Wildcats Celebrate ‘Senior Day,’ Battle Maroon Tigers in 'Pink Out' at Stadium

10/12/2022 4:57:00 PM

By: Chris Myers

FORT VALLEY, Ga. – There will not be a monsoon in The Valley this Saturday, but the Wildcats hope to rain points on the scoreboard in a 'Pink Out' filled stands. Fort Valley State plans to celebrate 'Senior Day,' before it battles rival Morehouse College on the gridiron in a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference East clash.

The Wildcats and Maroon Tigers come off different results on the road last weekend heading into the two league foes 48th meeting of the series in a 2 p.m. kick-off at Wildcat Stadium.
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Morehouse College at FVSU
Sat., Oct. 15, 2 p.m.
Wildcat Stadium
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Wildcat Stadium 'Pink Out' Saturday
     It will be an October 'Pink Out' in the Blue & Gold bleachers of Wildcat Stadium on Saturday afternoon. FVSU will be all in pink for the Breast Cancer Awareness game.

FVSU vs. Morehouse College – 48th Meeting
     For the first time in six meetings, the FVSU-Morehouse College had a new victor last fall. On the turf of Clark Atlanta's Panther Stadium, the Maroon Tigers jumped on the Wildcats last Oct. 15^th on their way to a 51-3 win. The Morehouse win was its first series victory since 2014 in Atlanta.
     Overall, FVSU holds a 34-13 advantage over Morehouse for the series. Benedict on the gridiron for the series.
      FVSU has claimed wins in the last four contests played at Wildcat Stadium including the 2019 Homecoming monsoon conditions played in of the 37-21 final. Morehouse won its last time in Fort Valley in a 49-12 decision during the 2011 season..
      Last 13 Scores (2008-21):
      2021 – MHC 51, FVSU 3 (N)
     2019 – @FVSU 37, MHC 21
      2018 – FVSU 27, @MHC 22
      2017 – @FVSU 52, MHC 7
      2016 – FVSU 24, @MHC 16
      2015 – @FVSU 35, MHC 3
      2014 – @MHC 24, FVSU 21
      2013 – @FVSU 46, MHC 19
      2012 – FVSU 26, @MHC 19
      2011 – MHC 49, @FVSU 12
      2010 – MHC 47, @FVSU 34
     2009 – FVSU 36, @MHC 13
     2008 – MHC 38, @FVSU 35

Wildcats Win Two Wild Games in 2018 & 2019 vs. Maroon Tigers
     In the 2018 and 2019 series meetings, the Wildcats claimed wins in two wild games with one at each location.
      After leading the entire game in Atlanta, FVSU fell behind Morehouse with 3:32 left in the game, 22-21. The Maroon Tigers lead, though, only lasted 16 seconds as the Wildcats' Lorenzo Smothers took the ensuing kick-off 96 yards for the game-winning touchdown and 27-22 final score.
      In the last meeting in Fort Valley on Oct. 19, 2019, FVSU went out to a 20-0 lead on Morehouse on a wet field. The Wildcats held a 23-6 halftime advantage and 37-14 lead after 45 minutes as the rain increased as the game progressed. Following an over hour-and-a-half weather delay, FVSU completed the 37-21 win on a field where large parts were "lakes of water."

Maroon Tigers Upset Wildcats Going Away in 2021 Contest
    For all the ways a first half could go wrong, the Wildcats experienced the majority of them. Morehouse College turned four Fort Valley State turnovers and blocked a pair of punts on the way to a 44-point first half and a 51-3 final for the SIAC upset.
     The Wildcats committed a fumble on the opening kick return, another on the third play of the first offensive drive, an interception returned for a touchdown on the second possession and wrapped up with the first punt attempt blocked by the Maroon Tigers turned into another score and 23-0 home lead after the first quarter.
     The Morehouse upset snapped a five-game FVSU win streak in the series and recorded its first victory in the series since a 24-21 final back in 2014. The Wildcats also suffered their first loss in four games.
     On the afternoon, FVSU committed a season-high six turnovers, five fumbles and an interception, while Morehouse had only the one interception. The Maroon Tigers also outgained the Wildcats, 445-171 yards.
     The SIAC-leading rusher Emanuel Wilson was held to 67 yards on 16 carries and four receptions for 36 yards. Shaw Robinson added four catches for 23 yards. Jaylen Joyner completed 8 of 17 passes for 65 yards, while Tyrell Jackson was 8 of 18 for 58 yards.
     On the Defensive side, Solomon Moseley paced the FVSU unit with 13 stops. Zaquan Baldwin added seven tackles and a tackle for loss. Zach Anderson, Davares Jones and Tyveze Harrison chipped in six tackles apiece.
     FVSU put its lone points on the scoreboard when Andre Labat connected on a 27-yard field goal with 4:48 left in the third frame. The three points capped the visitors' longest drive of the day of 61 yards on 12 plays.

