A 10-point quarter pushed the Panthers of Clark Atlanta past Fort Valley State, 26-21 in front of a national audience on ESPN2.
After a scoreless first quarter, Fort Valley State struck first when Wildcats quarterback Don Hudson connected with J.T. Pendleton on an 11-yard scoring toss, caping a 14-play, 75-yard drive that made the score 7-0. The Clark Atlanta defense got the Panthers on the board when Hudson was sacked for a safety, making the score 7-2. The subsequent free kick set the CAU offense up at Fort Valley’s 48 yard line. Seven plays later CAU took their first lead of the evening on Zy McDonald’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie West, putting the Panthers up 9-7 with 8:58 left in the half. The Panthers offense got back to work on their next possession, marching 73 yards in 10 plays, ending on Alan Riggins’ 6-yard scamper, completing a run of 16 unanswered points.
Fort Valley controlled the third quarter, scoring 14 points – the first coming on Hudson and Pendleton second scoring connection of the game, this one from 19 yards and the second on Michael Cabellero’s 2-yard plunge- to take a 21-16 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Clark Atlanta trimmed the lead to 21-19 on Carlos Lopez’s 35-yard field goal with 14:06 left in the contest. The CAU defense stood tall on a Fort Valley fourth down conversion attempt that rendered a 15 play, 75-yard drive all for naught. The Panthers offense embarked on their own 75 yard drive that ended in McDonald’s second touchdown toss of the evening, six yards to Armone Harris that pushed CAU back in front 26-21 with 2:57 left in the contest.
On the ensuing kickoff, Braelen Morgan’s 33-yard return combined with a Clark Atlanta personal foul, set the Fort Valley offense in good field position at midfield. The game came down to a 4th and 3 from the CAU 14 yard line. Hudson’s rush attempt was stopped a yard short of getting a new set of downs, giving possession to Clark and effectively ending the game.
Zy McDonald completed 19 of his 30 passes for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Alan Riggins led the Panthers’ run game with 90 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Armone Harris was Clark’s leading pass catcher , hauling in 6 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.
In a losing effort, Don Hudson completed 21 of 26 passes for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also added 119 rushing yards on 23 attempts. J.T. Pendleton caught 7 passes for 74 yards 2 touchdowns.
Up next for Clark Atlanta is trip to Columbia, South Carolina on September 20 to take on the Yellow Jackets. Clark defeated Allen 26-22 in most recent meeting September 7, 2024.
Fort Valley faces Delta State next week. The Statesmen beat the Wildcats 27-24 in the meeting September 21, 2024.
