 Front Page |  Newsroom Index |
October 27, 1997
By Hal LamarA key game in black college football will take place this Saturday in Albany when Hamp Smith's undefeated Albany State juggernaut faces the Wolverines of Morris Brown College.
One might wonder why a game featuring the SIAC's number one team and its 5th place club would be such a big game. Last year, the Rams struggled but beat the Wolverines 23-3 in Atlanta.
But since Morris Brown's dramatic 32-30 come from behind win over then high flying Miles College, everybody's been raising eyebrows in their direction.
Although it seems that the team is at home providing nail biting, ulcer producing finishes to its games, the team has been on a roll since October 4th.
After the Miles upset, the Wolverines went to Savannah State and, after trailing at the half, scored 24 unanswered points in the second and won it, 24-23.
Then, against a Benedict team that had more to gain than lose, Morris Brown scored in the fourth period and successfully converted the PAT to squeak by the Ravens 7-6.
Then, against a Morehouse team that refused to quit, the Wolverines got a break on a Morehouse penalty which allowed them a second chance for a field goal which resulted in a 17-16 win.
"In the beginning of the season, we didn't get the breaks, ": said 2nd year head coach Joe Crosby. " Now we're getting them when we need them."
Albany State meanwhile is 7-0 but a review of their record indicates they won few of their games by a clear mandate. Predictably, just about everyone they faced played them extremely tough. Perhaps their toughest game this season came at the hands of CAU. The Rams were forced to come from behind to win and then survive a knuckle biting 11th hour drive by the Panthers that would have worked, save an end zone interception.
But as with Morris Brown, Albany State refused to bend to pressure. "We calmed down in the second half, we're a little more patient, " says Smith who attributes a lot of this year's success, in essentially a rebuilding year, to his defense. " Man, we got a defense that won't let nobody do nothing." But that is debatable, particularly when you review the statistics in the CAU game. The Panthers managed to accumulate 227 yards of offense against the Rams and sacked quarterback Purvis Jackson 3 times.
" We're ready for them ( Albany State), " said Crosby who also divulged that he didn't mention the game's significance until after the Morehouse win. " They know how significant the win will be."
Morris Brown has an outside shot at the title but to do that, they'd have to not only beat Albany State but also get some big help from Fort Valley which plays the Rams in their annual season finale.
There is also the strong possibility that even without the help, Morris Brown could be the conference rep in the 1st annual Pioneer Bowl December 20th. A win over the Rams would solidify their chances.
Front Page | Newsroom Index |