ATLANTA — After an hour and forty-minute weather delay, the
Clark Atlanta Panthers outlasted the Florida Memorial Lions, 17-12, in a rematch of last year's matchup that ended at halftime in a 28-28 tie due to inclement weather conditions. However, the Panthers wouldn't let bad weather stop them this time around as they won their second-straight home opener to improve to 1-1 on the season.
THE BASICS
Score: Clark Atlanta - 17 | Florida Memorial - 12
Records: Panthers 1-1 | Lions 0-2
Date: September 6, 2025
Location: Atlanta, Ga. | Panther Stadium
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- Zy McDonald put the Panthers on the board with a blazing 50-yard run for a score, followed by a good PAT to put the CAU in front 7-0 with under five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
- Florida Memorial's Nygel Osborne punched it in from one yard out, but missed the extra point attempt and faced a 7-6 deficit at the top of the second frame.
- Freshman kicker Carlos Lopez extended the Panthers' lead with a 31-yard field goal attempt to give Clark Atlanta a 10-6 advantage headed into halftime.
- Just four seconds into the third quarter, McDonal found Atlanta native Ronnie West for a 37-yard touchdown pass to help CAU mount a 17-6 lead over FMU.
- The Lions' Fernando Jeanty rushed in for a six-yard score with six minutes left in regulation, but once again missed the extra point as FMU faced a 17-12 deficit.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Zy McDonald registered 148 yards through the air while tallying 54 yards on the ground for one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.
- Ronnie West hauled in four catches for 50 yards and one touchdown, while Armone Harris led in receptions with six catches for 37 yards, with 22 rushing yards to add.
- Defensively, true freshman Vaughn Mitchom secured his first collegiate interception in the second quarter to help stifle the Florida Memorial offense.
- Eric Searcy led the Panthers in tackles with seven total on the day.
UP NEXT
Clark Atlanta opens conference play on Thursday, September 11, as they host Fort Valley State at 7 p.m. inside Panther Stadium. Clark Atlanta will honor First Responders & Armed Forces in their first home night game in over 20 years. The game will be streamed live on ESPN2.
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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 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.