Atlanta, GA - On a day that Morehouse recognized 16 seniors the Maroon Tiger offense scored early and often, as the entire unit scored five touchdowns in a nail-biting 40-39 win over Clark Atlanta at B.T. Harvey Stadium on a chilly Saturday afternoon.

The Maroon Tigers close out 2019 (4-6, 2-4 SIAC) while Clark Atlanta fell to (0-10, 0-6 SIAC)

In the first quarter, the Panthers and the Maroon Tigers engaged in an offensive shootout. Morehouse quarterback Michael Sims' (Detroit, MI) third pass of the game was intercepted by Clark Atlanta linebacker Joseph Culpepper on a 2^nd and 4 at CAU's 40-yard-line. Panthers quarterback Charles Stafford led their offense on an 8-play, 59 yard drive. On 2^nd and 10 from Morehouse's 35-yard-line, Stafford completed a 17-yard pass to receiver Trey Wilson that put CAU's offense at Morehouse's 18-yard-line. Stafford capped the drive off with a 7-yard touchdown pass on first and goal at Morehouse's 7-yard-line to receiver Jonathan Sanders that gave Clark Atlanta an early 7-0 lead.

The Maroon Tigers responded to the Panthers on their second offensive possession of the game with a 11-play, 71-yard scoring drive. Running back Santo Dunn (Miami, Fla.) had 60 yards rushing on this drive, with a drive-saving 27-yard run that took the offense to CAU's 15-yard-line on a 4^th and 3 at the Panthers 42-yard-line. Dunn capped this drive off with a 4-yard rushing touchdown on 1^st and goal from CAU's 4-yard-line that tied the score at 7-7.

On the next drive, the Panthers' offense drove down the field to Morehouse's 1-yard-line before being stopped by the Maroon Tigers' stout defense. Running back Darius Blackmon was tackled on a 3^rd and goal by defensive tackle Marquis Deweert (Bellevue, WA), which led to a 20-yard field goal to by Fernando Lobon that gave the Panthers a 10-7 lead. On the next drive, Morehouse took a 14-10 lead with Sims' 80-yard bomb to receiver Tremell Gooden (Fairburn, Ga) as he outran CAU defensive backs on his way to the endzone. Receiver Ricci Knuckles (Suwanee, Ga) ran into the endzone for a two-point conversion that increased Morehouse's lead to 15-10.

To close out the first quarter, Stafford led the Panthers on a 7-play, 75-yard scoring drive. A pass interference penalty on Morehouse cornerback Dainel Norman (Oakland, CA) on a 3^rd and 10 from Morehouse's 23-yard-line extended the Panthers' drive. Stafford finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to receiver Drakar Jerry to give the Panthers a 17-15 edge heading into the second quarter.

The Maroon Tigers scored again to retake the lead to start the second quarter. Running back Frank Bailey (Atlanta, Ga.) scored on a 4-yard touchdown on 2^nd and goal from CAU's 4-yard-line to take a 21-17 lead. Sims completed a two-point conversion pass to receiver Tyler Lumpkin to extend Morehouse's lead to 23-17. With 2:41 left in the second quarter, the Panthers took a 24-23 lead on Stafford's 7-yard touchdown pass to Sanders. To close out the quarter, Sims led Morehouse's offense on a 4-play, 65-yard scoring drive. Sims completed another touchdown pass to Gooden on 1^st and 10 from CAU's 23-yard-line, giving the Maroon Tigers a 30-24 lead heading into halftime.

Defensive back Derrick Vanover (Gainesville, FL) intercepted Stafford's pass to start the third quarter. The offense was unable to move the ball on the ensuing drive as Sims was sacked on 3^rd and 9 from Morehouse's 36-yard-line. With 9:16 left in the third quarter, the Maroon Tigers scored their first points of the half on a 26-yard field goal by Fernando Sdelamore (Fairburn, GA), which increased Morehouse's lead to 33-24.

The Panthers answered the Maroon Tigers on their next offensive possession. Stafford completed five of his six passes on this drive, including an 18-yard touchdown pass to receiver Kendell Wimberly to cut Morehouse's lead to 33-31.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Sims rushed for a 9-yard touchdown on 1^st and goal from CAU's 9-yard-line to increase Morehouse's lead to 40-31. The Panthers did not go away quietly with 5:58 left in the quarter, as Stafford led the offense on a 5-play, 30-yard-drive. Stafford completed another touchdown pass to Sanders to cut the Panthers' deficit to 40-39. This would be the last time that the Panthers' offense saw the ball, as Clark Atlanta's special teams committed a substitution infraction on 4^th and 1 from Morehouse's 45-yard-line. Sims and the Morehouse offense came back on the field to kneel to secure a tight 40-39 victory.

Offensively, the Maroon Tigers were led by Sims and Gooden. Sims had 275 passing yards and two touchdowns and Gooden had 167 receiving yards to go along with two touchdowns. Dunn added another 116 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Morehouse's defense was led by Vanover and Norman. Vanover had 8 tackles and two interceptions. Norman had 7 tackles.