Fort Valley State Football won the Red Tails Classic for the second straight season, beating rival Tuskegee, 21-6, on a rainy Sunday night at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery.
The Wildcats (1-0) held the Golden Tigers (0-1) to 209 yards of offense. FVSU running back Emanuel Wilson outscored Tuskegee by himself, rushing for a career-high 262 yards and two touchdowns to earn MVP honors.
Shawn Gibbs, hired by Fort Valley State in February, won his first game with the program against another first-year coach, Reginald Ruffin, who took over at Tuskegee in December after a decade-long stint at Miles College.
Here are three observations from Sunday night:
Emanuel Wilson’s Big Game
Wilson, who was named to the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason team, picked up where he left off after averaging 119.3 rushing yards and scoring seven touchdowns in seven games last season.
Wilson rushed for 33 yards on the Wildcats’ first drive to set up a touchdown. Among his 20 carries, six went for at least 15 yards, and his 87 yards burst up the middle with just under 12 minutes left, putting the game out of his reach.
Ryan Nettles sparks Tuskegee
With Bryson Williams under center, the Golden Tigers’ first two drives ended with one interception and three and out. Nettles, a transfer from Alabama State who was the SWAC freshman of the year in the spring of 2021, entered the next series and led Tuskegee to FVSU 22 before missing a field goal. On Tuskegee’s next drive, Nettles threw a 10-yard touchdown drive to Jordan Ogletree.
Nettles went 15-for-24 for 131 yards and put up a handful of accurate shots in tight coverage, moving the Golden Tigers into Wildcat territory on four of his six possessions. However, he didn’t find the end zone after the second quarter despite bringing life to his team.
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honoring history
The Red Tails Classic was named in honor of Tuskegee airmen, and during stoppages throughout the game, prominent Tuskegee alumni and figures in black aviation and military history were recognized.
In the second television timeout, the Cramton Bowl video panel showed a tribute to Daniel James Jr., a Tuskegee airman and the first black four-star general in the United States military. Other aviators honored included Herbert Carter, who flew 77 missions during World War II, and Lawrence Roberts, the father of newscaster Robin Roberts.
Tributes to Tuskegee alumni such as Grammy Award-winning singer Lionel Richie, Invisible Man author Ralph Ellison, former US Deputy Surgeon General Roscoe Moore, and civil rights activist Betty Shabazz, wife of Malcolm X.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected], by phone at 334-201-9117, and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.