Wildcats Use Second Half to Separate and Take Down Panthers
     The Wildcats used the second 60 minutes of the game to power to victory. Fort Valley State scored four times in the first 24 minutes of the second half to separate from and take down Clark Atlanta, 41-21, in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football Saturday afternoon.
      After a Kelvin Durham 32-yard pass to Fralon Warren touchdown on the preceeding possession made it a two-score game, Emanuel Wilson delivered the knockout punch with a 90-yard scoring rumble off right end and down the sideline to make it 34-14 with 12:39 left in the contest. Durham hit Corintheus Edmonds for a final 57-yard touchdown to complete the visitors' scoring in the victory.
     With the win, FVSU clinches its first 7-win season since it went 8-4 during the 2012 season. The Wildcats are also 4-1 in the SIAC East.
     Wilson finished the day with 163 yards on 17 carries with touchdown plunges of 10 and two yards in the first half to go with his fourth-quarter 90-yard burst. He also pulled in three passes for 31 yards. With the 163-yard effort, Wilson became the first Wildcat running back to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in a season since Derrick Wimbush's 1,840 yards in the 2004 campaign.
     Durham passed for 280 yards on 18 of 25 attempts with three touchdowns. Edmonds pulled in six of those passes for 114 yards and the 57-yard score, while Shaw Robinson had three catches for 50 yards.
     Tyler Moore, Kentrell Lawson and Dialo Mosley all registered six tackles on defense. Moore added two tackles for loss and Lawson had one. Tim Alderson chipped in two tackles for loss and a sack, while Deon Andrews picked off one Clark Atlanta pass to end the first half.
     FVSU outgained the host Clark Atlanta, 536-271, for the game. The Wildcat defense held the Panthers to only 66 yards on the ground on 24 rushes and forced two turnovers.

Wildcats Score 40 Unanswered Points in Win over Panthers in 2021 Meeting
    With the festive Homecoming in The Valley crowd behind them, the Wildcats regained their winning form in the 2021 series game. Fort Valley State rattled off 40 unanswered points with six different players scoring touchdowns to run past Clark Atlanta, 40-7.
     After an interception and punt on its opening possessions, the FVSU engine revved up with three-straight, second-quarter scoring drives over a 10:42 stretch on a combined 26 plays and 239 yards for 21-7 lead. The Wildcats saw its one-two running back punch of Emanuel Wilson and Kentrelle Williams, who posted a total of 245 rushing together, with third-quarter scoring runs of 14 and 20 to seal the victory over the Panthers.
     FVSU almost tripled the Clark Atlanta total offense, 438-182, with 244 rushing, a season-best, and 194 yards through the air. A week after committing six turnovers and having two punts blocked, the Wildcats won the turnover battle, 4-1, and took down a five-to-one sack advantage.
     Individually, Wilson eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in five games this season with 23 carries for 161 yards and a 14-yard run. He also caught two passes for 18 yards. Williams made the solid tandem with 10 totes for 84 yards and a 20-yard scoring burst.
     Defensively, cornerback Christian Maddox doubled his interceptions with a pair, including his second at 3:02 remaining he ran 45 yards back for the Pick 6. Maddox's secondary teammates added stat line of seven tackles and a pass breakup by Tyler Moore, Zach Anderson chipped in five tackles with one for a loss and Deon Andrews picked off a late pass.
     Freshman Tim Alderman and senior Antonio Golden both sacked the Panthers quarterbacks twice apiece with the first-year player having a four to two advantage on tackles for loss.

Gibbs Seeks Ninth Coaching Win in 12 Games
     In his inaugural season, Shawn Gibbs' recorded the first 8-win FVSU campaign for a 1^st year Wildcat football coach. Gibbs looks for his first 2023 victory on Saturday to take him back to at least a .750 winning percentage as he stands at 8-3.

Wildcats Won Last Two Game No. 2 of Season 
     FVSU will try to make it three in a row of winning the second game of the year against NCAA Division II opponents. The Wildcats pulled out a 9-7 win over the Thorobreds of Kentucky State in last year's second game and captured a 45-21 victory at Erskine in the spring of the two-game 2021 year.
     FVSU did drop decisions to NCAA DI FCS member Florida A&M in the second contest of both 2021 (34-7) and 2019 (57-20) in Tallahassee.

