Atlanta rivalry
2015 — Morehouse 23-13
2014 — Morehouse 20-7
2013 — Clark Atlanta 21-17
2012 — Morehouse 34-16
2011 — Morehouse 30-2
2010 — Morehouse 17-7
2009 — Morehouse 24-20
2008 — Clark Atlanta 29-2
2007 — Morehouse 22-13
2006 — Clark Atlanta 24-20
Today’s games
Morehouse at Clark Atlanta, 4 p.m.
Bluefield at Reinhardt, 1:30 p.m.
Mercer at VMI, 1:30 p.m.
Kentucky State vs. Valdosta State (Waycross), 2 p.m.
Fort Valley State at Alderson Broaddus, 2 p.m.
Averett at LaGrange, 5 p.m.
Savannah State at Florida A&M, 6 p.m.
Miles at Albany State, 7 p.m.
West Georgia at North Alabama, 7 p.m.
Berry at Washington (Mo.), 7 p.m.
Georgia Southern at Arkansas State, 8 p.m.
Kivon Taylor thought he’d spend his entire college career at Connecticut.
Johnny McCrary left Vanderbilt with a degree and two years of eligibility.
The once divergent paths of the former metro Atlanta high school and FBS quarterbacks have led to the annual game between Clark Atlanta and Morehouse (Panther Stadium, 4 p.m. Saturday).
Clark Atlanta (2-2, 1-2 in the SIAC) leads the series 49-36-2, but Morehouse (2-2, 1-1) has won six of the past seven games.
“You feel the atmosphere when you wake up every morning (that week), Taylor said. “It’s a build up all week. You can feel the intensity, the pressure. You can feel the rivalry. Players walking on the promenade — we have to cross paths every day — it’s just like, ‘We’ll see you Saturday.’ It’s just that look. There ain’t much being said.”
Taylor, who played at Grady High, splits time with Monqavious Johnson (M.L. King), but received most of the snaps on the way to passing for 153 yards and rushing for 76 in the Maroon Tigers’ 31-7 loss to Miles last week.
McCrary, a former Cedar Grove star, has rotated with Dashawn Blow, but he threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 37-13 victory over Ave Maria.
McCrary, who started 12 games and threw 15 touchdown passes in two seasons at Vanderbilt, took classes at Mercer this summer and arrived at Clark Atlanta in August, after preseason practice started.
Building chemistry with his new teammates and coaches has been the toughest adjustment.
“The transition (in learning a new offense) in August wasn’t a hard one,” McCrary said. “It was mainly just to familiarize myself with the concepts and terminology (so), if I was going to be the starter, that I would be capable of leading the team in the right direction.”
McCrary saw his most extensive playing time of the season on Saturday and completed 18 passes to eight different receivers.
He threw two first-quarter touchdown passes and scored on a 1-yard run in the second as the Panthers built a 31-6 lead.
“I feel like I’m capable of that every game,” said McCrary, who is pursuing a master’s degree in school counseling. “I just have to be a little bit more intentional with the game plan and where we want to go. … We have to be one on the field.”
Taylor left UConn after coach Paul Pasqualoni was fired in 2013 and transferred to Foothill College, a junior college in Los Altos Hills, Calif., where he played in 2014 before joining Morehouse last year.
After attempting six passes in the first two games this season, Taylor has thrown for 254 yards and rushed for 121 in the past two.
“I feel like I’m getting a better grasp of the offense and a better understanding of where (the coaches) want the ball to go, each and every play,” Taylor said. “And when the play breaks down, I’m able to use my athleticism to extend the play using my legs. It’s kind of a better look for the offense.”
In the polls
West Georgia (4-0) is No. 2 in the D2Football.com poll and ranked third in the AFCA Division II poll. Reinhardt (4-0) is No. 5 in the NAIA Coaches poll and Georgia Military (4-1) is 13th in the NJCAA rankings.
