Sports
THE HILLTOP | MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2013
. Bison Trample Morgan State
Jourdan Henry Staff Writer
The Howard University football team (3-5, 2-3 MEAC) won its third consecutive homecoming game this past Saturday, defeating the Morgan State Bears (2-6, 2-2 MEAC) 28-14 in Greene Stadium. The Bison were able to secure the victory by forcing turnovers and relying on a hardnose rushing attack. Both quarterback Greg McGhee and running back Anthony Philyaw rushed for over 100 yards each to lead the team. The Bison ran the ball 54 times while only dropping back to pass on 21 plays. “We have to take advantage of what people are giving us. They were more focused on stopping Greg and the passing game,” said Petty on his decision to rely on the rushing attack. The Bison started the game with aggressive play-calling, converting all three of the team’s fourth down conversions on the first drive of the game. Howard capped off the lengthy 19-play opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Anthony Philyaw on a fourth and goal. On the ensuing extra point attempt, Howard executed a fake PAT to perfection, in which the holder Richard Ayigero rolled out to the right and completed a pass to tight end David Wilson in the end zone. This drive gave the Bison an 8-0
lead and gave the team momentum. Morgan State head coach reflected on the fourth down conversions by saying, “They constantly kept getting momentum and when those types of things happen you breathe life into these offenses.” Morgan State responded with a lengthy drive as well by executing 19 consecutive run plays, until the drive stalled at the Howard 11-yard line. The kicker Chris Moller then missed the ensuing 27yard field goal attempt wide left. After the Bison were stopped on the following drive, sophomore punter John Fleck was forced to punt to Broderick Gager, who received the punt near the right sideline of the Morgan State 11-yard line. The senior return specialist then proceeded to elude tacklers and cut across the field and sprint 89 yards for Morgan State’s first score of the game. “After I caught it, I saw a few blocks that opened up and I just hit the hole as hard as I could,” said Gager. Later in the first half, the Bison would punt again, except this time the outcome would fall in Howard’s favor. Fleck brought the crowd to their feet with an exhilarating run on a fake punt. He successfully rolled out to the right and exploited a seam in the Morgan State defense as he followed his blockers for a 65-yard touchdown
Khari Arnold, Sports Editor
run with 3:02 remaining in the half. Although the Bears were prepared for the fake, they were unable to execute in stopping the sophomore punter from scoring. “We saw the fake punt last week vs. Florida A&M—we knew it was coming,” said Bears head coach Donald Hill-Eley. “It comes down to having a bunch of young guys, and not playing within the confinements of the scheme.” Howard cornerback Curtis Simmons sent the Bison into the locker room at halftime with 15-7 lead after intercepting a pass thrown by quarterback Robert Council when the Bears were threatening to score. On Howard’s first drive of the second half, the offense was able to wear down the Morgan State defense by attacking them on the ground. McGhee sparked the drive with an electrifying 33-yard scamper to the Morgan State 7-yard line. The drive ended with an Anthony Philyaw 7-yard touchdown run to extend Howard’s lead to 22-7. The following drive, with 8:50 remaining in the third quarter, the Bears substituted in freshman quarterback Moses Skillon. “[We] decided to go with Skillon to try to get a spark and get things going,” said Eley-Hill. Skillon was able to lead the Bears into Bison territory before throwing an interception to fresh-
THE HILLTOP
sports@thehilltoponline.com
man cornerback Kenneth Russ on the Bison one-yard line. The quarterback platoon for Morgan State was unable to improve the team’s aerial attack. Both quarterbacks Council and Skillon threw for a combined 104 yards and three interceptions. After a Bison three-andout, Fleck then poorly punted the football six yards, which allowed Morgan State to take over on the Howard 13-yard line. The Bears capitalized on the great field position by calling five straight run plays and punching the ball into the end zone on a one-yard quarterback draw by Moses Skillon. This touchdown made it a one-possession game with Morgan State narrowing the margin to 22-14. Early in the fourth quarter, the Bison put together two drives that led them into field goal range, but both attempts were missed by Fleck. The play that cemented the victory for Howard was the blind-side sack of quarterback Skillon by senior defensive end ToaVon Sheets that led to a fumble recovery by the Bison on the Morgan State 32-yard line. The Bison defense had yet another stellar performance, only allowing seven points, forcing four turnovers, and containing the dual-threat quarterbacks—Council and Skillon. “For the most part we
played well. When we had the opportunities to make plays and get off the field, we did that,” said safety Cam Alston who led the team with 11 tackles. The offense then ran the ball four consecutive times, leading to Anthony Philyaw running untouched into the right side of the end zone for his third touchdown of the game on a four-yard rush. This score gave Howard a 28-14 lead that the team would sustain for the final 1:07 of the game. “This young man Anthony Philyaw is going to be special in this conference for the next couple of year,” said Petty. “He’s got great vision, he’s strong, and he’s fast,” With this win, Howard has won back-to-back games for the first time this season, “Everything is starting to come together. We have five games remaining and our focus is to go out and execute well and do all the things that it takes to win football games,” said Petty. The Bison look to win their third consecutive game as the team travels to Dover, Del. to face Delaware State (3-5, 3-2 MEAC) on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
9