 Wildcats Stand at No. 7 in HBCU DII Coaches Poll 
     After the tough final from last Sunday night, the Fort Valley State football team now stands at No. 7 in the HBCU DII Coaches Poll sponsored by BOXTOROW Sports.

Last Weekend:
Wildcats Comeback Falls One-Yard Short Against Golden Tigers
     The Wildcats showed their grit and never give up attitude until the final second Sunday night.
Fort Valley State saw its comeback fall short when Kentrelle Williams' rush off the inside left was stopped at the one-yard line and gave Tuskegee the 37-31 victory in the third edition of the Red Tails Classic.
      After forcing the Golden Tigers (1-0) to punt with 1:24 left, the Wildcats (0-1) took over on its own 20-yardline. Quarterback Kelvin Durham found Za'Tavious Anderson on the deep right sideline and Anderson evaded the Tuskegee defenders all the way down to the four-yardline and covered 76 yards on the completion. Following three plays with no success, the Golden Tigers were called for a facemask penalty on fourth down to give the Wildcats new life. On the ensuing first down, Durham lofted a pass to the right side for tight end Alex Henton, but went incomplete with three seconds left and set up the final hand off to Williams to end the contest.
      The Tuskegee close victory gives it the first win over FVSU in the last three years of the Red Tails Classic. FVSU claimed the first two with 30-0 (2021) and 21-6 (2022) scores. In fact, the 68 points scored Sunday night eclipsed the 57 combined points of the first two editions.
      The Wildcats saw both Corintheus Edmonds and Anderson surpass 100 yards in receiving with five catches for 118 yards and three grabs for 113 yards. Despite missing nearly half the game, Durham completed 14 of 26 passes for 212 yards. Williams rumbled for 69 yards on 16 attempts with two scores, while Brandon Marshall added 52 yards on 12 totes. Defensive end Adeon Farmer paced the Wildcat defense with eight tackles, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Jaydn Walker and Kentrell Lawson chipped in eight stops apiece.
     FVSU trailed by as many as 17 points, 31-14, with 9:11 remaining in the third quarter. The Wildcats, though, chipped away when Daniel Gibbs connected on a 31-yard field goal to pull to within 31-17 with 4:52 showing in the third frame.
      A rare feat followed the FVSU field goal as 17 points were put on the scoreboard in 29 seconds off the third-quarter clock. Tuskegee's McGhee broke multiple FVSU tackles on his way to a 92-yard kick-off return for a touchdown. With the Golden Tiger fans still celebrating, the Wildcats' Dejuan Bell better the previous return as he raced down the right sideline for his own 94-yard kick-off return for the score as an answer to make it, 37-24.
      On its first possession of the fourth quarter, FVSU put what would be the final points of the game on the board. After Marshall ran for 19 yards on two carries, Durham connected with Edmonds for 51 yards down to the Tuskegee two-yardline. Williams went into the end zone for his second touchdown from there as FVSU was within a score, 37-31, with 11:31 left.
      The two rivals traded punches the rest of the fourth frame with each punting and then each with a turnover. Tuskegee ran the clock down and the FVSU defense forced the punt for what would setup the last 94 seconds of drama.
      FVSU started strong on the night when the defense forced a punt after three plays. Durham led a 10-play, 62-yard scoring drive on the first offensive possession where he scampered 18 yards for the initial score of the night only 7:56 into the contest.

Kentucky State Finds Endzone with Three Minutes to Seal Win over Clark Atlanta
      Leading 27-20 after Clark Atlanta scored, Kentucky State drove 63 yards on eight plays to seal its victory on a 3-yard touchdown plunge with 3:14 left in the contest.
     Despite the loss, Panther quarterback Heath Williams Jr. went 13-for-22 with 154 yards and a touchdown on the night in his CAU debut. On the defensive end, junior Camron Ivey led CAU in total tackles with 11 on three solo tackles and eight assists.