Miles closes door on Morehouse
Box Score
ATLANTA -- Miles head coach
Reginald Ruffin likes to emphasize the need to win all three phases of a football game - offense, defense and special teams. On Saturday, the Golden Bears did just that, getting touchdowns from all three units in a 31-7 win over Morehouse at B.T. Harvey Stadium.
The offensive numbers were not massive but
Jourdan Walker caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from
David Whipple in the second quarter and
Jamarcus Nance rushed for 96 yards on just 11 carries. The defense, though, had its way with the Maroon Tigers (2-2) for much of the afternoon.
The Golden Bears forced four turnovers, the first coming on a
Jawaski Randle interception in the end zone to thwart a Morehouse drive. The next was a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown by
Caleb Duncan. That score came with 4:11 left in the second quarter and gave Miles a 17-0 advantage. The Maroon Tigers would find their way into the end zone right before the half on a 1-yard run by Bricen Terry to cut the Miles lead to 17-7 at the half.
The backbreaking play came on special teams courtesy of
Devin Brown. He took a third quarter punt - the first time the Golden Bears had possession in the second half - and returned it 80 yards for a score for a 24-7 advantage. The big lead allowed Miles to become even more aggressive on defense, relentlessly getting into the Morehouse backfield.
Jarmari Ford (nine tackles, one sack) led the charge up front while
Curtis Gildersleeve (six tackles, two for loss) and
Anthony Hardy (five tackles, two for loss) also laid some big hits.
The pressure finally got to Morehouse quarterback Kivon Taylor when he aired out a pass that was picked off by
Cedric Poole (seven tackles) and returned 59 yards for the final score. The Maroon Tigers held a big edge in time of possession (33:55 to 26:05) but was just 2-of-15 on third down.
The Golden Bears are back in action next week, when they travel to Albany State to take on the Golden Rams. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
