LAKELAND, Fla.- In only two and a half quarters, Caleb Edmonds completed 14-of-24 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns to lead Albany State to a 24-2 win over Southeastern University. The contest experienced two weather delays and was called after the second thunderstorm with a little over eight minutes left in the third quarter.
With the victory, the Golden Rams gain their first win of the season and improve to 1-2. SEU, an NAIA member, falls to 1-1 overall.
After the Albany State special team provided the host team with a safety in the first quarter, ASU began their scoring barrage in the second. At the 11:09 mark, Edmonds found Ta’Keevian Harris, who sparked the drive with a 43-yard catch two plays before, for a 17-yard touchdown. The drive went eight plays for 78 yards in 3:38. The Golden led 7-2 after Emilio Maldonado made the PAT.
The Golden Rams defense also provided the team with some unexpected points in the latter part of the stanza. Ra’shaan Johnson sacked Southeastern quarterback Jonathan Pearce to force a fumble. Monte Taylor recovered the loose ball and returned it 53 yards for the score. Maldonado was good on the PAT, and Albany State led 14-2 with 1:39 remaining in the half.
Less than 20 seconds later, Nick Scott recorded his second interception of the game to set up the Gold Rush’s final score of the half. Maldonado connected on a 33-yard field goal to send ASU into intermission with a 17-2 advantage. The drive used five plays and 39 yards in 30 seconds.
In the third quarter, Albany State’s final scoring drive would be a huge one. Edmonds found running back McKinley Hambersham, who dashed 93yards for the touchdown. Maldonado completed the drive with a successful PAT.
Hambersham caught three passes for 137 yards and rushed 10 times for 43 more. Harris tallied three receptions for 67 yards. ASU outgained the Fire in total yards, gaining 325 yards to SEU’s 126.
Defensively, Emmauel Brown led the Golden Rams in tackles with seven. Taylor finished with six tackles and a fumble recovery, and Scott had six tackles to go with his two interceptions.
Albany State will return to action on Sept. 24 when it hosts the University of West Georgia in its first home game of the season. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Albany State University Coliseum.
Stan McCormick
Sports Information Director
Student-Athlete Affairs Coordinator
Phone: (229) 420-7013
Fax: (229) 430-1774
Facebook: ASU Ram Nation
Twitter: @ASUGoldenRams
