October 23, 2010—After leading for most of the game, the #19 ranked Maroon Tigers surrendered a go-ahead touchdown with 18 seconds remaining and lost to #8 Albany State, 13-12.

The leaping, five-yard touchdown catch, by Ronnie Childs was vehemently challenged by Morehouse players and fans who thought Childs landed out of bounds.

Game officials briefly huddled and examined a skid mark on the end line, but the call was upheld. With no challenge system or video review in Division II, the nearly 25,000 Morehouse Homecoming fans, in and around B.T. Harvey Stadium, could only ponder what-if?…

Morehouse took the lead with touchdowns in the second and third quarters, but placekicker Ian Mullen missed the extra points after each score. The misses proved to be the difference in the game.

Derrick Hector scored the first Morehouse touchdown on a six-yard pass from quarterback Byron Ingram, who was in and out of the game, with an apparent neck injury, suffered during one of six sacks.

Backup quarterback Donnay Ragland, substituting for Ingram, in the third quarter, scored the second touchdown, on a four-yard run, to put Morehouse ahead, 12-0.

Albany State, which entered the game at 7-0, scored all of its points in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Stanley Jennings scored the first ASU touchdown, on a 12-yard run, at the 12-minute mark.

The game was primarily a defensive battle, for two teams whose combined scoring average was 70 points per game. Both teams recorded season lows in total yards. Morehouse punter Ian Mullen had to boot the ball away eight times and two Albany State kickers combined for six punts.

Wide receivers Robert Darby-McNair and Derrick Hector each had six catches, for 71 and 72 yards, respectively. Darby-McNair, a senior, also had a 30 yard kickoff return.

Except for the final drive, the Morehouse defense held up its part of the equation, holding the SIAC's top-rated offense to well below its season average. The Maroon Tigers forced and recovered three fumbles and intercepted two passes, but the defense couldn't stifle the Golden Rams who went 80 yards, in 10 plays, for their final score.

Darrius Williams led the Morehouse defense, with nine tackles, a forced fumble and a 21-yard fumble return.

One glaring difference, in what was otherwise a statistical dead heat, was that Albany State enjoyed a sizeable yards-per-play advantage -- 5.7 to 3.2.
Morehouse's David Carter, the SIAC's leading rusher and last week's conference player of the week, was held to 44 yards on 22 carries.

A win over the Golden Rams would have all but assured Morehouse of the SIAC title and a trip to the playoffs. The loss drops Morehouse to 6-2 and third place in the conference behind Albany State and Fort Valley, which has won six straight games, after losing to Morehouse 47-34, on September 4.

Prior to the game, 15 seniors were celebrated for their final game at B.T. Harvey Stadium. Three senior Tigers – Turner Coggins, Robert Mitchell and Derrin Nettles – have enjoyed winning season in each of their four years at Morehouse. Not since, the span between 1921 and 1925 has Morehouse had four consecutive winning seasons.

Morehouse will travel down the block, Saturday, at 2 p.m., to face the Clark Atlanta Panthers (4-4), who lost to Tuskegee 37-10.

The Maroon Tigers, who dropped out of the AFCA Top 25 Poll, will close the season, at Miles, November 6.