Tucker got an interception on the first play and a touchdown on the second, setting the tone for an 51-0 defeat of M.L. King on Friday.
The Tigers (2-2) overwhelmed the Lions from the outset, using their superior speed, size and depth to keep MLK (0-3) from developing any sort of rhythm on either side of the ball.
After Tucker’s first score, the Lions were able to hold the Tigers to a field goal on their second possession, when the offense stalled after a 47-yard Duke Shelley run set them up with a first and goal.
But the backbreaker may have come on Tucker’s next drive.
It looked like MLK’s defense had dug in its heels and made another stop, forcing Tucker into a fourth-and-7 play from the Lions 35-yard line.
The Tigers decided not to punt, though, and Garriet Rugby tossed a long ball up to Courtland Rogers, who took advantage of single coverage to get into the end zone for a 35-yard score that made it 17-0.
Tucker turned the ball over on its next two possessions, but then the offense kicked into a higher gear.
On the Tigers’ next drive, Rogers found his way into the end zone again, this time from 40 yards out on third and 12, getting behind the defense and taking in a perfect throw from Rigby.
Then Tucker’s vaunted running game took the stage, with Delvin Weems breaking free over the left side and going 40 yards untouched for a touchdown to make it 31-0.
MLK had one last chance to get its first score of the game – and season – late in the second quarter, when a 34-yard pass on third and 25, followed by a 21-yard Robert Pritchett run set them up at the Tucker 40 with 2 minutes left.
It finished in one more break for Tucker, though, with a sack and fumble ending up into the arms of Tabarius Peterson, who took it back 45 yards for the half’s final score.
The second half was more of the same for both teams, though a running clock limited the scoring opportunities.
The Tigers scored midway through the third quarter, but most of the starters didn't play much in the fourth.
Weems had a game-high 61 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 carries in the first half. Rigby completed 6 of 10 passes for 108 yards and 2 scores.
Tucker, in its first year in Class AAAAAA, doesn’t begin region play until Oct. 3 at Newton. MLK is 0-3 for the first time in school history.
