By Tim Gayle

It was a simple run up the middle, but it changed the look of the fourth Red Tails Classic for the remainder of the game.

Johnson C. Smith tailback Quavaris Crouch took a handoff on the first play of the second half and sprinted through a huge hole on the way to the end zone 75 yards away, breaking a 7-7 tie and lifting the Golden Bulls to a 21-13 win over Tuskegee on Sunday night at Cramton Bowl.

“That was a big momentum changer,” Tuskegee coach Aaron James said. “We had a missed assignment there, a blown assignment. The running back went straight up the middle, up the ‘A’ gap and scored a touchdown. Coming out of the half, you know, that should never happen.”

James is correct, but Crouch would go on to rush for 48 more yards in the fourth quarter that helped seal the win, part of a 161-yard night that earned the senior Most Valuable Player honors in his long-awaited return to college football.

“It feels awesome,” Crouch said. “I thank God because I never knew I was going to put a jersey on again.”

Back in what almost seems like a lifetime ago, Crouch was considered the top college prospect in America, a five-star running back and linebacker that had lifted his Harding High team to a state championship in 2017. Tennessee won the recruiting battle and Crouch played as a linebacker for the Volunteers in 2019 and started 10 games in 2020. As questions arose concerning the program and coach Jeremy Pruitt, Crouch jumped in the transfer portal and went to play for Mel Tucker at Michigan State in 2021.

Now it was Tucker who was on the hot seat regarding off-the-field issues following the 2021 season and Crouch jumped in the transfer portal again, but never really landed. He came back to Charlotte in 2022 and 2023, finding a job and taking community college courses before trying his hand, one last time, this season at Johnson C. Smith, now as a running back.

Crouch matched his first-half rushing total with a 15-yard run late in the first half to give the Golden Bulls an apparent lead, but it was nullified by a holding penalty. A missed field goal followed and the two teams were tied at 7-7 at the half. So far, Crouch had done little to remind anyone of the talent that made him a five-star recruit.

That all changed with his first carry of the second half.

“I feel like the biggest thing I was telling myself is to stay patient,” he said. “At first, I felt like it was moving slow, I wasn’t hitting it like I wanted to, but keep pressing, keep communicating with the offensive line and the coaches, trust in the process, everything we said we would do, and it started hitting for us.”

It’s been five years since he played any running back, but every good runner knows where to deliver the credit for his touchdown.

“The offensive line,” he said. “You can’t do nothing without the offensive line. They always take care of me and keep me healthy. I feel like we’ve got a good group.”

His 161 yards were the second most in the four-year history of the Red Tails Classic, trailing only Emanuel Wilson, now with the Green Bay Packers. Wilson was a tailback coached by Johnson C. Smith coach Maurice Flowers when Flowers was at Fort Valley State. Now Flowers has another talented running back who shook off a slow start with a dominant second half.

“We just knew that we weren’t playing our best ball in the first half,” Crouch said. “In the second half, we put it together, put on more steam. Just like the Clemson-Georgia game that was kind of close in the first half, in the second half Georgia came and pushed it on out. So we were just trying to follow the example they gave us.”

Johnson C. Smith turned a negative into a positive and ran past Tuskegee 21-13 in the fourth annual Red Tails Classic at the historic Cramton Bowl.

Junior tailback and Michigan State transfer Quavaris Crouch scored on the first play of the third quarter when he raced 75 yards to give the Golden Bulls a 14-7 lead just 11 seconds into the second half.

Crouch had a touchdown nullified by a penalty in the final seconds of the first half and the Golden Bulls missed a subsequent field goal that left the teams tied at halftime.

“Upset’s a good word to say,” Johnson C. Smith head coach Maurice Flowers said. “What we said at halftime was let’s stop helping them. Most of the things that they got were things that we gave them.”

Crouch took a simple handoff on the first play of the third quarter, found a hole and outran Tuskegee defenders for the go-ahead 75-yard touchdown run.

“What we did, if you go back to Pop Warner football, you might call it ‘Dive Right’ or ‘Dive Left,’ Flowers added. “I mean, that’s what it was. You had to just trust what you’ve been taught. And so when you have a veteran team, that’s what you can do. You can trust the team and just trust the process because they believe in the system. And if you believe in the system, the system is sound. We should be able to make some big plays to keep us in the game.”

