COLUMBUS, GA - Morehouse suffered a tough 21-10 loss to Tuskegee in the 84th Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic at A.J. Mcclung Memorial stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Maroon Tigers fall to (2-4, 0-2 SIAC) while the Golden Tigers rise to (2-4, 2-1 SIAC).

In the first quarter, the Golden Tiger's offense wasted no time putting points on the board. Quarterback Ahmad DeRamus's first pass of the game went 22-yard to receiver Steven Hodges. Runs by running back Taurean Taylor and DeRamus helped put Tuskegee's offense at Morehouse's 13-yard-line before a delay of game penalty pushed them back to the 18-yard-line. Defensive lineman Demetrice Lofton (Fairburn, GA) committed a roughing the passer penalty that turned an incompletion on 3^rd and 11 into a Golden Tiger's first down. With three attempts at the endzone, DeRamus threw his first touchdown of the season to receiver Peyton Ramzy to give the Golden Tiger's an early 7-0 lead.

On Morehouse's first offensive possession, quarterback Michael Sims (Detroit, MI) threw a 9-yard pass to receiver Albert Connel (Houston, TX) on a 2^nd and 9 to give the Maroon Tiger's a first down. The offense would not pick up another first down, as Sims completed a pass to Santo Dunn (Miami, Fla.) on a 3^rd and 9 that resulted on in a 1-yard loss.

The Maroon Tiger's defense was stout on the next drive, as the Golden Tiger's offense only picked up one first down. This drive ended after Deramus threw an incompletion to receiver Devarens Valcin on a 3^rd and 17. On Morehouse's next offensive possession, quarterback Jalen Brown (Stamford, Ct.) fumbled on first down and recovered the ball at Morehouse's 23-yard-line. The offense couldn't recover as they didn't pick up a single first down on this drive.

At the end of the first quarter, Sims threw a 15-yard pass to receiver Tremell Gooden (Fairburn, Ga) to put the offense at Tuskegee's 43-yard-line. The offense continued their momentum into the second quarter as Gooden and running back Frank Bailey (Atlanta, Ga.) were the focal points of this drive. Bailey had 32-yards rushing on this drive, and his 10-yard rushing touchdown helped Morehouse tie the game at 7-7.

Tuskegee responded to Morehouse's touchdown with a 11-play, 74-yard drive. The Maroon Tiger's defense had a chance to end the Golden Tiger's drive on a 4^th and 1 at Tuskegee's 48-yard-line but running back Eric Bright Jr. rushed 2-yards and picked up the first down before he was tackled by Morehouse linebacker KJ Phillips (McDonough, GA). The Golden Tigers continued their drive and quarterback Jamarcus Ezell capped it off with a 1-yard touchdown on a 3^rd and goal, giving Tuskegee a 14-7 lead.

Two penalties in the redzone on Morehouse's next drive cost the offense an opportunity to tie the game. After Sims completed a 2-yard pass on 2^nd and goal to receiver Kory Fleming (Clarksburg, MD) at Tuskegee's 2-yard-line, Morehouse was called for a personal foul that pushed the offense back 14 yards and nullified the play. On the next play, Sims completed a 16-yard pass, but the play was nullified after a holding penalty that pushed the offense back 10 more yards. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty helped Morehouse continue their drive, but the offense was still unable to reach the endzone and had to settle for a field goal that cut the deficit to 14-10 heading into halftime.

On their first possession of the second half, the Maroon Tigers were able to move the ball on Tuskegee's defense. On a 2^nd and 3, Sims threw a 19-yard pass to Gooden that put the Maroon Tiger's at Tuskegee's 23-yard-line. After a 3-yard loss on a run by Dunn on 2^nd and 8, Sims threw an interception to Tuskegee's Necolby Maxwell.

Morehouse's defense got the ball right back to their offense without giving up any points, despite Tuskegee's lengthy 10-play, 75-yard drive that took over five minutes off the clock. The Golden Tiger's got three first downs on this drive, and just when it looked like they were going to get another one, linebacker Jonathan Mathis stopped DeRamus short on a 4^th and 1 run.

To open the fourth quarter, Tuskegee continued their trend of long drives with a 9-play drive that took 3:59 off the clock. DeRamus completed passes to four different receivers on this drive. Defensive tackle Marquis Deweert (Bellevue, WA) sacked DeRamus on a 2^nd and 15, but the play was erased after a face mask penalty was called on Deweert. This play allowed DeRamus to complete a 7-yard pass to receiver Ronald Cooper and a 5-yard pass to Ramzy for a touchdown that increased the Golden Tiger's lead to 21-10.

The Maroon Tiger's offense had one more chance to cut Tuskegee's lead to one score, but kicker Fernando Sdelamore (Fairburn, GA) missed a 41-yard kick wide left with 6:55 left in the game. The offense didn't see the ball again until 3:08 was left in the game. Sims was able to lead the Maroon Tiger's offense to Tuskegee's 37-yard-line, but he was intercepted again by Necobly Maxwell on a 3^rd and 9 with 0:18 left in the game.

Offensively, the Maroon Tigers were led by Bailey and Sims. Sims had 141 passing yards and 16 rushing yards. Bailey had 99-yards rushing.

Defensively, Mathis led the team with 11 total tackles and was named the Morehouse's classic MVP. Phillips had 10 tackles and defensive back Edward Nelson (Chester, PA) had 9 tackles.

Next week, the Maroon Tigers will travel to Fort Valley, Georgia on October 19^th to take on the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University. Kick-off is set for 2 P.M. E.T.