In 2010, the year before Reginald Ruffin took over as head coach at Miles, Tuskegee defeated the Golden Bears 51-0.

But now, Ruffin and his Golden Bears are the ones laying the smack down. Miles blew open a close game at halftime and easily dispatched the Golden Tigers 52-23 on Senior Day at Sloan-Alumni Stadium. The victory clinched the SIAC Western Division crown for the Golden Bears (5-4, 4-2) for the third consecutive season and sets up another battle with Albany State next week in the league championship game.

The 52 points are the most that Miles has ever scored against Tuskegee (3-7, 2-4). The win also gave the Golden Bears their second-largest margin of victory over the Golden Tigers (behind only a 43-11 win in 2003) and marks the first time that the team has won three straight against their in-state rivals from the south.

The foreshadowing of an explosive offensive contest came early. On the game's first play from scrimmage, Tuskegee quarterback Bryson Williams broke free on a designed quarterback run and scampered 73 yards for a touchdown and an early lead. But the first time the Golden Bears touched the ball on offense, they were able to answer. Quarterback Claude Newell, III found a streaking Christopher Brown behind the Golden Tigers defense for a 75-yard score. The extra point was missed but the score was 7-6 less than 30 seconds into the contest.

Unfortunately, Tuskegee would not be able to keep up, although the Golden Tigers kept it close for a while. Donte Edwards' 1-yard scoring run put Miles on top but after an interception, Tuskegee responded with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Malik Davis to Letrevien O'Neal that gave the Golden Tigers a 14-13 lead less than a minute into the second quarter.

Miles would take the lead for good with a little help from the Golden Tigers. A bad snap led to a loose ball that trickled its way back into the end zone. By the time the ball went still, Kadarius Roberts (three tackles, sack, quarterback hurry) was on top of it for a touchdown. Edwards ran in the 2-point conversion and Miles led 21-14. A late 30-yard field goal by Arnes Huskic sent the teams to the locker room with the Golden Bears clinging to a four-point lead.

But in the second half, Miles dominated. The Golden Bears scored 31 consecutive points to make the end result a foregone conclusion. Edwards (19 carries, 114 yards) scored for the second time on a 2-yard run and Jackson Spradlin added a 21-yard field goal to help Miles to a 31-17 advantage at the end of the third quarter. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Newell (13-of-20, 225 yards) dropped a beautiful pass right into the hands of Brown (94 receiving yards) for a 19-yard score and the rout was on.

Brandon Hicks added his first career touchdown run on a 3-yard carry and Deondre Harvey (three catches, 47 yards) caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Millhouse in the fourth quarter. Tuskegee closed out the scoring on a 1-yard burst by Jerkevion Goodlow with 2:38 remaining. 

LaAnthony Robinson (104 all-purpose yards on five touches), William Hardy (seven tackles, sack), and Roosevelt Thompson (six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks) were among the big producers for Miles, which hosts the SIAC Championship Game next week against Albany State. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.