Daquon Kincey rushed for 172 yards and a touchdown to lead the Clark Atlanta Panthers to a 21-12 homecoming win over Savannah State.
Head coach Willie Slater has the Panthers moving in the right direction. Clark Atlanta (CAU) sits in the middle of the standing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s (SIAC) East Division after winning it’s second consecutive game. It is the first time the Panthers have won two games in a row since 2018, when they finished the season 3-7.
Two of the remaining three teams CAU has to face, Benedict (5-0, 7-0) and Fort Valley State (3-1, 6-1), sit above them in the standings. Only their Atlanta University Center brethren and rival, Morehouse College (0-4, 0-7), trail the Panthers in the standings. Records will mean absolutely nothing when they meet in the season finale.
A Little Get Back
Savannah State arrived at Panthers Field with a healthy 3-0 lead in the series having never allowed the Panthers more than 15 points.
The Panthers jumped on the Tigers in the first half with two unanswered touchdowns. Quarterback Shariff Brown stayed behind his offensive line plunging the final two yards into the endzone to cap a 7-play, 46 yard drive. Running back Daquon Kincey accounted for the bulk of the yards on the drive rushing for 36 yards on three carries.
Over half of CAUs offense came from the rugged running of the 220-pound Kincey. The sophomore battering ram scored the Panthers second touchdown running through the Tigers front-seven and dropping defensive backs along the 61-yard run.
Tigers Respond
Head Coach Aaron Kelton knew this season was going to be a challenge. The Tigers new head coach inherited a team that graduated eight seniors.
Offensive Coordinator John Roberts made a few adjustments at halftime because the Tigers came out clawing. Freshman quarterback Jadon Adams rushed for 27 yards and passed for another 26 to lead the Tigers deep into Panthers territory. The drive stalled at the 23 when the Panthers stopped running back Shamarcus Poole a yard short of the first down.
The Tigers defense gave the ball right back to the offense stopping the Panthers on straight downs and zero yards.
JT Hartage entered the game in place of Adams and immediately gave the Tigers a spark. Hartage threw a BB to Da’Shun Mitchell for 28 yards on his first snap. He upped the ante on his third snap tossing a 34-yard strike down the middle of the field to DaMarion Colbert in the center of the endzone.
CAU answered back at the top of the fourth quarter. Kincey continued battering the Tigers front with three straight carries for 32 yards to move the ball close to midfield. Brown took over from there. The sophomore from nearby Stockbridge, GA rushed fir 15 yards and passed for another 32 yards including a five yard touchdown to Ronnie West.
Hartage went back to work on the ensuing drive moving the Tigers 70 yards on 8 plays for another score. The junior from Mary Persons high school in Forsyth, GA completed 3 passes for 47 yards. His 15 yard pass to Brent Carr in the corner of the endzone was pretty enough to earn him consideration for the start when the Tigers return home to face Albany State next week.
Clark Atlanta improves to .500 on the season at 3-3 and 3-4 overall. They will face a big test next week when Fort Valley comes to town. The Wildcats blasted Morehouse 56-28 on Senior Day in Wildcat Stadium.
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All images credit Jason McDonald, JM Photography for CORE360 Sports