Tuskegee beats Alabama A&M in Circle City Classic

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tuskegee quarterback Jacary Atkinson produced 219 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns Saturday, leading the Golden Tigers to a 34-24 victory over Alabama A&M in the Circle City Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Atkinson, an NCAA Division II All-American and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player of the year last season, rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 72 yards and another TD. His rushing total was the sixth-highest in the 25-year history of the annual Classic.

Tuskegee (5-0), the winningest program among historically black colleges and the 2007 black college national champion, extended its overall winning streak to 21 straight games. It was the Golden Tigers’ first appearance at the Circle City Classic.

Gerald Stockdale was 15-of-25 passing for 231 yards and two touchdowns, Ulysses Banks finished with 71 yards rushing and a score, and Nate Baxter had 103 yards receiving and a touchdown for the Bulldogs (2-4), who dropped to 1-2 in the Classic.

Tuskegee pushed a 13-7 halftime lead to 20-10 on Atkinson’s 2-yard scoring run with 11:40 left in the fourth quarter. Atkinson set up the touchdown with a 55-yard quarterback keeper.

Following touchdowns by both teams, Alabama A&M cut the deficit to 27-24 on a 35-yard scoring pass from Stockdale to Baxter with 2:25 left. The Golden Tigers answered 29 seconds later with a 52-yard TD run by John Pascley to finish off the scoring.