October 14, 2006 – AUGUSTA, GA -- The Maroon Tigers blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and lost 24-20 to the Savannah State Tigers who wildly celebrated their first win in two years.

At the 14th CSRA Classic in Augusta, Morehouse fell to Savannah State for the fourth straight time. The last Morehouse victory against the cross-state rivals came in 1995, when Savannah State played in the SIAC, before moving to the NCAA’s Division I-AA.

After surrendering an early touchdown, Morehouse led for most of the game on the strength of two Eddie Rowe rushing touchdowns and a James Steadman touchdown reception.

Going into the fourth-quarter, the Maroon Tigers seemed to have the game on cruise control, but the wheels fell off when quarterback Ruben DuPree was sacked and fumbled with 10 minutes remaining. Savannah’s Dominic Clark, a 6’-3” 257-pound defensive lineman, recovered the fumble and rumbled 70 yards for a touchdown. That play sparked the comeback for Savannah State, which had lost five straight games by an average of 25 points.

Savannah State scored two quick touchdowns in the final minutes to seal their first win in two years. Chad Cone, a 6’-3” 230-pound running back, led the way for SSU, with 169 yards rushing on 13 carries, and two touchdowns.

Except for where it counted – the score – the visiting Maroon Tigers led in almost every statistical category, including first downs, 26-14; total yardage, 464-290; number of offensive plays, 77-50; and time of possession, 37 minutes to 23 minutes.

The Maroon Tigers had two chances to build on a 20-6 lead just before halftime, but two DuPree passes into the end zone were dropped Morehouse receivers.

The late-game collapse may have been caused by fatigue. Several Morehouse players played both ways for much of the game, including wide receiver Steadman. The versatile Steadman, who hails from Savannah, caught a 36-yard touchdown pass and played most of the game at defensive end where he made four solo tackles, forced two fumbles and recorded a sack.

In the scrambled new-look lineup, cornerback Brandon Morgan ran some plays at running back and wide receiver Achille Hendje tried his foot at kicking off, for the first time this season.

In addition to his two touchdowns and 49 yards rushing on 14 carries, Eddie Rowe saw considerable action at inside linebacker.

Kelvin Moore, who could soon be labeled “Mr. Everything,” was the Morehouse leading rusher with 51 yards on six carries. The 6’-1” 200-pound running back also punted and played inside linebacker, where he recorded three solo tackles and forced a fumble.

Quarterback Ruben DuPree connected on 25-of-38 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 46 yards, was sacked twice and threw an interception.

Jeremy Major hauled in five passes for 110 yards. His longest reception of 48 yards came in the second quarter when he made a spectacular catch on third-and-thirty. The clutch grab, at the 11-yardline, was a pinpoint strike by DuPree and helped set up Rowe’s second touchdown run. Major had two rushes for 31 yards and played cornerback, helping to hold the Savannah State receivers to a paltry 86 yards.

Losers of three straight, Morehouse fell to 2-6 (1-4 SIAC). With only three games remaining on the 2006 schedule, the loss guarantees that the Maroon Tigers will have a fifth consecutive losing season. In the last winning season, Morehouse had a record of 6-5.

The Maroon Tigers will face cross-campus rivals Clark Atlanta, Saturday, in a 7 p.m. game at Panther Stadium. CAU won last year’s match-up 27-21.