September 30, 2006 – LOS ANGELES – Whether suffering jet lag or mesmerized by the cavernous Coliseum, the normally high-powered Morehouse offense grounded to a halt at the Silver Dollar Classic and the Maroon Tigers fell to the Alcorn State Braves 23-6.
Not even quarterback Ruben DuPree could rally the troops against Alcorn State of the Southwest Athletic Conference. Recently dubbed “Air DuPree,” Ruben had another big game, passing for 257 yards on 23-of-36 attempts. But he was intercepted twice and sacked six times and the team rushed for a season-low 18 yards.
After trailing 7-0 at the half, and 16-0 after three quarters, Morehouse staged a brief comeback in the fourth quarter. A one-yard plunge by running back Kelvin Moore cut the deficit to 16-6. The two-point conversion failed when tight-end Ernest Everett dropped a wide open pass in the back of the end zone.
On the ensuing Morehouse possession, the Tiger drove the ball 60 yards to the Alcorn 26, and seemed headed for a touchdown. On first and 10, DuPree connected with Achille Hendje who hauled in the ball cleanly on the right flat. But for no apparent reason and without being touched, the sophomore wide receiver stumbled and fumbled at the three-yard line and Alcorn State recovered.
With a dispirited Morehouse defense on its heels, the Braves struck quickly for a final touchdown and the announced crowd of 10,000 began to exit the 97,000-seat coliseum.
Staged for the first time in Los Angeles, the Classic featured a college recruiting fair, a battle of the bands and a Snoop Dogg Youth League pee-wee football game.
Classic officials announced the game attendance as just over 10,000, but observers estimated the attendance at closer to 25,000.
Newcomer Myerick Thompson led Morehouse in rushing with 34 yards on three carries. Eddie Rowe, coming off an injury that kept him out of the last two games, rushed for 19 yards on seven carries.
Robert Harris led the Morehouse defense with eight tackles and two interceptions that he returned for a total of 35 yards. Derrick Scott also collected eight tackles.
Morehouse will travel to Columbus, Ga. on Saturday to play Tuskegee in the 71st Annual Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic, at 2 p.m.
