ATLANTA, Ga. – Morehouse's David Carter scored on an 11-yard run with 19 seconds left in the game to dash Benedict College's upset bid and lift the Maroon Tigers to a 37-31 victory over the Tigers in an SIAC East Division clash Saturday.
In a back-and-forth battle, the Tigers took a 31-29 lead with 3:53 left to play when Justin Shaw forced a fumble by Thomas Williams and scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 73 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
Derrick Hector returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to the Benedict 48-yard line. Then, facing a fourth-and-six at the Benedict 32-yard line, Morehouse quarterback Byron Ingram completed a seven-yard pass to Hector. With the Maroon Tigers facing another critical third-and-13 at the 28, Ingram rushed for a 17-yard pickup on the quarterback keeper. A pair of incomplete passes saw the Maroon Tigers facing another third down and the clock winding down. The Maroon Tigers opted for a running play, apparently trying to set up for a potential game-winning field goal, but instead Carter scooted around the corner and made his way into the right corner of the end zone.
“It's a hard one to take,” said Benedict interim head coach James Woody. “We should have won the football game. We didn't make the plays down the stretch and that cost us.”
Benedict drops to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the SIAC. Morehouse improves to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the SIAC.
Quarterback Johnny Carson completed 17-of-35 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown. He also had two interceptions. Emmanuel Houston had four receptions for 80 yards, including a 26-yard scoring strike that cut Morehouse's lead to 26-25 with 8:28 left in the third quarter. Tyquan Bazemore led the Tigers with 51 yards rushing with one touchdown and also had four catches for 28 yards.
Benedict's defense had a big day, forcing two Morehouse fumbles and recording two interceptions. The Tiger defense scored on Shaw's fumble return and a 15-yard interception return by Jeremy Vaughn. Vaughn also picked up a fumble by the Morehouse kicker after a bad snap on an extra point, and returned it the length of the field for a two-point defensive PAT.
“I'm proud of these guys. They didn't give up,” Woody said. “We had some mistakes and didn't execute in the red zone a few times.”
Morehouse took an early 7-0 lead, but then the Tigers tied the game on a 3-yard touchdown run by Bazemore.
Benedict took its first lead after Anthony Davis forced a fumble and returned it to the Morehouse 3-yard line. The Tigers couldn't find the end zone, and Andy Polanco kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead.
Vaughn's 15-yard interception return for a touchdown with 10:18 left in the second quarter put the Tigers ahead 16-7, but the momentum was short lived. The Maroon Tigers got a 63-yard kickoff return down to the 5-yard line, where David Carter punched it in to make it 16-14.
Morehouse's Brandon Houston intercepted a Carson pass to set up the Maroon Tigers' next score, a four-yard run by Carter.
Ingram completed a 2-yard pass to Khamarr Smith for a Morehouse touchdown, but Vaughn returned the PAT fumble back to make the score 26-18 at the half.
The Tigers went on a 77-yard drive in the third quarter, highlighted by the 26-yard pass from Carson to Houston on fourth down for a touchdown to make the score 26-25.
Another interception by Carson late in the third quarter led to another drive by the Maroon Tigers. Morehouse had a first-and-goal at the 7-yard line, but the Benedict defense held firm and the Maroon Tigers settled for a 23-yard field goal and a 29-25 lead with 22 seconds left in the third quarter.
On Benedict's next possession, the Tigers moved to the Morehouse 10-yard line, before going backwards on a sack and a 20-yard intentional grounding penalty, which forced Benedict to punt. The Maroon Tigers started the ensuing drive at their own 9-yard line and moved all the way to the Benedict 25-yard line, where Shaw forced the fumble and returned it for a touchdown and the lead, stunning the large Homecoming crowd at Morehouse.
Carter, the SIAC's top rusher, finished with 112 yards and three touchdowns for the Maroon Tigers. Ingram completed 12-of-25 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Jamaa Massaline led the Benedict defense with 13 tackles. Davis had 12 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Benedict is on the road again next week, traveling to face Albany State at 2 p.m.
Boxscore
