MIAMI, Fla. —
Edward Waters made a valiant effort for a comeback victory in the Big Cat Classic but ultimately fell 31-21 for its third consecutive loss to Florida Memorial.
The Tigers, who found themselves down 24-0 early in the third quarter, scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to bring the score to 24-21 with 8:46 left in the game. But the Lions, who controlled the ground game all day, rattled off a 12-play, 65-yard drive that used 6:05 of the game clock and resulted in a 7-yard touchdown run.
EWU had only four first downs at the half, and the team's first six drives resulted in five punts and one interception.
In the second half, junior quarterback and Miami native
Keith Moore stepped in for the Tigers and led them on three consecutive touchdown drives.
Moore had a huge momentum burst as
Brady Tillman returned a FMU kickoff 64 yards into the Lions' territory. Moore would then run the ball in himself from 17 yards out to bring the score to 24-7. After the EWU defense settled in and forced a FMU three and out, the Tigers' next drive was sparked by a 55-yard punt return from junior
Johnny Jones.
After the Jones' punt return got Edward Waters into excellent field position, Moore found tight end
Fatoma Paulk in the middle of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
With Florida Memorial leading 24-14 and the fourth quarter starting, Edward Waters needed every second of the game clock to tick in their favor. The Tigers used a brilliant 11-play drive that resulted in a
Raveon Moore 2-yard touchdown run.
The Lions would use the majority of the final quarter to put the game out of reach for the Tigers and secure the home victory.
Moore finished with 50 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception. Moore also added 33 rushing yards and another score on the ground.
Brady Tillman paced the Tigers with 56 yards rushing on just eight attempts.
Fatoma Paulk led EWU with 51 yards on four catches and one touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball,
Stephan French,
Jonathan Nesbitt and
Javon Miller completed the game with six tackles a piece.
Ahmarion Moultrie and
Enrique Randolph chipped in four tackles apiece.
The Tigers will continue their early-season road quest with a trip to Mississippi for a non-conference game against Alcorn State University on Saturday, Sept.14, at Spinks-Casem Stadium.
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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
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