JACKSON, Tenn. —
Fort Valley State University (3-5, 3-3 SIAC) earned a 23-19 victory over
Lane College (0-8, 0-6 SIAC) Saturday afternoon, sealing the win with a late fourth-quarter touchdown and a defensive stand in the final minute.
The Wildcats struck first on their opening drive, marching 81 yards in seven plays as
Don Hudson Jr. connected with
Solomon Burney for a 12-yard touchdown. Lane responded with a five-play, 60-yard drive to even the score at 7-7, which held through the end of the first quarter.
FVSU regained the lead early in the second on a 32-yard field goal from
Kyle Keese. The Dragons answered quickly with a 75-yard scoring drive but missed the extra point to take a 13-10 advantage. Keese knotted the game just before halftime with a 53-yard field goal, sending the teams into the break tied at 13.
The Wildcats opened the second half strong, with Keese staying perfect on the day by drilling a 31-yard field goal to put FVSU ahead 16-13. Lane closed the third quarter with a 30-yard touchdown run, but
Joey Samples blocked the extra point to limit the damage, giving the Dragons a 19-16 lead heading into the fourth.
Defense dominated much of the final quarter until FVSU took over with just over three minutes remaining, starting at the Lane 32-yard line.
Saadiq Teel completed two passes on the drive, including a 24-yard touchdown strike to
Braelen Morgan, and Keese's extra point put the Wildcats back on top 23-19. Lane's final drive crossed into FVSU territory, but the Wildcat defense stood tall and forced a turnover on downs with 29 seconds left to secure the win.
Hudson finished 21-for-31 passing for 185 yards and a touchdown, while Teel threw for 32 yards and the game-winning score in relief. On the ground, Michael Cabellero led FVSU with 42 yards on seven carries, followed by Hudson with 30 yards and
Alexander Wilson with 25.
Morgan paced the receiving corps with 42 yards on three receptions and the game-winner, while
J.T. Pendleton added 29 yards on five catches and Burney contributed 27 yards and a touchdown on three grabs.
Keese went 2-for-2 on field goals accounting for six Wildcat points.
Defensively,
Omarion LaRoach and
Daymon Polite led the way with eight tackles apiece, while
Jadyn Walker added seven.
David Moncrief recorded one sack for a 15-yard loss, and LaRoach posted 2.5 tackles for loss with four quarterback hurries. DaZavion Holman chipped in two tackles for loss for five yards.
The Wildcats return home for Senior Night on Saturday, Nov. 1, hosting Miles College at 6 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium.
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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 (HBCUs) 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 nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.