Tuskegee head coach Aaron James called it a “momentum changer”.

“We had a blown assignment,” James said. “The running back went straight up the middle, up the ‘A’ gap and scored a touchdown. Coming out of the half, you know, that should never happen. Like I said, it was just a mental mistake and we’ve just got to go back and clean up a lot of things.”

Crouch finished with 21 carries for 161 yards and one touchdown to earn Red Tails Classic MVP honors. The 161 rushing yards and 75-yard run are both the second most in Red Tails Classic history.

Tuskegee answered with a 51-yard touchdown drive set up by Devon Cooper’s 32-yard kickoff return.

Senior running back Johnny Morris capped the five-play drive with a 1-yard TD run. Junior Lorcan Ryans missed the extra point attempt, leaving the Tigers with a 14-13 deficit.

Johnson C. Smith junior receiver Bevin Caldwell was the playmaker in the passing game. He caught seven passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Caldwell had a 37-yard catch-and-run touchdown late in the third quarter to give the Golden Bulls a 21-13 lead.

Johnson C. Smith turned a fumble recovery into a touchdown in the final minute of the first quarter for the game’s first score. Junior linebacker Chris Jackson recovered a fumble by Tuskegee freshman receiver Reggie Brigman at the Golden Tigers’ 21-yard line.

Five plays later, junior quarterback Darius Ocean tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Caldwell in the corner of the end zone to give the Golden Bulls a 7-0 lead with 58 seconds left in the first quarter.

Tuskegee made a big play on special teams to set up the game-tying touchdown on the next possession. Sophomore Timarcus Grayson blocked a punt to put the Golden Tigers at the 9-yard line.

After taking an 11-yard sack on first down, junior quarterback Raquon Beal redeemed himself with a 15-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Karon Taylor to knot the score at 7-7 with 10:41 left in the first half.

Johnson C. Smith (1-0) played in the Red Tails Classic for the first time.  Flowers improved to 2-0 as head coach at the Red Tails Classic. He led Fort Valley State to a 30-0 win over Tuskegee in the inaugural Red Tails Classic in 2021.

Tuskegee (0-1) fell to 1-3 in Red Tails Classic games, losing twice to Fort Valley State (2021 and 2022) and a third time on Sunday. The Golden Tigers’ lone win came against Fort Valley State in 2023.

MONTGOMERY – The 2024 college football season begins in 85 days and the first prime time game of the season will take place at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery.

The 10th FCS Kickoff will be played on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. (ET) and will be televised by ESPN.

Southeast Missouri State and North Alabama will meet in this year’s game.

In addition, the fourth annual Red Tails Classic will be played on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. (ET) and will be televised on ESPNU.

Johnson C. Smith will face Tuskegee in this year’s game.

The FCS Kickoff dates back to the 2014 season. The first three games were played at campus sites.

ESPN Events brought the game to Montgomery in 2017, where Jacksonville Stare defeated Chattanooga 27-13.

This is the seventh FCS Kickoff played at the Cramton Bowl.

North Alabama will be making its second straight appearance in the FCS Kickoff. The Lions dropped a 17-7 decision to Mercer last year.

Southeast Missouri State is making its debut in the event, and will be the 16th different team to play in the FCS Kickoff.

Tuskegee will be the home team in the Red Tails Classic for the fourth straight year. The Tigers faced Fort Valley State in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Johnson C. Smith will be making its inaugural appearance in the Red Tails Classic.

For ticket information log on to www.Montgomerykickoffgames.com

About ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premier regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube.

Montgomery – The Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls and Tuskegee Golden Tigers will meet in the fourth annual Red Tails Classic at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., on Sunday, Sept. 1. The game time, ESPN platform designation and ticket information will be announced at a later date.

The game was created in 2021 by ESPN Events to honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.

“We are grateful to ESPN Events for showcasing this event on Labor Day weekend,” Johnny Williams, Executive Director of the Boeing Red Tails Classic and Camellia Bowl, said. “We have tremendous support the last three years from not on the Tuskegee community by the City of Montgomery. We are excited to host such a prestigious event again.”

