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Wildcats Set for Exciting 29th Fountain City Classic Against Golden Rams

11/1/2018 3:26:00 PM

By: Chris Myers
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A beautiful and festive day is on the docket for this weekend's newest edition of the rivalry in Columbus' Memorial Stadium. Fort Valley State is set for an exciting 29th playing of the Fountain City Classic against Albany State Saturday afternoon.
 
After a morning parade in the city, the Wildcats (2-7/2-3 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference East) and Golden Rams (6-3/5-0 SIAC East) ready to kick-off and renew the rivalry at 2 p.m.
 
All Fountain City Classic Information Center
http://fountaincityclassic.com/
 
FCC Broadcast Across the Country
The 29th Fountain City Classic will welcome a national audience to view it. ESPN3 will be in the Memorial Stadium pressbox to showcase the rivalry to the national online audience at espn3.com
 
Rivals Control SIAC East Seven-Straight Seasons
When it comes to controlling the SIAC East, one can look no further than the FVSU-ASU rivalry participating teams. Between the Wildcats and Golden Rams, the two have represented the league's East Division from 2012-17 and the seventh-straight appearance is already clinched.
 
Albany State takes a 5-0 SIAC East mark into Saturday, which clinched the title compliments of Fort Valley State's road upset at Morehouse. The Golden Rams make their first SIAC Championship appearance in three seasons since being part of the title contest in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
 
FVSU took part in the SIAC Championship over the past two years (2016 and 2017), including winning the 2016 version. The Wildcats started the run of title games between the two teams in 2012.
 
Golden Rams Last Decade Edge
Over the last nine FCC editions, Albany State has a 6-3 edge from 2009 through 2017. The two teams split the last two meetings, before the Golden Rams won three in a row from 2013 to 2015.
 
Three Regionally-Ranked Teams
In a tough year, FVSU does have the fact of its rugged overall schedule to its credit. After it had faced five of the first regionally-ranked Top 10, the Wildcats have still faced three of this week's Top 10 in the second edition released at the beginning of the week.
 
Along with facing No. 2 Valdosta State and No. 3 Lenoir-Rhyne, FVSU faces No. 7 Albany State on Saturday..
 
Super Region Two Rankings (10/28)
                                        In Region/Overall
1. West Georgia          9-0/9-0
2. Valdosta State       9-0/9-0
3. Lenoir-Rhyne         8-1/8-1
4. Bowie State             6-1/7-1
5. West Alabama        6-3/6-3
6. Florida Tech            6-3/6-3
7. Albany State          6-3/6-3
8. West Florida            5-2/5-3
9. Wingate                  6-3/6-3
10. Fayetteville State  6-1/6-1
 
Smothers Returns His Way to Black College Player of the Year Spotlight
After falling behind for the first time all afternoon, Lorenzo Smothers raced the Wildcats back in the lead to cap an impressive individual performance on his way to being named the Black College Player of the Year Spotlight winner. The sophomore slot back/kick returner returned the kick-off 96 yards for the touchdown for what would be the game-winning points to help FVSU upset Morehouse College, 27-22.
 
On the day, Smothers totaled 250 all-purpose yards, including three kick returns for 139 yards. He led the Wildcats in kick returns, rushing and receiving in the game. The second-year slot back grabbed four passes for 65 yards with a 16-yard second-quarter touchdown, rushed seven times for 37 yards and added a nine-yard punt return.
 
In eight games, Smothers has caught 42 passes for 720 yards and four scores, while he has rushed 30 times for another 126 yards. The versatile player has ran back 14 kickoffs for 383 yards (27.36 yards per return) and eight punts for 41 yards. He has touched the football 94 times for 1,270 yards for 13.51 yards per touch with six touchdowns.
 
Wildcats DL Making the Stops
As the season has went along, the FVSU defense has shown some strong efforts especially against half their foes being amongst the region's best. Senior defensive linemen Voris Bryant and Niykiem Floyd have piled up good tackle for loss and sack numbers in their final seasons. Bryant is fifth in tackles at 43, while he leads in both tackles for loss (13.5) and sacks (5.5). Floyd has 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, while the senior has 24 total stops.
 
Sophomore Jahseari Patterson adds 6.5 tfls and 3 sacks of his 16 tackles and Juwan Gardner has a pair of tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks of his 21 tackles.
 
Golden Rams on Six-Game Run
Despite dropping its first three games against nationally-ranked Valdosta State and West Georgia with SIAC power Tuskegee between, Albany State turned its year around with six wins in a row heading into Saturday. The Golden Rams shut out the Tigers of Benedict College last weekend, 21-0, to continue its run.

Albany State Defense Impressive Back-to-Back Contests
Among its six wins, the Golden Rams defense have stepped up to only allow three combined points in the last two games in defeating Clark Atlanta (36-3) and Benedict (21-0). In fact, the Albany State defense has not allowed more than 24 points to any team in the last six weeks and held three of those opponents to single digits.
 
 
 
 
-Wildcats-
 
 
 
 
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