By Donald Hunt
For The Birmingham Times
Miles College will face Albany State for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) championship on Saturday, Nov. 10 at Sloan-Alumni Stadium in Fairfield, AL. The kickoff will be at 2 p.m.
Miles College defeated Tuskegee, 31-27, in an exciting game to win the SIAC West title. The Golden Bears were down by as many as 17 points in the second half and put together a fantastic finish.
Golden Bears quarterback Daniel Smith threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Leonard Tyree in the final minute to secure the win. Smith completed 17-of-35 passes for 241 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Tyree had four receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown.
Running back Justin Hardy was the Golden Bears’ leading rusher with 66 yards on 23 carries. Hardy provided Miles College with a solid ground attack.
Defensively, Miles College received great efforts from defensive back Kendrell Walker and linebacker Austin Stephens. Walker had nine tackles and two pass breakups. Stephens contributed eight tackles and one tackle for loss.
This should be an interesting matchup. Earlier this season, Albany State (6-0 conference), the SIAC East champs, edged Miles College (4-2 conference), 30-24. Both teams are playing their best football of the season right now.
SWAC
In the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Alabama Agriculture & Mechanical (4-2 conference) will host Grambling State University (4-2 conference) on Saturday, Nov. 10 with a 1 p.m. kickoff. AAMU posted a sensational 45-14 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. It was the Bulldogs’s fourth victory in their last five games.
AAMU was led by quarterback Aqeel Glass who connected on 21-of-42 passes for 359 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. In addition to Glass, running back Trevon Walters had 152 yards on 12 carries including a 72-yard touchdown run. Walters averaged 12.7 yards a carry.
Alabama State (2-2) will entertain Jackson State (3-2) on Saturday, Nov. 10. The kickoff will be at 2 p.m. ASU is coming off an impressive 30-21 victory over Texas Southern. Hornets quarterback KHA’Darris Davis displayed his versatility completing 16-of-25 passes for 171 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Davis had 24 carries for 104 yards and one rushing TD.
On defense, cornerback Joshua Hill had an interception return for a 29-yard touchdown. The Hornets other standout was linebacker Darron Johnson who had eight tackles and one tackle for loss.
