September 15, 2007 – SELMA, AL – Morehouse scored early and often, en route to a 42-16 rout of Concordia College. At 4-1, the Maroon Tigers are having the best season start since 1930, when the team started at 5-0, on the way to a 9-1 season.
The 26-point margin of victory marked the biggest Morehouse win since 2002, also the last time the Maroon Tigers amassed a three-game win streak.
Scoring by pass, rush, fumble recovery and kickoff return, the Maroon Tigers overwhelmed the 1-4 Hornets. Morehouse out-gained Concordia in yardage 408-140 and in yards-per-play by a margin 3 yards.
Reserve running back Christian Green recorded two touchdown and 63 yards rushing in his first start in the Morehouse backfield. Green, a cornerback-turned-running back filled in for starter Kelvin Moore who was injured in last week’s win over Shaw. Moore has recovered but was held out of the game. Green, a junior from Gardena, CA also caught a 13-yard pass and returned a kickoff for 22 yards.
Quarterback Christian Sterling capitalized on his first start at Morehouse, connecting on 18-of-28 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. His longest completion was a 43-yarder to Achille Hendje, on a third-and-seven play late in the third quarter.
Sharing the running back duties, Myericks Thompson joined the scoring party, with his first touchdown as a Maroon Tiger. The sophomore running back from Athens, GA. plowed one in from the two-yard line early in the fourth quarter to cap the Morehouse scoring. Thompson led Morehouse in rushing with 68 yards on 10 carries and caught two passes for 27 yards.
Morehouse scored on two big plays to take the sting out of the Hornets. Midway through the first quarter, kick returner Brandon Morgan shed several would-be tacklers and returned a Concordia kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter, DeJuan Payne ripped the football from the arms of a Concordia running back and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown.
Wide receiver Quincy Avery led Morehouse in receiving with five catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. Wendell Olden caught five passes for 38 yards and Hendje caught two passes for 54 yards.
In the best offensive performance this season, the Maroon Tigers scored on 3-of-4 chances inside the red zone and converted 6-of-13 third-down opportunities and 2-of-3 fourth-down opportunities. Punter Micah Streiff punted only once, compared to five punts by his Concordia counterpart. The offensive line gave up no sacks and gave Sterling ample time to avoid an interception.
Linebacker Earl Thomas led a swarming Morehouse defense that sacked the quarterback three times and recorded 11 tackles for loss. The junior from Houston, TX recorded 10 tackles, to lead all Maroon Tigers.
Linebacker Eric Shelton spent a considerable amount of time in the Concordia backfield. The sophomore from Atlanta made three of his seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage and recorded a sack.
Jeffrey Cargile, the team’s leading tackler also had a big day defensively, with eight tackles.
Morehouse will have a bye this Saturday, before taking on the Golden Tigers in the 72nd Annual Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic in Columbus, GA, at 2 p.m., October 6.
