Albany State 30, Wingate 28: The unbeaten and top-seeded Golden Rams relied on their ball-control offense to register a second-round victory in the Division II playoffs. Albany State (11-0) rushed for 186 yards. Running back Lironnie Davis led the Golden Rams with 94 yards on nine carries. Davis scored on a 45-yard run and a 13-yard pass reception. Quarterback Stanley Jennings passed for 145 yards and two touchdowns to offset Wingate’s prolific passing game. Wingate quarterback Cody Haffly passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Haffly also threw three interceptions and was sacked four times. Albany State stuffed Wingate’s running game, holding the Bulldogs to just 39 yards on 30 attempts.
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Georgia Southern 41, South Carolina State 16: The Bulldogs lost in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs for the third straight time. Georgia Southern, the third-place team in the Southern Conference, dominated South Carolina State with its running game. The Bulldogs (9-3) entered the game as the top-ranked defensive team in the FCS, allowing 70.3 yards rushing per game, 196.7 total yards and 126.3 passing yards. The Eagles (8-4) rushed for 373 yards. South Carolina State, which shared the MEAC championship with Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman, managed just 66 yards rushing and seven first downs. The Bulldogs were their own worst enemy at times. They had a fumble returned for a touchdown, gave up two safeties on kickoffs and quarterback Malcolm Long threw three interceptions. They fell behind 19-0 in the first half and trailed by 31 points at one point. South Carolina State has not beaten Georgia Southern in seven games.
Tuskegee 17, Alabama State 10: The Golden Tigers continued their dominance against their in-state rivals in the 87th Turkey Day Classic, the oldest black college football classic. They defeated the Hornets, champions of the SWAC East Division for the sixth time in the last seven years and 10th times in their last 12 meetings. Tuskegee leads the Turkey Day Classic 48-31-3 and has a 60-33-4 edge in the all-time series with Alabama State. The victory gives the Golden Tigers (9-2) at least nine wins for the seventh consecutive season. Quarterback Joshua Harris completed 11 of 22 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. Tuskegee’s defense held Alabama State to 93 yards rushing and intercepted Hornets quarterback Devin Dominguez three times. With the win, Tuskegee, which finished in a three-way tie for second place in the SIAC – a Division II conference – has victories over both of the teams that will play for SWAC championship in Birmingham, Ala., Dec. 11. The Tigers defeated Texas Southern, the SWAC West champion, in September.
