Game of the Week: Tuskegee 42 Morehouse 27
The Golden Tiger defense produced the big plays en route to a 42-27 victory in the 73rd Skegee/Morehouse Class in Columbus, GA on Saturday. The victory was the 22nd in a row for the Golden Tigers, the No.1 ranked team in black college football. The defense scored two touchdowns in three seconds that put the game away early in the fourth quarter.
Columbus, GA
Boxscore
Morehouse led 14-7 at the half, marking the Golden Tigers’ biggest deficit of the season and just the second time they have trailed. Morehouse got its 14-7 lead courtesy of a nine-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Christian Sterling to James Steadman that was setup by a 66-yard kickoff return, and a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by Randall Ward. After Atkinson threw a 27-yard TD pass to Jonathan Lessa on the game’s opening possession to make the score 14-7 going into the half.
Tuskegee went ahead 21-14 in the third period after John Pascley scored from 3 yards out and when Antoine Mitchell caught a 62 yard bomb from Atkinson, and the defensive unit, which held Morehouse to just 182 total yards, sealed the victory with a pair of touchdowns in three seconds in the fourth quarter.
Cornerback Justin Hannah returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown with 11:44 remaining and Linebacker David Newman picked up a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and rumbled 18 yards for another score that broke Morehouse’s back and put the Golden Tigers up 35-14.
Morehouse would score later when Christain Sterling hit Jamar Rodriguez for an 11 yard touchdown. Tuskegee would answer with a six play drive that eneded with Stephen Freeman leaping over the pile for a seven yard touchdown run to put the score at 42-21. Morehouse would score the final points of the game when Achille Hendje caught an eight yard touchdown pass from Sterling to put the score at its final mark, 42-27.
The TU defense forced a total of five turnovers in the game and the Golden Tigers never panicked and dominated the game statistically from start to finish, if not on the scoreboard.
The Morehouse defense harassed Golden Tiger quarterback Jacary Atkinson all afternoon, blitzing him at every turn. The Maroon Tigers registered six sacks and intercepted Atkinson twice.
Atkinson still completed 13 of 25 attempts for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Atkinson added 69 more yards rushing, but failed to produce the big-play runs that have become his trademark. The Golden Tigers’ defense took up his slack, however.
Morehouse dropped to 3-3 overall and 3-2 in the conference and will face their across the street rival Clark Atlanta on CAU’s campus at 2:00 pm.
The victory improved the Golden Tigers’ record to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the SIAC and will face Albany State in what has become known as the SIAC Championship game, with this game deciding who will be the SIAC champion over the past ten years. The game will be played in Tuskegee, AL at 1:00 pm CST.