Howard 49, Morris Brown 15

Junior running back Jay Colbert, who rushed for a career-high 90 yards on 14 carries, set the tone for the game in Howard's first possession as the Bison put together a nice, 9-play, 93-yard drive that was culminated by a one-yard plunge by senior fullback Michael Ajayi. Colbert accounted for 26 of the yards in the drive.

The Bison defense forced the Wolverines (1-4) to punt after three downs and it did not take them long as they scored in only four plays with senior quarterback Donald Clark connecting with senior wide receiver Kevin Simmonds from 16 yards out. Junior wide receiver Shaun Miller, who holds on kick conversions, ran the ball in for the two-point conversion to put Howard up, 15-0.

Both teams were forced to punt on their next possessions. Then Howard took advantage of a short field on its subsequent possession, going 38 yards in three plays with Clark taking it in from the one-yard line to help extend the lead to 21-0 just before the end of the first quarter.

From that point, the Bison dominated both lines of scrimmage and bolted to a 35-0 halftime lead. Running behind the blocking of the offensive front led by senior center Mark Owens, Colbert and mates averaged five yards per carry on 57 rushing attempts and scored five TDs on the ground after having scored only one in the previous three games.

"I thought the offensive line did an outstanding job tonight, particularly Mark Owens," said Howard head coach Ray Petty. "We were able to move the ball and score points, something we have not been able to do the past two weeks."

Colbert scored his first TD of the season while senior Tauric Rice (11 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD) and freshman Keon Coleman (57 yards on 9 carries) also contributed to Howard 's success in controlling the clock for almost 33 minutes.

Clark provided balance to the rushing attack by completing 11 of 19 passes for 156 yards and two TDs. On a down note, he threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a score.

Clark was able to find Simmonds in the clutch. The 6-4 senior from Tallahassee, FL, who came into the game leading the MEAC in receiving, finished with five receptions for 68 yards. Shaun Miller added three catches for 50 yards and a score.

Defensively, Howard limited Morris Brown to only 152 yards of total offense including 40 net yards rushing and eight first downs.

Senior tackle Charles Woodall (4 solos, 1 assist, 2 tackles for losses), senior defensive end Anthony Hart (4 tackles,a sack) and senior linebacker Tracy White (4 tackles, an interception) combined with their mates to make life miserable for Wolverine quarterback Ralph Gordon (9 of 21 passing, 90 yards, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions) and highly-touted running back Myshy McAlpine (13 carries, 32 yards), who was coming off a career best, 185-yard performance.

"We knew that this was an important game for us after the two losses," said Woodall. "We put a lot of pressure up front. When they couldn't run the ball, they were forced to pass more than they wanted to. We never allowed them to get any offensive rhythm."

Both Morris Brown's scores came off mistakes by the Bison offense.

"We almost played a complete game," said Petty. "We have a week off to heal and prepare for a big conference game against Florida A&M (October 12 in Tallahassee, FL) in two weeks. It feels a whole lot better going into a bye week after a win."

GAME NOTES: Sophomore defensive lineman Lawrence Joseph suffered a knee injury in the first quarter and could be lost for the season…starting senior outside linebacker Keith Webber was also injured…this marks the first time that Howard has finished .500 at the end of September since the 1999 season…freshman running back Jamar Smith scored his first career TD…junior safety Vontrae Long (5 tackles) and senior safety Brian McDonald (5 tackles) are slowly regaining the form that made them one of the safety combinations in the MEAC…junior cornerback Brian Johnson, who missed most of the last two games due to injuries, had a fine game (6 tackles, a tackle for a loss).

Front Page

Football Index