louis Williams into the lineup and subsequently advanced all the way to the West Alabama 17, eating up four minutes and 58 yards in the process.

 

• Unfortunately for the home team it ended with a tip drill pick by Schdarren Archie in the end zone at the 1:50 mark in the first half.

3rd Quarter
 

• Louis Williams remained in to begin the second half, using his legs to motor for 19 yards on the first play from scrimmage to put the Golden Tigers at the UWA 46.

 

• This drive met an all-too-familiar fate as previous installments, a West Alabama interception by Michael Anderson.

 

• The Tigers would cash in six plays later with a 45-yard field goal to move in front further (23-0, West Alabama).

 

• With 1:07 left in the third, Tuskegee seemed to pick up some momentum as Darren Peterson came storming off the edge to force a strip sack, recovering the ball himself and injecting some life in the TU sidelines.

 
4th Quarter
 

• Facing a critical third-and-nine early in the fourth, Bryson Williams returned behind center and hit Latrevien O'Neal for the longest play of the afternoon, a 26-yard grab-and-go to convert and keep the chains moving.

 

• A fourth down conversion followed before Williams tossed a perfectly placed ball to the front corner of the end zone for Steven Hodges for a 21-yard TUSKEGEE TOUCHDOWN (23-7, West Alabama).

 

• West Alabama promptly took the wind out of TU's sails, marching 81 yards over 16 plays and just under six minutes to kick a field goal with six-and-a-half minutes to go (26-7, West Alabama).

 

• James Smith III put a bow on the victory for UWA, breaking through the line for a 62-yard rushing touchdown with about a minute left, resulting in the final score (33-7, West Alabama).

Tuskegee Top Performers
 

• Darren Peterson lived in the backfield for the Golden Tigers, producing two sacks, two tackles for loss, a strip sack (which he recovered) and three tackles. His two sacks were just 0.5 behind his personal-best of 2.5, which he did against Lane on October 26, 2019.

 

• Linebacker Woodly Appolon flew around the gridiron all day long, posting a game-high 15 tackles, 12 came by himself. He also added a pass defensed.

 

• Steven Hodges led the wideouts for the second straight weekend, hauling four balls for a team-high 59 yards and his third score as a Golden Tiger.

 

• Bryson Williams set a new personal-high with 152 passing yards and his first career touchdown strike.

 

• Latrevien O'Neal made his first three receptions of his seven-game tenure, rumbling for 53 yards.

 

• Jamaal Pritchett did not play last week but had a positive first impression, tying Hodges for the team lead in catches (4) and topping 50 yards through the air (51).

 

• Freddrick Austin and Davir Hamilton both got home for a sack to give TU four on the day while they each logged a quarterback hurry as well.

 

• Ronald Smith and Carl Matthews both had solid outings, wrapping up eight ballcarriers each.

 

• Ivonte Patterson was the club's leading rusher, averaging 4.1 yards on nine carries for 37 yards.

 
Notes 
 

• Athletic Director, Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator graduated from West Alabama, starring at quarterback for the Tigers in the 1970s, becoming the first African American signal caller to start a game in the state of Alabama.

 

• Tuskegee played a fairly clean game, only committing four penalties for 33 yards compared to ten for 133 by the Tigers.

TU will be home again next Saturday afternoon with a matinee tilt against newly appointed conference member, Edward Waters, at 1 p.m.
 
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