Morehouse held Clark Atlanta’s vaunted triple-option offense in check for most of the day and won 20-7 in the 86th meeting between the two rivals, on Saturday afternoon at Clark Atlanta’s Panther Stadium.
It was the second consecutive win for Morehouse, which improved to 4-1, 2-0 in the Southeastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Clark Atlanta fell to 1-3, 0-3.
Clark Atlanta won last year’s game 21-17, largely on the legs of running back Montavious Taylor, who ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns. On Saturday, the Morehouse defense held Taylor, who ranks fourth in the conference in rushing, to 75 yards on 17 carries. Clark Atlanta managed only 170 yards rushing, on 42 carries, and 217 yards total.
“We know that in football the biggest thing is being strong in the trenches,” Maroon Tigers senior defensive lineman Clarence Christian said. “That’s why we work hard in practice and in the weight room. … We know that’s where games are won, and it paid off today.”
Though the Morehouse defense ruled the day, the offense was not as impressive, failing to take full advantage of five Clark Atlanta turnovers. But the Maroon Tigers took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 1-yard run by quarterback Monqavious Johnson.
Johnson, who was off to a solid day passing, completing 8 of 16 passes for 179 yards, suffered an ankle injury in the second half and was replaced by sophomore Jordan Tarver.
Late in the third quarter, Morehouse started a drive at the Clark Atlanta 32. On the fourth play from scrimmage, running back Malik Johnson darted up the middle to score from 22 yards out to give the Maroon Tigers a 14-0 lead. Johnson led all rushers with 118 yards on 24 carries.
Morehouse coach Rich Freeman said Johnson, a sophomore, has positioned himself to give the offense another weapon besides sophomore Cameron Fields, a transfer from Division II powerhouse Grand Valley State.
“One thing we have been missing is explosiveness from the running back position,” Freeman said. “We’ve had it with Cameron Fields, but we use him in so many positions. Malik has been a pleasant surprise. He works hard to be a good student, and he’s been working hard for us, and we’re glad.”
Midway through the fourth quarter, with Clark Atlanta trailing 14-0 and looking for a spark, the Panthers attempted a fake punt on a fourth-and-2 from their own 32. But the pass from the Panthers’ up back to Jordan Dooley was off the mark.
Morehouse took over and four plays later, Johnson scored from four yards out to boost the lead to 20-0. The extra-point attempt failed.
Clark Atlanta put together its best drive of the day on the ensuing possession. The Panthers moved 72 yards in six plays. Quarterback Trenton Earl capped the march with a 25-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Matthew Daniels with a little over five minutes left in the game.
“Take nothing away from Morehouse. Coach Freeman and those guys did a great job today, and my hat is off to them,” Clark Atlanta coach Kevin Weston said. “But we have got to stop hurting ourselves. We had too many turnovers.”
