Morgan State failed a game-tying extra point kick to allow Howard University to escape with a 21-20 win in an Oct. 21 homecoming matchup before an overflow crowd of 10,305 at Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Trailing 21-14, the Bears (3-4 overall, 2-2 MEAC) rallied and made things interesting when they drove 89 yards in nine plays, scoring on a 35-yard gallop by Morgan State sophomore quarterback Robert Council. From there, Morgan State set up the potential game-tying extra point.
Morgan State’s Robert Miranda snapped the ball, but it went slightly over the head of the holder Saquan Moody, who reached up to grab it. Instead, the ball was tipped by placekicker Earvin Gonzalez, who attempted to salvage the play by passing for a two-point conversion. His pass was intercepted by junior linebacker Tabrian Resby.
“In all of our wins, special teams have shown up in a big way,” said Howard Coach Gary Harrell. “We were fortunate that Morgan State missed that snap at the end. We are trying to get away from these kinds of wins; we want to win convincingly.”
The Bison (5-2 overall, 4-1 MEAC) took over on downs and ran out the clock to snap a seven-game losing streak to Morgan State.
Howard senior running back Terrance Leffall finished with 134 yards on 26 carries, marking the third time that he has reached that mark this season. Howard sophomore quarterback Greg McGhee added 44 yards on 10 carries as the Bison amassed 259 yards on the ground.
Morgan State senior running back Travis Davidson led the Bears with 104 yards and two scores while Council was 11 of 20 for 131 yards.
Defensively, the Bison got a sterling performance from Resby, who recorded 13 tackles, a sack and two tackles for losses. Senior linebackers Anthony Whitlow and Keith Pough each had 10 tackles and junior safety Julien David chipped with 9 tackles, a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble.
“This was a must win, not only because it was homecoming, but because it is an MEAC game,” explained Harrell. “Our goal is to finish these last five games 5-0, so this is a good start.”
