September 20, 2008 – BIRMINGHAM, AL – Linebackers Jeffrey Cargile and Earl “The Tiger” Thomas spearheaded a dominant Morehouse defense that fueled a 27-7 thrashing of the Miles Golden Bears.
The dynamic duo, the team’s two leading tacklers, combined for 18 tackles and four quarterback sacks and led the defensive charge that kept three Miles quarterbacks under relentless pressure all game long. Defensive linemen DaJuan Holmes and Mario Lane also recorded sacks and strong safety Derrick Scott picked off a Miles pass.
In their best performance of 2008, the Maroon Tiger defense held the Golden Bears to a season-low 156 yards of offense. The only Miles score came in the game’s final seconds.
Neither team showed much offense in the first half. Morehouse gained only 92 yards of offense; Miles gained 39 yards.
Morehouse got on the scoreboard first, via a safety. Facing fourth and 10 at their own 20-yard line, the Miles center sailed the football over the punter’s head and through the end zone – advantage Morehouse 2-0.
On the ensuing series, which spilled into the second quarter, the Maroon Tigers marched the ball 56 yards to pay dirt. Running back Pernez Pinckney punched it over from the 2-yard line. Lining up for the point-after kick by placekicker Micah Streiff, holder David Hart faked the placement, picked up the ball and sprinted for the end zone, diving the final few feet, for the two-point conversion. Morehouse took the 10-0 lead into the locker room.
Jamar Rodriguez got the Maroon Tigers off and running at the start of the second half, when he returned the opening kickoff 67 yards to the Miles 13 yard-line. The excellent field position led to a 41-yard field goal by Micah Streiff.
Rodriguez, whose stats in last week’s game against Lane earned him the SIAC Newcomer of the Week award, was even more effective against Miles. The speedy wide receiver/kick returner compiled 158 yards of offense and a receiving touchdown. He also caught two passes for 34 yards and collected 57 yards rushing. Averaging 8.1 yards per carry, the red-shirt sophomore from Houston was the game’s leading rusher.
Quarterback Christian Sterling went the distance for Morehouse, completing 21-of-35 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. Keeping the Miles defense constantly off balance, Sterling spread the ball around to eight different receivers. His only blemish was an inconsequential interception in the fourth quarter.
Quincy Avery led the receiving corps, catching five passes for 52 yards. Achille Hendje caught four passes for 18 yards. Tyjuan McFadden grabbed three passes for 37 yards and James Steadman hauled in three passes for 23 yards.
Running back Pernez Pinckney rushed the ball nine times for only eight yards, but the junior from East Point, GA made those opportunities count, scoring two touchdowns.
The offensive line had one of its best showings of 2008, helping the running backs combine for 100 yards rushing for the first time this season, while allowing no sacks.
Morehouse moved to 3-1; Miles fell to 0-3.
The Maroon Tigers will travel to Los Angeles next week to take on Prairie View A&M University of the Southwest Athletic Conference in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The game time will be played Saturday, 2:30 p.m. (PDT) and will be broadcast by Fox Sports via tape delay as follows:
FSN South – Saturday, September 27 at 11 p.m. ET.
SportSouth – Tuesday, September 30 at 7 p.m. ET
Below are the local channels:
Comcast – 48 (FSNS), 53 (SPSO)
Dish – 420 (FSNS), 437 (SPSO)
DirecTV – 646 (FSNS), 649 (SPSO)
For more information on that game, visit www.angelcityclassic.com.