Gibbs Seeks Inaugural Winning Campaign
     In his inaugural season as a head coach, Shawn Gibbs can secure his first winning campaign with a FVSU victory on Saturday. After taking the 32-17 win at Central State last weekend, the Wildcats head coach sealed his first non-losing season as his team improved to 5-1 with four regular-season games left.

Wildcats Slide Back to No. 4 in HBCU D2 Coaches Poll
          With a bounce back victory, the Wildcats moved back in the rankings right direction. The Fort Valley State football team slid back to No. 4 in the HBCU DII Coaches Poll sponsored by BOXTOROW Sports.
FVSU (5-1) regained 19 points in Week 6's poll to 129 points to move back to No. 4 right behind its two other Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference East Division foes Albany State and Benedict College at No. 2 and No. 3.
The Wildcats wrap up their home schedule this Saturday afternoon, Oct. 15, in a 2 p.m. kick-off versus the Maroon Tigers of Morehouse College.

HBCU D2 Coaches Poll: Losses cause shifts in poll; VUU still on top
boxtorow.com
Some big games in Week 6 caused slight shifts in The HBCU Division II Coaches Poll powered by BOXTOROW, but Virginia Union remains No. 1 The Panthers received all but one first place vote.
No. 2 Albany State and No. 3 Benedict remained the same. Bowie State climbed back into the top five after its win over Virginia State. The Trojans dropped three spots to No. 7 this week.
A few matchups could affect next week's poll including Virginia Union at Bowie State and Benedict at Albany State.
The HBCU Division II Coaches Poll powered by BOXTOROW is administered by FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW, and is voted on by the

HBCU NCAA Division II coaches.
2022 HBCU Division II Coaches Poll powered by BOXTOROW
Week 6
(Records through October 8, 2022)

No.	Team	W-L	Pts	Last Week
1	Virginia Union (19)	6-0	199	1
2	Albany State	5-1	173	2
3	Benedict (1)	6-0	164	3
4	Fort Valley State	5-1	129	5
5	Bowie State	4-2	120	6
6	Fayetteville State	4-2	90	8
7	Virginia State	4-2	76	4
8	Tuskegee	4-2	53	9
9	West Virginia State	4-2	47	10
10	Lane	3-3	18	7

Others receiving votes: Savannah State (3-3) 15, Chowan (3-3) 8, Bluefield State (3-2) 4, Kentucky State (2-4) 2, Johnson C. Smith (2-3) 2.

(1st place votes in parentheses)

Manns & Farmer Grab SIAC Defensive & Newcomer of the Week
The Wildcats defense recorded a strong second half last weekend in a winning effort. Off the victory, Fort Valley State's Ethan Manns and Adeon Farmer grabbed the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defensive and Newcomer of the Week honors.

     FVSU took the retook the lead midway through the second quarter and never gave it up over the final 35 minutes of action in the 32-17 win at Central State last Saturday afternoon.
     Manns and Farmer were two of the Wildcat defenders with big days to help keep the lead and hold the Marauders to only three points in the last 38 minutes of play.
     In fact, after FVSU took the lead, 15-14, at 5:10 in the second frame, Central State drove 41 yards down to the visitors' 35-yardline. On the next play, Manns picked off the home quarterback at the 27-yardline. The Wildcats offense turned the interception into seven points after a 73-yard drive on seven plays as they would not lead by less than five points in the final 30:19.
     On the day, Manns, a senior linebacker from Byron, Ga., recorded a career-high nine tackles to go with the key late first-half interception.
     Manns, Farmer and the FVSU defense limited Central State to only 16 offensive plays in the second half, eight each quarter, and one field goal.
     For the second time in six weeks, Farmer, a freshman from Lake City, Fla., picked up the Newcomer of the Week award. The defensive end had a good defensive effort with seven tackles, two for loss and a sack in the win.

