MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Senior safety Jonah McCutcheon returned a 46-yard interception for a touchdown with 10:57 left in the fourth quarter and Tuskegee pulled away from Alabama State for a 14-6 victory in Montgomery at ASU Stadium.
A sellout crowd of 25,442 witnessed the Golden Tigers improved to 2-0 over the Hornets in its fairly new stadium that opened in 2012.
Both teams struggled offensively and played through a scoreless first quarter until TU Quarterback Jamarcus Ezell completed a 55-yard pass to Peyton Ramzy with 1:28 left in the first half to take a 7-0 lead. That score marked the 11th time out of the last 13 games against ASU that the Golden Tigers have scored first.
Ezell finished the evening going 7-of-17 for 139 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Ramzy hauled in 66 yards on a pair of catches on the night.
Defensively, preseason All-American Osband Thompson led the Golden Tigers with 14 tackles, two QB hurries, and one forced fumble. Thompson had 10 of those stops at halftime. McCutcheon and Kevin Dawson each had seven tackles while Darnell Hill and Kenderrius Whitehead totaled six tackles apiece. Terance Leatherwood notched TU’s lone sack on the evening.
Punter Dalton Hall came up huge for the Golden Tigers. The Hartsville, South Carolina native punted 10 times for 392 yards landing three inside the 20-yard line. He also finished with a long of 48.
ASU’s only score came with 1:26 left in the game when Kobie Jones connected with Alex Johnson for a 3-yd touchdown pass.
The Golden Tigers will face Albany State in Phenix City next Saturday for the annual Labor Day Classic. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. EDT.
