Morehouse nips Tuskegee 30-28 at Cramton Bowl
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) – Morehouse College came from behind to beat archrival Tuskegee 30-28 in the 90th Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic at Cramton Bowl last night.
The Maroon Tigers missed two field goal attempts, botched a two-point conversion, and had two turnovers, one that set up the go-ahead touchdown for the Golden Tigers in the fourth quarter.
Despite the miscues, Morehouse found a way to beat Tuskegee for the second straight year, something that had not happened in more than 30 years.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Morehouse head coach Brad Sherrod said. “It wasn’t pretty. We handled adversity and kept plugging away. I am proud of the way we fought and played.”
The adversity was not limited to the field of play.
Sherrod had his own adversity as his father-in-law Ellison Clinton passed away on Saturday morning in North Carolina.
“This game was heavy on my heart,” an emotional Sherrod said after the game. “My father-in-law passed away this morning and wife is back with her family in North Carolina. So, its been a tough day.”
Sherrod said he didn’t share the news of his father-in-law’s death until after the game with his players.
In the fourth quarter, Morehouse held the ball for nearly seven minutes but punted back to Tuskegee with 57 seconds left. Tuskegee converted a fourth-and-20 from its own 10-yard line to keep their hopes alive.
Tuskegee fired an incomplete pass on third-and-10 from its own 43-yard line, but a roughing the passer penalty on Cai’leb Dias moved the ball to the Morehouse 42-yard line. After a Morehouse timeout with one second left, Tuskegee kicker Lorcan Smith’s 59-yard field goal fell short and Morehouse celebrated the win.
“That was a tough pill to swallow,” Tuskegee assistant head coach Keith Higdon said following the game. “It was a hard-fought battle and the turnovers hurt us, but we still had a shot at the end.”
Higdon filled in at the postgame press conference after Tuskegee head coach Aaron James declined his turn at the podium.
Tuskegee running back Ja’Kheal Rowser led the Golden Tigers’ rushing attack with 12 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