Wildcats Control Final Quarter, Grind Out Win over Marauders
     In Wilberforce, Ohio, the Wildcats controlled the game when it mattered the most – in the final frame. Taking all but 52 seconds of 9:36 remaining in the game, Fort Valley State ground its way down the field 92 yards until Emanuel Wilson bullied his way into the endzone for the final yard to seal the 32-17 football victory at Central State Saturday afternoon.
     FVSU used its ball control attack to maintain its second-half advantage over Central State after a three-touchdown second quarter powered it to a halftime advantage.
     For the game, the Wildcats had possession of the football for 36:26, but the second-half disparity was key. FVSU registered time in control of 21:28 of the final 30 minutes and held Central State to only eight offensive plays in each of the third and fourth quarters and three points on the scoreboard.
     FVSU totaled 449 yards of total offense on 70 plays from scrimmage, while Central State ran only 48 plays for 331 yards. The Wildcats split the 449 yards with 280 passing and 169 on the ground along with converting all three fourth down attempts.
     After the Wildcats retook the lead, 15-14, with 5:10 in the second quarter, the Marauders went to work. Central State drove 41 yards on its next seven plays, but it was abruptly ended when Ethan Manns picked off quarterback Kendall Boney at the FVSU 27-yardline in the key momentum swing of the day. FVSU turned the interception into points when quarterback Kelvin Durham connected with Hakeem Ellington on a 30-yard play to the home 20-yardline and made the pass-catch combo made it two plays in a row for the final 20-yard on a deep right corner of the endzone catch to make it 22-14 only 19 seconds before half.
     On the day, Durham hit 21 of 31 pass attempts for 280 yards with the 20-yard scoring strike with one interception. The redshirt freshman also ran four times for 56 yards to make it 336 yards of total offense. Corintheus Edmonds was Durham's favorite target with 7 catches for 129 yards with a long of 54 yards. Ellington had his two grabs for the 50 yards on the back-to-back receptions. Shaw Robinson pulled in three balls for 30 yards and Jalen Lawson had two for 12 yards.
Emanuel Wilson ran harder as the game wore on as he totaled 89 yards on 24 totes and scoring rushes of five and the game-sealing one-yarder. The running back also hauled in four balls for 25 yards.
     The FVSU defense also stiffened as the game went on. After allowing 210 yards in the first half, the Wildcat defense shrank it to 121 in the final 30 minutes and allowed only a 25-yard field goal.
     Individually for the defense, Manns paced the tacklers with nine stops to go with his key interception. The defensive line quartet of Caleb Thomas, Tim Alderman, Adeon Farmer and Kameron Wideman combined for 16 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks on the day. Thomas accounted for 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and five tackles, while Alderman started the day with a tackle for loss on the first Central State play of seven yards and stuffed the home running back in the endzone for a FVSU safety only 40 seconds into the day of his 1.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and five stops. Farmer shined as well with 7 tackles, two for loss and a sack. Wideman chipped in four tackles, one for loss.
     Tyler Moore added the other FVSU interception to go with four tackles and Landon Austin had five tackles in the secondary.
     FVSU's other first-half scoring plays came on the Alderman safety at 14:20 in the first quarter on the second offensive play and a Troy Dendy 2-yard rush for the first touchdown and an 8-7 lead with 10:21 of the second quarter.
     After the Wildcats drove 68 yards on the opening second-half possession, the Marauders picked off Durham on the home 4-yardline and returned it 43 yards. Following a long 41-yard pass on the first Central State play, the FVSU defense held with a sack and only four total yards on the next three plays to hold the home team to a 25-yard field goal to maintain the lead, 22-17.
     FVSU answered right back with its own Rodney Williams, Jr., field goal of 32 yards (1:06 in third quarter) until the long 8:44 and 92-yard drive sealed the victory, 32-17.

Morehouse Falls to Tuskegee in Classic
     In Birmingham, Ala., it was a historic battle between the Tigers, Morehouse dropped the SIAC conference matchup to Tuskegee in the annual Morehouse Tuskegee Classic, 31-14, Saturday evening at Legion Field Stadium.
     Within in the first five minutes of the game, Tuskegee's Bryson Williams would pass the ball to Deondre Harvey scoring the first touchdown of the game. Arnes Husick would make his field goal, making the score 7-0.
     The Maroon Tigers would go the entire first quarter without scoring but quickly turned that around in the second quarter with a ten yard rushing touchdown by Derrach West. Olu Baker would go for a field goal attempt but would get his kicked blocked, leaving the score 7-6. Morehouse would keep their scoring streak going by getting another touchdown by Ke'Andre Turner, but Tuskegee would quickly respond with a touchdown of their own finishing the first half with a score of, 14-14.
Tuskegee would quickly kick off the second half with a touchdown from Bryson Williams, 21-14. Morehouse would struggle to keep up their scoring streak for the rest of the second half. Tuskegee would score two more touchdown in the third quarter and concluded their winning streak early in the fourth quarter by scoring another touchdown and taking the win with a 31-14 victory.

Wildcats vs. Tigers – SIAC Ranks
     FVSU                                 Category                                MHC
       5^th (24.7 ppg)                   Scoring Offense                     12th (5.2 ppg)
       10th (21.5 ppg)                Scoring Defense                     5th (18.2 ppg)

       3^rd (357.0 yds/gm)           Total Offense                          12th (214.0 yds/gm)
       3rd (171.2 yds/gm)          Rush Offense                         10th (103.5 yds/gm)
       7^th (185.8 yds/gm)           Pass Offense                          11th (110.5 yds/gm)

       5th (318.2 yds/gm)          Total Defense                         8th (356.8 yds/gm)
       1^st (107.5 yds/gm)            Rush Defense                         6^th (146.0 yds/gm)
       9^th (210.7 yds/gm)           Pass Defense                         10th (210.8 yds/gm)

       6^th (+2)                             Turnover Margin                     11th (-6)

Individuals
Rushing
1^st - Emanuel Wilson (FVSU) -- 123.2 yds/gm

Wildcats Travel to Atlanta Against Panthers Next Weekend
     The Wildcats travel up I-75 next weekend to take on the Panthers of Clark Atlanta next Saturday, Oct. 22, in a 2 p.m. contest.

-Wildcats-

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Wildcats Celebrate ‘Senior Day,’ Battle Maroon Tigers in 'Pink Out' at Stadium