Albany State won its seventh consecutive game and completed SIAC Eastern Division confefence play with an unblemished 6-0 record with a dominating 40-6 victory in the 29th Annual Fountain City Classic.
The Golden Rams went up 6-0 in the early going with two Gabriel Ballinas field goals from 33 and 41. ASU would extend the lead to 13-0 with 3:42 to in the opening quarter when Kelias Williams found Ta’Keevian Harris on a 5-yard touchdown pass. The next score in the game would come from Fort Valley with 7:40 to go in the first half (it would be their only of the day) when quarterback Garrel Quainton connected with Mekall Yancie; the extra point was missed, leaving the score at 13-6. Ballinas’ third field goal of the half , this one from 34 yards, to give Albany State a 16-6 lead headed into halftime.
Late in the third quarter, ASU would score 17 points in less than four minutes that effectively put the game out of reach. The run started when McKinley Habersham scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:18 left in the quarter to make the score 23-6. On the ensuing drive, FVSU quarterback Garrel Quainton was intercepted by Jalen Bush. That takeaway resulted in a 44-yard Ballinas field goal to push the Golden Rams’ lead to twenty at 26-6. The next Wildcat possession ended in a punt that was blocked and recovered by Henn Washington at the Fort Valley 18 with 0:41 remaining in the period. Albany State only needed one play to capitalize on the opportunity as Tracy Scott ran it in from 18-yards. The converted extra point by Ballinas (he scored 15 points on the day) brought the score to 33-6.
The scoring was completed when Jalen Bush added to his day by blocking, recovering and running in the aforementioned punt for a touchdown. Another converted PAT from Ballinas would bring the score to its final mark of 40-6.
Albany State (7-3, 6-0 SIAC) will now travel to Fairfield, Alabama to face Miles College, whom they defeated 30-24 earlier this season ,in the SIAC Championship game November 10. Kickoff time is set for 3 p.m. EST. The game will air on ESPN3.
Final Results
| Game Stats | ALBN | FVSU |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 302 | 157 |
| Pass Yards | 77 | 103 |
| Rushing Yards | 225 | 54 |
| Penalty Yards | 10-97 | 4-40 |
| 1st Downs | 17 | 10 |
| 3rd Downs | 5-13 | 3-14 |
| 4th Downs | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| TOP | 32:17 | 27:43 |
