September 12, 2009 – LOUISVILLE – After surrendering two fourth-quarter touchdowns in last week’s loss against Fort Valley, the Morehouse defense stepped up the pressure and bridled the Kentucky State Thorobreds, on the way to a 27-21 victory.
For the second time in three weeks, linebacker Charlie Wilson returned an interception for a touchdown. Late in the second quarter, the sophomore from Montgomery, AL picked off an errant pass and raced it 50 yards to pay dirt. The touchdown gave the Maroon Tigers a 17-7 halftime lead.
Created to expose inner-city students to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the inaugural Derby City Football Classic played to a full house at Louisville’s Central High School, located on Muhammad Ali Boulevard.
Defensive back Olajawaun Gooch led the sack pack with 2.5 quarterback takedowns. Gooch and Justin Oliver shared team-high tackles totals with nine each.
In addition to his touchdown, Wilson, DaJuan Holmes and Darren Jackson joined the sack attack, as part of a Tiger defense that corralled the Thorobreds, with 15 tackles in their backfield, including seven sacks.
Quarterback William Brack and running back David Carter accounted for the Morehouse scoring, with each running in a touchdown. Carter, who shared the SIAC Newcomer of the Week award in week one, put Morehouse on the board first, with a 6-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. The freshman from Marietta, GA rushed for 63 and caught a pass for 32 yards, to lead the Tigers in all-purpose yardage.
Brack, who completed 13-of-20 passes, for 181 yards, scored on a 1-yard run, early in the fourth quarter. The junior from Memphis spread the ball around to eight receivers. Robert Darby-McNair caught four passes for 45 yards, Tyjuan McFadden hauled in three for 36 yards and Achille Hendje pulled down two for 17 yards.
Placekicker Ian Mullen kicked field goals of 27 and 21 yards and three extra points. The junior from Long Beach is perfect on points-after-touchdowns, hitting 8-of-8 for the season and leading the team in scoring with 26 points.
Morehouse improved to 2-1 (2-1 SIAC); KSU fell to 1-2 (1-2 SIAC).
The Tigers head west to Jefferson City, MO, for a first-time matchup against Lincoln University, Saturday, at 2 p.m. CDT.
