CHICAGO, Ill. — All it took was a big stage and an NFL facility for head coach
Terance Mathis to lead
Morehouse to their first victory of the season. For the former NFL wide receiver and first year head coach, this was his first victory in his collegiate coaching career. The Morehouse Maroon Tigers took on the
Kentucky State Thorobreds at Soldier Field in the XXVI Chicago Football Classic.
Kentucky State took the ball down the field after a touchback on the opening kickoff, going 75 yards, in five plays, for the score. Morehouse quickly answered, with a three play drive.
Miles Scott hit
Ajani Williams on the first offensive play, covering 41 yards to the Thorobreds 37-yard line. The next play saw Williams connect with
Brogan Korta, where he was tackled at the KSU one-yard line. Williams used a quarterback sneak to secure the score from one yard out. The Maroon Tigers converted the 2-point play with a pass from Kaiden Beler to
Maurice Veney, setting the score 8-7 in favor of the Maroon Tigers. The first quarter would end without any additional scoring.
The Thorobreds would drive to open the 2nd quarter with a scoring possession, covering 71 yards in seven plays, and use 3:54 of the clock to regain the lead at 14-8. The Maroon Tigers would wait until the end of the half to answer. Morehouse would travel 80 yards in just four plays and 43 seconds, to retake the lead, with quarterback
Miles Scott going 4 for 4 on the drive. Morehouse, taking possession with 00:46 remaining in the half, would open with Miles completing a pass to Williams for 25 yards, and Williams stepping out-of-bounds to stop the clock. Scott would complete a pass to
Kamrin Brunson for 13 yards and a first down. Scott then connected with
Donovan Logan on the sideline for 17 yards. After a Kentucky State defensive timeout, Scott found pay-dirt with a strike to Brunson for the 25-yard touchdown pass, leaving just 00:03 on the clock (
Khasen Kirkland PAT). The Maroon Tigers would own a 15-14 lead at the intermission.
To open the 2nd half, Morehouse would turn the ball over via an interception, followed by a punt. Following the Morehouse punt, Kentucky State would drive 78 yards, using 5:27, over nine plays, scoring a touchdown, giving the Thorobreds a 21-15 lead.
In the 4th quarter, Morehouse would take possession with 11:36 remaining, and march the ball down the field. The key play was a Scott to Williams pass, covering 40 yards, setting the Maroon Tigers up in the KSU red zone. The Thorobred defense would hold, limiting the Maroon Tigers to a 33-yard field goal by Kirkland, cutting the deficit to 21-18.
After the Maroon Tiger defense would force a three-and-out, the Morehouse offense would turn the ball over for the third time on the day. Kentucky State would attempt to put the icing on the cake, scoring off of the turnover. KSU would go 65 yards in 1:43 to take a 10-point lead with 3:55 to play.
Morehouse would keep themselves in the game, putting together a four-play, 52-yard drive, using only 1:50, to cut the score to 28-25. Scott would rush for 31 yards on the drive, and complete a pass to Williams for 22 yards, for the score (Kirkland kick).
With 1:55 remaining, Morehouse would attempt an on-side kick but would not recover. The defense would hold, forcing a three-and-out. Needing a field goal to tie, the Maroon Tigers would take possession at the Kentucky State 20-yard line with 1:26 remaining in regulation and zero timeouts.
After a first down incompletion, Scott would complete the next two passes to Williams and then a third to Brunson. A roughing the passer penalty would set the Maroon Tigers, just outside field goal range, at the Kentucky State 37-yard line. After two unsuccessful downs, Scott would scramble 13 yards for a 1st down. After clocking the ball, Scott would hit
Maurice Veney for a 24-yard game-winning touchdown pass (PAT failed) with just 10 seconds remaining in the game.
On the day,
Miles Scott was 21/38, with three interceptions, 369 passing yards, tossed three touchdown passes, ran for an additional touchdown, and added 53 yards on the ground.
Ajani Williams led the team with five catches for 144 yards and a touchdown.
Kamrin Brunson had five receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Maurice Veney added four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. As a team, the Maroon Tiger offense totaled 451 yards.
Sean Johnson anchored the Maroon Tiger defense with 12 tackles, including 2.5 tackles-for-loss.
Ronald Davis III had seven tackles, including a tackle-for-loss.
Tyrese Stanley also had seven tackles.
The Maroon Tigers return to B.T. Harvey Stadium on Saturday as they face the Benedict Tigers. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. For up-to-date athletic information on the Maroon Tigers, follow them on social media or online at
www.morehouseathletics.com.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.