Tuskegee is playing the Red Tails Classic for the fourth straight year. The previous three meetings came against conference rival Fort Valley State. The Golden Tigers posted a 7-4 record last season, including a thrilling 37-31 win over Fort Valley State in the Boeing Red Tails Classic.

“We are excited to once again open our upcoming football season with a nationally televised game in the Red Tails Classic,” head coach Aaron James said. “Our program has enjoyed tremendous support over the past few seasons with Montgomery being one of our surrounding areas, while we also look to bring home a win again like we did in 2023.”

Johnson C. Smith is making its Red Tails Classic debut in 2024. The Golden Bulls posted a 7-4 record last season and played in three separate HBCU Classics. Johnson C. Smith, located in Charlotte, NC, plays in the NCAA Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

“The Red Tails Classic has so much tradition and playing against Tuskegee University, one of the most storied championships football programs makes it meaningful,” JCSU head coach Maurice Flowers said. “It is an honor to be able to play in the Red Tails Classic. We are excited, this is great for our football program to be playing in a nationally televised game.”

ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premier regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube

By Tim Gayle

He did virtually all of his damage in the first half, but Antonio Meeks made it a first half to remember for Tuskegee fans with four huge plays that led to a trio of touchdowns in the Golden Tigers’ 37-31 win over Fort Valley State on Sunday evening at Cramton Bowl.

Meeks finished the game with six receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown, providing big play after big play in the third annual Boeing Red Tails Classic to earn most valuable player honors.

“I feel like that’s my strong suit, big plays,” Meeks said. “My team, when they need me the most, I feel like I’ll come through every time. Big plays is what I made my name off of. I expect to continue to do that.”

Although he didn’t start making an impact for Tuskegee until late in his freshman season last year, former offensive coordinator and now head coach Aaron James expected good things out of his sophomore this season.

“Last year, he was a true freshman and he busted his tail to get back this year,” James said. “Tonight, he was just amazing. I told him earlier in the week that we were going to come to him and he showed up and showed out. Hats off to him. He got the trophy for the MVP and he deserved it.

“He works early, he works late after practice on his craft. Over the summer, he put in the grind and it showed tonight on the field.”

He was a human highlight film for much of the first half. After a pair of three-and-outs, a fumbled punt return gave the Golden Tigers new life at the Fort Valley 49-yard line. After a 3-yard run by Chase Sellers, Bryson Williams lofted a deep pass down the left sideline. Meeks pulled in the ball over Fort Valley corner Landon Austin for a 33-yard gain to the 13-yard line and two plays later Tuskegee tied the game at 7-7.

After Fort Valley’s ensuing possession ended in a punt, the Golden Tigers went back to Meeks again. Another Williams’ pass down the left sideline was grabbed for a 38-yard gain to the Fort Valley 5-yard line and the Golden Tigers scored on the next play for a 14-7 lead.

Late in the first half, leading 17-14, the Golden Tigers struck again as Meeks started inside, veered back out and caught a pass for a 44-yard gain to the 23. Sellers ran for no gain, then for 3 yards before Williams hit Meeks with a slant-in for a touchdown.

On the play, Williams’ pass was a little high and behind Meeks, but the sophomore reached up and back and snared the ball for a 24-14 lead.

“It always makes me happy when a receiver goes and gets the ball when it’s kind of ungettable,” Williams said. “Meeks is a receiver who’s going to lay out for the ball every time, regardless of where it’s at.”

Meeks agreed the touchdown was his favorite play of the night, but the earlier catch that set up the Tigers’ second touchdown was a close second after he wrestled the ball away from Fort Valley cornerback Jamal Janvier.

“It was kind of like a 50-50 ball and once we landed, the ref was telling me to get up,” Meeks said. “And I told the ref, ‘No, I’m not getting up, I want the ball.’ We were fighting for like 30 seconds over who wanted the ball. The ref was trying to pull me up and I was like, ‘No, I’m not getting up, you’ve got to get him up.’”

Unlike last year’s Red Tails Classic, a 21-6 loss in which Tuskegee showed little offense and Meeks managed just one catch for 19 yards, the 2023 version had a little bit of everything, including a special performance by the sophomore receiver from Lilburn, Ga. He said it was exactly what he expected.

