September 13, 2008 – ATLANTA – Quarterback Christian Sterling threw four touchdown passes, three of them to wide receiver James Steadman, as Morehouse downed the Lane College Dragons, 28-24.
The season home opener was not as close as the score suggests. After falling behind 9-0 on three Shaun Gutierrez field goals, the Maroon Tigers went on a tear, scoring four touchdowns on drives of 34, 59, 64 and 66 yards. The barrage vaulted the Maroon and White ahead 28-12, until the game’s final five minutes. The Dragons rallied late, but it was too late.
All the Morehouse scores came through the air. Sterling, who started his first game of the season, completed 23-of-32 passes for 248 yards. He allowed one interception and was sacked twice.
With his third straight superb game, Steadman continues to live up to his All-SIAC status. The senior from Savannah caught eight passes for 88 yards and three touchdowns. His second touchdown catch was a fade route into the end zone. Stretching out his full 6’-4” frame, Steadman made a diving grab of the Sterling pass over a helpless defender.
Steadman’s third touchdown was equally dramatic, mostly because of an assist from teammate Quincy Avery. With 31 ticks left in the third quarter, Steadman caught a pass over the middle at the 25-yard line and was surrounded by Dragons. A monster block by fellow receiver Avery wiped out two of the would-be tacklers and Steadman sprinted into the end zone.
Still riding the hot streak that earned him SIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, wide receiver Achille Hendje caught five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. His 37-yard TD reception was a circus catch over a Lane defender. The touchdown put Morehouse on the board and closed the gap to 9-7.
The Morehouse defense kept Lane out of the end zone, until late in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand. Eight Maroon Tigers registered at least five tackles, in the balanced defensive attack. Though sacking him only once, the Morehouse defense kept relentless pressure on Lane quarterback Sherard Ellis, making him a rusher instead of a passer.
Linebacker Earl “The Tiger” Thomas had his best game of the season, collecting nine tackles. So, too, did Mario Lane. The senior defensive tackle, who seems to draw double-team blocking on nearly every play, recorded eight tackles.
Wide receiver and kick return man Jamar Rodriguez again demonstrated his versatility. The sophomore from Houston accounted for 150 yards of offense, with three catches for 34 and four kickoff returns for 116 yards.
Running back Christian Green bounced back from a sub par game last week to rack up 53 yards on 10 carries. Green has seen limited playing time since suffering an injury in game one. He got help in the backfield from Pinckney Pernez who rushed seven times for 22 yards.
Morehouse improved to 2-1 (2-1 SIAC). Lane fell to 1-2 (1-2 SIAC).
The Maroon Tigers will travel to Birmingham next week to face the 0-2 Miles Golden Bears.
