Tuskegee, Albany State meet in SIAC title game rematch

It will be a rematch of last year's SIAC championship game -- and perhaps a preview of this year's title matchup -- when Tuskegee plays Albany State at 54 p.m. today at Garrett-Harrison Stadium.

The Golden Tigers captured the 2014 SIAC championship with a 47-41 victory over Albany State, and the two teams are the favorites to win their divisions again this year, according to a preseason poll of the league's head coaches.

"We beat them twice last year, so they definitely feel like they owe us one," said Tuskegee coach Willie Slater, whose team also defeated the Golden Rams in the regular season last year 20-12 in the inaugural White Water Classic.

The Golden Tigers (1-0) opened this season with a 26-0 victory over Clark Atlanta. Tuskegee's defense gave up only 203 yards on 70 plays, an average of 2.9 yards per play.

"We'll take a shutout every game," Slater said. "We looked good 80 percent of the time and the other 20 we didn't. We just need to make sure to correct those things as we move forward."

The Golden Rams (0-1) are coming off a 21-13 loss to Valdosta State, the 16th-ranked team in Division II. Albany State coach Dan Land said that loss increases the importance of Saturday's game for his team.

"Once you get behind, it's hard to catch up. It's tough to hold and maintain the things that you have if you don't start off with a win," Land said.

"So this is a very huge week for us. I've been expressing that to the guys, letting them know how important this game is."

Albany State linebacker Tavarius Washington, the preseason SIAC defensive player of the year, had a game-high 10 tackles and returned an interception 53 yards against Valdosta State.

The Golden Rams led the SIAC in all the major defensive categories last season, including points allowed (14 per game) and total yards (229.4).

"There's no mystery when you look at their defense," Slater said. "They've been playing the same defense since 1993."

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 11:46 PM with the headline "Tuskegee, Albany State meet in SIAC title game rematch ."