Atlanta, GA-The Morehouse Maroon Tigers (3-5) put on an offensive clinic for its homecoming and defeated the Benedict Tigers (0-7) 34-13 on Saturday in a SIAC football matchup. The lopsided score was not forecasted because the last 3 games between these 2 schools were decided by 4 points or less. Morehouse was motivated to rebound from last week’s 37-21 loss to Fort Valley State. Morehouse head coach Mike White had 2 offensive weapons that were expected to carry a heavy load for the Maroon Tigers. Running back Santo Dunn was the 2018 SIAC offensive player of the year and Michael Sims was the preseason pick for conference quarterback of the year. Benedict’s head coach Mike White led a motivated team seeking its first win.
Morehouse dominated the first half with big plays and a ball control offense. Their first scoring drive went 80 yards on 11 plays. Quarterback Michael Sims threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Albert Connel. In the second quarter, Morehouse’s Frank Bailey had an electrifying 69-yard run and was tackled on 1-yard line. On the next play, Bailey plowed into the end zone to give Morehouse a 14-0 lead. Later, Sims threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Gichaba. Benedict simply could not extend drives. Except for a 45-yard missed field goal, Benedict punted on every possession in the first half. Morehouse entered halftime leading 22-0.
The halftime show was electric. For most HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), halftime is showtime. On this day, the school spirit and energy were infectious. Mahogany N Motion, the official dance team of Spelman College and the Morehouse College House of Funk Band lived up to expectations and entertained the fans.
In the second half, Benedict was competitive and cut the lead to 22-13 with 9:33 remaining in the contest. Benedict’s quarterback Eric Phoenix threw 2 touchdown passes (11-yard pass to Raylen Elzy and a 50-yard pass to Elijah Watson). Morehouse just simply had too much offensive firepower. Quarterback Sims threw another touchdown to Tremell Gooden and Santo Dunn finished off a 28-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge into the endzone. The final score was 34-13. Benedict’s Mike White summed up the game, “I thought we had nothing. I know offensively sometimes we start slow, but I thought defensively we came out flat, also.”
