COLUMBUS, GA – Fort Valley State will make history in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) on Saturday when they host the first conference championship game on Fort Valley State's campus. The first SIAC championship game was played in 2011 between Miles College and Albany State University in Atlanta, GA., on the campus of Clark Atlanta University. The Wildcats clinched the division title last week and did not play the part today as Albany State defeated the Wildcats 34-9 in the 28
th Annual Fountain City Classic at A. J McClung Stadium in Columbus, GA.
The Wildcats will enter next Saturday's championship game with a 5-4 overall record and 5-1 SIAC record. Albany State finished the season on a winning note 6-4 and 4-2 in conference play.
The Wildcats fell below their season average with 209-yards of total offense, 110-yards in passing and 99-yards in rushing. The Rams went over the 400-yard mark in total offense and the most yards given up by the Wildcats since the West Georgia game.
Running back
Chauncey Jackson led the Wildcats with 75-yards on the ground, while
Lorenzo Smothers grabbed six catches for 77-yards. Quarterback
Slade Jarman completed 10-of-22 passes for 110-yards.
Camron Young was the Fountain City Classic's Most Valuable Player for the Wildcats. Young and
Aaron Dore led the defense with nine tackles apiece.
Demetrius Harris had six tackles, 1.5 (8) sacks, 1.5 (8) tackle-for-loss and had one quarterback hurry.
David Brown stepped up with five tackles, one half (3) sack, one half tackle-for-loss and a pass breakup.
ASU opened play with a 10 point lead after hitting a 41-yard field goal and rushing one yard for a touchdown in the first quarter. FVSU would not score until the second quarter with
Juan Serna hitting a 39-yard field goal with 13:06 left on the clock (3-10).
The Rams would go to the locker room up 10-3 at halftime.
The Rams scored 21 quick points after coming back from halftime. The Wildcats
Zacharius Anderson recovered a fumble and returned it 32-yards for the touchdown;
Deion Perry's point after attempt failed (9-31).
ASU added a final field goal with 2:43 remaining in the game to complete the scoring 34-9.
The Wildcats will now turn their attention to Saturday, November 11 as the Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University come to the Valley to play for the SIAC Championship. The game will be televised on ESPN3 and kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
