ALBANY, Ga. — The
Albany State Golden Rams delivered a commanding 49-21 victory over the
Kentucky State Thorobreds on Saturday evening, led by breakout performances from running back
Dajon Richard and quarterback
Isaiah Knowles. The win moves the Golden Rams to 2-2 on the season and 2-0 in SIAC play, while Kentucky State drops to 0-5 overall and 0-3 in the conference.
Dajon Richard powered the Golden Rams' offense with three of the team's seven touchdowns, showcasing his explosiveness on the ground. Meanwhile,
Isaiah Knowles put together a stellar performance, throwing six touchdown passes and even rushing for one, accounting for all seven Albany State touchdowns.
Kentucky State got off to a strong start behind quarterback Denim Johnson, who led the Thorobreds' offense in the first half. The Thorobreds managed to keep pace, trailing just 21-14 at halftime after a back-and-forth second quarter. Johnson's key target, Roscoe Parrish Jr., caused problems for the Albany State defense early on. Still, the Thorobreds failed to capitalize on their opportunities to breach the end zone in critical moments.
The Golden Rams took control in the second half, with Knowles continuing to find the end zone through the air. By the end of the third quarter, Albany State had pulled away with a 42-21 lead. The Dirty Blue defense clamped down in the second half, limiting Kentucky State to just one score while applying relentless pressure on their offense.
In the final quarter, Kentucky State brought in Jaun Gainious to inject some fresh energy into the offense, but the Thorobreds were unable to close the gap. Albany State's defense, energized by a home crowd, held firm to seal the victory.
NEXT UP
The win sets the Golden Rams up for a key matchup next week when they travel to Columbia, SC, to face Allen University at Westwood High School (Blythewood, SC). The game will serve as a revenge match for Albany State, who will be looking to atone for last year's Homecoming loss to the Yellow Jackets on Oct. 14, 2023.
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ABOUT ALBANY STATE ATHLETICS
Albany State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II-level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 11 sports: women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, softball, men's and women's track and field, women's soccer, baseball, and football with all teams competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), except for women's soccer who competes in the Peach Belt Conference.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.