SIAC title-game berth on line for Albany State, Fort Valley State

The Fountain City Classic has always been a hard-fought matchup between the Albany State Golden Rams and the Fort Valley State Wildcats.

This season, it’s for much more than bragging rights.

The two teams kicked off the week of festivities on Tuesday with a media luncheon at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center. Highlighted throughout the luncheon was the fact that not only are the Golden Rams and Wildcats playing in the 27^th annual meeting between the two teams at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but the championship in the Eastern Division of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is on the line as well.

Even though Saturday’s game is basically a playoff game for a berth in next week’s SIAC championship game, Fort Valley State coach Kevin Porter and Albany State coach Dan Land says preparation for this weekend is business as usual.

“What we did with our team last week is we talked to them about approaching our game against Morehouse as a playoff game,” Porter said. “If we lose a playoff game, we have no chance of going to the postseason. We got that message across to them, and they responded really well to go on the road and beat a really good Morehouse team on their homecoming. Our kids got dialed in for last week, and we’re going to see if we can do more of the same this week.”

“It’s been like that all year for us,” Land said. “We take one game at a time. We’re fortunate that this one will determine who goes to the championship game. We take it just like any other game. We’re going to prepare to play our very best game, offense, defense, and special teams, and see what happens.”

Both coaches are going into Saturday’s Classic as their first year officially at the helm of their respective teams. While this is actually Land’s second season as the head coach at Albany State, he was tabbed the interim head coach last season, while this is Porter’s first season with the Fort Valley State program.

Both of them bring impressive resumes from their playing career, with both playing at the highest level in the National Football League. Both were standout defensive backs for AFC West division rivals: Land for the Oakland Raiders, Porter for the Kansas City Chiefs. Both hope to bring what they learned in the NFL to their respective programs and student-athletes.

“We just try to make them understand that ultimately, anything you do as an student-athlete, there’s a lot of light on you,” Porter said. “We try to make them understand, whenever you’re out and about, you’re not just representing the football team, you’re representing the entire university, your coaching staff, your own family, so be cognizant of those things when you’re away from the game.”

“The biggest thing is being able to be a gentleman outside of football,” Land said. “They not just see you in your uniform but outside of it, so you have to carry yourself in a way where people will respect you. If they respect you, you respect yourself, and everything will be fine. It’s not the money and the glam, it’s being able to be a productive citizen, and at the same time, do something positive for the community.

“I tell you what, the legacy always comes back around again, to be able to see your opponent somewhere down the line,” Land added with a laugh. “The good thing about it is we’ve been to the highest level that you can go in the NFL and now we’re back at the college level to give something back to not just the community but to show the winning tradition. That’s the exciting thing about being able to share your knowledge and see them take it and move forward and do good with it.”

The game Saturday is not just for a place in the SIAC playoffs, either, but the two programs hope to showcase their best to prospective high school student-athletes in the Columbus area who will be graduating this year. Many of them were in attendance at Tuesday’s luncheon with their respective coaches.

“Columbus means a great deal to this rivalry,” Porter said. “To be able to come to a neutral site where there is a high passion for football is good for both programs. We’re able to generate a lot of interest in our program by coming here. It’s a good opportunity for us to showcase both universities, both football programs, and see if we can attract some kids from the area.”

This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 9:23 PM with the headline "SIAC title-game berth on line for Albany State, Fort Valley State."