Morehouse 24, Bowie State 17

The Bulldogs dominated the Maroon Tigers in time of possession, controlling the ball for over 36 minutes, but the defense gave up two scoring drives that lasted just over a minute each and the Bulldogs went down to the 24-17 defeat.

Down 24-17, the Bulldogs (3-2) got the ball on their own 31 with 3:43 left to play. They got as far as the Maroon Tigers 26-yard line, but a quarterback scramble for a yard and three-consecutive incompletions ended any hopes for a comeback.

The win was the third in as many years for the Maroon Tigers over the Bulldogs, as they improved to 3-2 on the year.

The tone for the game was set on the Maroon Tigers' opening drive when quarterback Adam Lamb found a wide-open Kenneth Rodgers for a 58-yard gain down to the Bulldogs' nine on the first play from scrimmage. Three plays later, the Lamb-Rodgers connection struck for paydirt, putting the Bulldogs in an early 7-0 hole.

The Bulldogs defense, which came in ranked as the nation's sixth-best, looked just ordinary at times, surrendering 358 yards of total offense. The Maroon Tiger defense did just enough to keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone while giving up 332 yards to the Bulldogs.

Rodgers was Lamb's favorite receiver, grabbing five passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Lamb cut into the Bulldogs' defense by completing 11 of 21 attempts for 195 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

In the 2002 season, the Bulldogs have hurt themselves with big penalties in critical situations and Saturday was no exception. Offensively, a 40-yard touchdown pass to James Johnson was called back because of a holding penalty early in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, a roughing the passer penalty on an incomplete pass on third down extended the Maroon Tigers drive, eventually resulting in a 37-yard field goal that gave them a 24-17 lead with 8:38 to play.

After the Maroon Tigers first score, the Bulldogs tied the score on a 12-yard pass from Maurice Hill to Darnell Jeffries then took a 10-7 lead on freshmen Mehmet Hazar's 27-yard field goal with 13:45 left in the first half. Lamb and Rodgers hooked up for a 31-yard touchdown pass with 3:21 left in the half, but the Bulldogs saw a chance to close the gap to 14-13, fall by the wayside when Hazar's 38-yard attempt fell short as time expired.

Starting the third quarter, the Bulldogs ran seven times in a nine-play drive that covered 65 yards, with Julius Jordan cruising in from five yards out behind a punishing block from fellow running back Caleb Cranke.

Jordan or Cranke could have easily rushed for over 100 yards if one had gotten the majority of the carries. They split the load, however, with Jordan gaining 73 yards on 17 carries and Cranke rushing for 71 yards on 15 carries.

Leading all rushers was the Maroon Tigers' John Washington, who pounded the Bulldogs' line for 109 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. His use was interesting, to say the least, as he did not enter the game until the second quarter and did not return after scoring the game-winning touchdown on a three-yard run with 1:25 left in the third quarter.

It was a decent day for young Bulldogs' quarterback Hill. He went 16-36 for 182 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He looked poised in the pocket and was able to make good throws on the run when forced to scramble. Mike Bryant and Jeffries each had four receptions, Johnson had three and five other receivers had one each.

The Bulldogs return home this Saturday to take on Virginia Union University in a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Eastern Division matchup, beginning at 1 p.m.

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