October 18, 2008 – ATLANTA – Morehouse suffered its worst loss in four years, losing to cross-campus rival Clark Atlanta 29-2, at Panther Stadium.
The Maroon Tigers got little going offensively, gaining only 202 yards on 73 offensive plays. Four Morehouse rushers gained a total of 10 yards on the ground and the usually high-powered passing attack netted 192 yards, well below the season average of 243 yards.
Morehouse, which has lost three straight, moved to 3-4 (3-3 SIAC) and falls into sixth place in the SIAC. Clark Atlanta improved to 5-3 (4-2 SIAC) and takes sole possession of third place. Before the game, Morehouse, Benedict, Clark Atlanta and Fort Valley were tied for third place. Morehouse’s most recent lopsided loss was to Tuskegee 56-8, in 2004.
The only Morehouse score came on a safety midway through the third quarter, when linebacker Ty Huff burst through the middle and tackled the CAU running back in the end zone.
One of the few bright spots for Morehouse was the play of the special teams. Except for the 90-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown at the start of the second half, the Maroon Tigers held CAU in check and continued to excel in special teams play.
Morehouse leads the conference in kickoff coverage and punter Micah Streiff and returner Jamar Rodriguez are at the top of the heap in their respective areas.
Rodriguez, a redshirt sophomore from Houston, TX, compiled 146 yards in kickoff yardage, including returns of 44 and 55 yards. He also caught two passes for 20 yards, adding to his conference-leading average of 140.4 all-purpose yards per game.
Streiff punted six times for a 37.3-yard average. He is second in the SIAC in that category.
Achille Hendje led all Morehouse receivers with six catches for 71 yards. Quincy Avery caught four passes for 17 yards and Tyjuan McFadden and James Steadman caught two passes each.
Quarterback Christian Sterling connected on 13-of-31 passes, but threw two interceptions and was sacked four times. He was substituted for in the fourth quarter by DaJuan Thigpen who completed 5-of-9 passes for 34 yards.
Linebacker Brandon Cunningham led the defense, which forced and recovered four fumbles. Cunningham, a senior from Decatur, recorded eight tackles and forced two fumbles. He returned one of those fumbles for 22 yards.
Morehouse was without the services of two key players – offensive lineman Darius Raines and defensive tackle Mario Lane – both out with shoulder injuries. Both are expected to play on Saturday.
Morehouse will play the Golden Rams of Albany State, for the Homecoming game, Saturday, at 2 p.m. Albany State, which lost to Tuskegee, 33-20, on Saturday, is in second place in the SIAC, with a record of 5-2 (4-2 SIAC).
