Albany State hopes to continue momentum

ALBANY — With momentum still in their favor after a big homecoming victory, the Albany State Rams are hoping to rain on Clark-Atlanta University’s parade as they face the Panthers for homecoming.

The ASU defense achieved their first shutout of the season last week thanks to three interceptions in the first quarter. Marquez Hodo earned SIAC Newcomer of the Week honors after picking off two passes in the 38-0 contest against Morehouse.

The defense put the offense in the position to make plays, but outside of Jarvis Small, who rushed for more than 100 yards again, ASU had trouble moving the ball down the field and putting points on the board, a goal head coach Dan Land set before the game.

The offense looked much more fluid in the second half as quarterback Caleb Edmonds finished with 169 passing yards and no interceptions. Offensive coordinator Steve Smith said they had to take it back to the basics at the half.

“I think in the first half the biggest thing for us was we were trying to do too much instead of focusing on the technique part and the skill part of what we had talked about all week,” he said. “They made it more complicated than it was. So we made the adjustment at halftime to get them to the point where hey, just go. Don’t think when you come off the ball, just come off the ball and go, and I think they did that in the second half and we became even better.”

Smith added that he’s confident Small will top 1,000 rushing yards by season’s end, and feels his offense is improving.

“I think right now our play action game is working real well. I thought Caleb threw some great passes that got us down the field in the play action game,” he said. “We’re spending a lot of time [practicing] in the red zone, we’re spending a lot of time between the 20 and 20 working different routes, even when we’re in special teams. Receivers are overworking routes so they’re building that relationship and building that confidence between the quarterback and receiving core. So I think it’s coming along well and it’s right where it needs to be.”

The Panthers are riding a wave of their own after beating former ASU head coach Mike White’s Benedict Tigers 24-3 last week for their first win of the season. Running back Jaha McCray rushed for 122 yards in the contest, while quarterback Matthew Vincent threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams will face an offense that racked up a total of 434 total yards on 65 plays last week.

Defensive back Joshua Tate picked off two Benedict passes, bringing his season total to five, which leads the SIAC.

Kickoff for the homecoming battle will be today at 2 p.m. and will be featured on ASPiRE TV.