“I absolutely did,” Meeks said. “I put a lot of preparation into my craft so what else can you expect? I didn’t expect to go out there and not give it my all, not show up.”

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Wilson Runs Wild as Fort Valley Drops Tuskegee, 21-6

MONTGOMERY – Emanuel Wilson ran wild on Sunday night.

The Fort Valley State redshirt junior running back ran for 262 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a 21-6 win over Tuskegee in the second annual Boeing Red Tails Classic at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery.

As impressive as he was on Sunday, it wasn’t his best collegiate effort.

He ran for 269 yards against Benedict in his second collegiate football game at Johnson C. Smith in 2019.

Wilson, who is one of the top rated HBCU players in the upcoming NFL Draft, had eight runs of 10 or more yards and averaged an eye-pooping 13.1 yards per carry on 20 attempts.

He sealed the game and earned MVP honors with his 87-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 21-6.

“The game plan was get (Emanuel) the ball and let him make plays,” FVSU first-year head Shawn Gibbs said. “He showed that he can make the plays. He’s got a great future.”

As a team, FVSU (1-0) ran the ball 35 times for 325 yards and three touchdowns. The Wildcats averaged 9.6 yards per rush. In addition to Wilson, freshman quarterback Kelvin Durham ran eight times for 39 yards and one TD. Sophomore Kentrelle Williams added 29 yards on six carries.

“We did some good things on defense,” Tuskegee head coach Reginald Ruffin said. “We had some breakdowns and gave up some long runs. (Wilson) is an outstanding running back.”

Wilson set the tone early with three carries on the opening drive, including a 27-yard burst that set up the Wildcats first touchdown.  He converted a third-and-six with 6-yard run and then ripped off a 27-yard run to put FVSU in the red zone. Durham capped the 6-play, 65-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Wildcats up 7-0 with 9:16 left in the first quarter.

On the next touchdown drive, Wilson ripped off a 28-yard run to put the ball at the Tuskegee 32-yard line. After an incomplete pass, Wilson finished off the drive with straight runs of 18, 17 and three yards to cap the 98-yard drive. Wilson’s 3-yard TD run made it 14-0 with 9:33 left in the first half.

Tuskegee (0-1) answered with its lone touchdown of the game when sophomore Ryan Nettles fired a 10-yard pass to Jordan Ogletree to cut the lead to 14-6 with 6:40 left in the half. FVSU freshman Will Riggins blocked the extra point.

Nettles completed 15-of-24 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown in the loss. Senior running back Donte Edwards led the Tigers with 80 yards rushing.  Freshman Corey Petty and sophomore Rodricus Magee led Tuskegee with for catches each.

The Fort Valley State defense made the first big play of the game as senior rover Tyler Moore thwarted Golden Tigers opening drive with 25-yard interception return from inside the FVSU 10-yard line.

“I am proud of our guys,” Gibbs said. “I told them to play fast and physical and we did that.”

Both teams were a little sloppy in the season opener.

Fort Valley State (13-146) and Tuskegee (9-100) combined for 23 penalties for 246 yards.

FVSU will host Kentucky State this Saturday at 1 p.m. (ET), while Tuskegee will travel to Hampton for a 5 p.m. (ET) kickoff.

The two teams will return for the third annual Boeing Red Tails Classic next season on Labor Day weekend.

Bowl Game to be Part of 100^th Season of Historic Cramton Bowl

MONTGOMERY – The ninth annual Camellia Bowl will be played on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 11 a.m. CT (noon ET) at the historic Cramton Bowl, which will celebrate its 100th birthday during the 2022 college football season. The Camellia Bowl and City of Montgomery have multiple events planned to celebrate the bowl and iconic stadium’s centennial anniversary,

“We are thrilled to host the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery for the ninth year,” executive director Johnny Williams said. “We have had some very exciting games and we hope this year will continue that tradition as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Cramton Bowl, which will be a historic event itself.”

The Camellia Bowl will air on ESPN and match up teams from the Sun Belt Conference, the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.

Seven of the first eight games have been decided by eight points or less, including the inaugural Camellia Bowl in 2014 when Bowling Green defeated South Alabama 33-28. Last year, Georgia State defeated Ball State as the two teams combined for 71 points in the highest-scoring Camellia Bowl to date.

