ATLANTA, Ga. — Morehouse College showed a late offensive spark Saturday afternoon, scoring twice in the fourth quarter, but Central State built an early lead and used several explosive plays to earn a 49-21 victory over the Maroon Tigers at B.T. Harvey Stadium.
Central State scored the first 21 points and finished with 516 yards of total offense, including 269 on the ground, before Morehouse found the end zone late in the first half. The Maroon Tigers finished with 318 total yards and rushed for 180, with all three of their touchdowns coming on the ground. The loss dropped Morehouse to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in SIAC play, while Central State improved to 1-2 and 1-1 in the conference.
Morehouse continued to battle after falling behind 42-7, putting together touchdown drives of 88 and 75 yards in the fourth quarter. Savion Red accounted for two of the Maroon Tigers' three touchdowns, while Tony Roberson III added the final score.
Game Summary
First Quarter
Central State established control with a pair of long touchdown drives. After Morehouse's opening possession ended in a punt, the Marauders drove 98 yards in 10 plays, with Kaleb Jenkins finishing the march on an 18-yard touchdown run with 5:36 remaining.
Central State extended the margin with 20 seconds left in the quarter when quarterback Jackson Wasik connected with Khamari Adams for a 24-yard touchdown, completing a seven-play, 55-yard drive and giving the Marauders a 14-0 advantage. Central State produced 153 yards in the opening quarter compared with 42 for Morehouse and converted all three of its third-down opportunities.
Second Quarter
Morehouse's defense created its first major opportunity of the afternoon when Joshua Houston intercepted Wasik at the Morehouse 15-yard line, stopping a Central State drive that had covered 65 yards.
The Marauders eventually pushed the lead to 21-0 on a seven-yard Wasik touchdown run with 2:34 remaining, but the Maroon Tigers answered with their best possession of the first half.
Morehouse covered 75 yards in just seven plays and 1:58, with Red breaking through for an 11-yard touchdown run with 36 seconds remaining. Davis Rowe added the extra point to send Morehouse into halftime trailing 21-7.
Third Quarter
Central State regained momentum immediately after halftime. Wasik found Tyler Wright for a 30-yard touchdown on the Marauders' opening possession, pushing the lead to 28-7.
Less than two minutes later, Isaiah Thompson broke loose for a 49-yard touchdown run, giving Central State a 35-7 advantage with 10:17 remaining in the quarter.
Morehouse later mounted an eight-play, 54-yard drive into Central State territory, but the possession ended when PJ Hatter was stripped after an eight-yard run and the Marauders recovered at their own 23.
Fourth Quarter
Central State turned the turnover into points when Wasik connected with Avantae Burt on a 20-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth, extending the lead to 42-7.
Morehouse responded with its strongest sustained drive of the afternoon. The Maroon Tigers marched 88 yards in 12 plays while taking 6:16 off the clock. Red capped the possession with a six-yard touchdown run to make it 42-14 with 7:58 remaining.
Any chance at building additional momentum was quickly answered, however, as Jaysen Quartey returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a Central State touchdown.
Morehouse continued to fight. Hatter directed a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Roberson powering in from 19 yards out with 3:09 to play, accounting for the final 49-21 margin. Morehouse generated 148 yards of offense and 10 first downs in the final quarter while possessing the ball for more than 11 minutes.
Morehouse Statistical Leaders
- Rushing: PJ Hatter led Morehouse with 70 yards on eight carries, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt. Tony Roberson III added 52 yards and one touchdown on eight carries, while Savion Red finished with 43 yards and two touchdowns on nine attempts.
- Passing: Miles Scott completed 7-of-17 passes for 85 yards, while Hatter went 6-of-7 for 53 yards. Morehouse did not throw an interception.
- Receiving: Dylan Brooks led Morehouse with 46 receiving yards on two catches, including a 43-yard reception. Jeremiah Gibson caught a team-high three passes for 37 yards, while Gabriel Bivines added two receptions for 18 yards.
- Defense: Sean Johnson led the Maroon Tigers with nine tackles. Joshua Houston totaled eight tackles and an interception, while Jordan Williams recorded six tackles and a sack.
- Special Teams: Seve Spruill punted six times for 258 yards, averaging 43.0 yards per punt, with a long of 56 and one punt inside the 20-yard line.
Game Notes
- Morehouse fell to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in SIAC play, while Central State improved to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
- The Maroon Tigers finished with 318 yards of total offense, including 180 rushing yards.
- Morehouse recorded 21 first downs, compared with 24 for Central State.
- The Maroon Tigers scored on all three red-zone opportunities, with all three scores coming on rushing touchdowns.
- Morehouse converted 2-of-2 fourth-down attempts.
- Morehouse's three touchdown drives covered 75, 88 and 75 yards.
- Red recorded the first two-touchdown game of his Morehouse career, scoring on runs of 11 and six yards.
- Roberson scored Morehouse's final touchdown on a 19-yard fourth-quarter run.
- Houston recorded Morehouse's lone takeaway with a second-quarter interception.
- Morehouse produced 148 yards, 10 first downs and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, while holding the ball for 11:01.
- Central State finished with 516 total yards, including 269 rushing, and averaged 9.2 yards per play.
- The Marauders converted 7-of-9 third downs.
- The announced attendance at B.T. Harvey Stadium was 4,149.
Up Next
Morehouse now turns its attention back to the road as the Maroon Tigers travel to Lane College next week. The matchup will give Morehouse another opportunity in SIAC play as the Maroon Tigers look to build on Saturday's late offensive production and secure their first victory of the 2026 season.
