September 18, 2004 – The Maroon Tigers captured their second straight game, Saturday, with a convincing 31-13 win over the visiting Bulls from Johnson C. Smith University.
A tough defense and a balanced pass-run attack staked the Tigers to a first quarter lead that they never relinquished.
With seemingly lots to prove, the Maroon Tigers defense held the Bulls to a modest 185 yards rushing and kept J.C. Smith quarterback Donja Goodson (7-of-19) on the run and out of the pocket all game.
Junior linebacker Lynn Freeman led the Tigers with eight tackles, including a tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery; freshman defensive back Brandon Morgan had six tackles, with two pass breakups, and DeMareo Pruitt, Armond Jackson and James Lane had five tackles each. Junior Adrian Johnson, a pre-season All-Conference selection, had two quarterback sacks, to go with a forced fumble and three unassisted tackles, two of them for losses.
The Morehouse defense has now given up only one touchdown in the last nine quarters, after surrendering 11 touchdowns in the first two games.
Despite a fumble in the first quarter that was returned for a 29-yard touchdown, junior running back John David Washington bounced back for a big game against what has become his favorite opponent.
After rushing for only 100 yards in the season’s first three games, Washington ran for 112 yards on 25 carries to more than double his season output in yardage and yards per carry. Last year in Charlotte, the 5’-10” 200-pound tailback torched the J.C. Smith defense for a Morehouse single-game record 242 yards.
Junior running back Eddie Rowe got the scoring started for the home team with a one-yard touchdown with three minutes left in the first quarter. A two-point conversion by freshman running back Kelvin Moore made the score 8-7 and the Tigers never looked back. Junior wide receiver Raymond Johnson completed the Morehouse scoring with a 29-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Duwuan Burton, who completed 14-of- 21 passing attempts for 175 yards.
Burton’s passes were evenly distributed among receivers Ravenell DuPree, Lamario Mack and Corey Russ who caught three apiece and Kelvin Moore and Kenneth Rochester, who each caught two.
The highlight of the game was an 86-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by the Maroon Tigers.
Late in the third quarter, and trailing 18-7, J.C. Smith had the Maroon Tigers backed up to their own 16 yard line. But a crushing tackle by Morehouse freshman linebacker William Johnson forced Bulls’ running back Derek Bostic to cough up the football. Senior defensive back Kenyun Pittman scooped up the ball and after advancing it a few yards alertly pitched the pigskin to freshman Brandon Morgan, who sped down the right sideline for the score. An Adam Williams extra point brought the score to 25-7.
Johnson C. Smith, which had lost big in three previous games, including an 84-3 loss to Georgia Southern, fell to 0-4 (0-2 CIAA).
The season’s first home victory evens the Morehouse record at 2-2 (1-1 SIAC) and gives them much-needed momentum for their upcoming game against Kentucky State University (3-1; 1-1 SIAC) in the Heritage Classic scheduled for Saturday in Lexington, KY.