In addition to the postseason Camellia Bowl, Montgomery will host two preseason kickoff games this season.Jacksonville State will meet Stephen F. Austin in the 9th FCS Kickoff on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN – the fifth FCS Kickoff game played at historic Cramton Bowl. Also, Tuskegee and Fort Valley State will square off in the second annual Boeing Red Tails Classic on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Fort Valley State defeated Tuskegee in last year’s inaugural game, which was created with ESPN Events to honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.

CAMELLIA BOWL ALL-TIME RESULTS:

Date                       Result                                                 

Dec. 20, 2014      Bowling Green 33, South Alabama 28

Dec. 19, 2015      Appalachian State 31, Ohio 29

Dec. 17, 2016      Appalachian State 31, Toledo 28

Dec. 16, 2017      Middle Tennessee 35, Arkansas St. 30

Dec. 15, 2018      Georgia Southern 23, E. Michigan 21

Dec. 21, 2019      Arkansas St. 34, FIU 26

Dec. 25, 2020      Buffalo 17, Marshall 10

Dec. 25, 2021      Georgia State 51, Ball State 20

FCS KICKOFF ALL-TIME RESULTS:

Date                       Result 

Aug. 23, 2014      Eastern Washington 56, Sam Houston State 35 (Cheney, Washington)

Aug, 29, 2015      Montana State 38, North Dakota State 35 (Missoula, Montana)

Aug. 27, 2016      North Dakota State 24, Charleston Southern 17 (Fargo, ND)

Aug, 26, 2017      Jacksonville State 27, Chattanooga 13 (Montgomery)

Aug. 25, 2018      North Carolina A&T 20, Jacksonville State 17 (Montgomery)

Aug. 26, 2019      Youngstown State 45, Samford 20 (Montgomery)

Aug. 29, 2020      Central Arkansas 24, Austin Peay 17 (Montgomery)

Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021

MONTGOMERY – The Fort Valley State turned in a first-quarter goal-line stand that set tone for in Sunday’s season opener at the historic Cramton Bowl.

Tuskegee had first-and-goal at the Wildcats four-yard on the opening drive of the game. But, four straight running plays netted only three yards and FVSU took over on downs midway through the first quarter.

The also took over the game.

The Wildcats constantly pressu

red the Tuskegee offense all night in a resounding 30-0 win in front of 13,956 fans at the inaugural Boeing Red Tails Classic, snapping a nine-game losing streak to its long-time Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival.

FVSU (1-0) recorded 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks and turned five turnovers into 20 points in the dominating win.

The goal-line stand inspired the defensive unit led by senior defensive end Antonio Golden, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Making his first career start, Golden logged six tackles, four tackles for loss (-25), three sacks (-20) and forced one fumble.

“It was just putting a hat on a hat,” Golden said. “We did what we had to do. We made the plays. I was glad to do my part.

Tyler Moore finished with seven tackles, including one sack (-8), one forced fumble and a 29-yard fumble return. Jahseari Patterson added six tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss (-6) and one sack (-1).

“The ball bounced our way a few more times tonight,” FVSU head coach Maurice Flowers said. ““I am very proud of defense. They set the tone tonight.”

Overall, FVSU limited Tuskegee to 99 total yards. The Tigers had 35 yards on the opening drive, but managed only 64 yards the remainder of the game. Tuskegee finished with four rushing yards and needed 19 rushing yards on it final possession to climb above zero for the game.

Tuskegee had six drives end in zero or negative yards.

“We just couldn’t get anything going on offense tonight,” Tuskegee head coach Willie Slater said. “We have a young quarterback and offense line and we put our defense in some bad situations with turnovers.”

Fort Valley led 6-0 at halftime on pair of field goals by Andre Labat.

The Wildcats scored 21 points in the third quarter to extend the lead to 27-0.

Quarterback Tyrell Jackson had two touchdown passes to Jhimarre Brown and Shemar Bridges.  B

Jackson finished 17-of-34 for 166 yards and two TDs. Bridges led the team with seven catches for 83 yards.

Senior rover Zach Anderson scored on a 60-yard fumble return.

Labat added his third field goal to cap the scoring in the fourth quarter.

VIEW GAME STATS HERE >