WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The defense forced four turnovers and Charles Philyaw rushed for three touchdowns to give Howard University a 28-14 win over Morgan State at Greene Stadium before a homecoming crowd of 7,053.The Bison (3-5, 2-3 in the MEAC) set the tone early on their first possession when quarterback Greg McGhee put together an 18-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off with a one-yard plunge by Philyaw. Howard got a two-point conversion on a pass from the holder on snaps, Richard Aiyegoro to tight end David Wilson for an 8-0 lead.
From there, both teams stiffened on defense. The Bison defense was giving up some plays in the running game, but each time the Bears threatened to score, Howard was able to thwart their attempts to get in the end zone.
"They played hard; they stood in there and fought, time and time again" said Howard head coach Ray Petty. " Morgan State had a great plan offensively, especially running the football on us. When they got into the Red Zone, our guys stepped up on defense and turned them away."
With the offense unable to produce points, Morgan State turned to another option: punt return specialist Broderick Gager fielded a John Fleck punt at his own 11-yard, eluded several Howard defenders before reversing his field and sprinting 89 yards to his team's first score. It marked the second time this season that a punt has been returned 89 yards against the Bison.
Not to be outdone, Howard a trick of its own on special teams. Facing a fourth and long at his own 48, Fleck dropped back to take the snap for an apparent punt attempt. But the sophomore saw an opening in the Morgan State protection, started towards the right sideline and weaved his way 52 for the first TD of his career.
The Bison opened the third quarter with the same approach that they used to start the game: Utilize the running of McGhee, William Parker and Philyaw to control the clock and grind out yards. The result was a 73-yard drive that was capped by Philyaw's second TD run of the game, this time from seven yards out. It upped the score to 22-7 with just under nine minutes remaining in the third period.
Morgan State would not go away, however. The Bears, who entered the game on a two-game win streak, took advantage of a poor Fleck punt that traveled only seven yards, giving them a short field at the Howard 13-yard line. It took them four plays with reserve quarterback Moses Skillon going the final yard to get his team to within 22-14 at the 3:02 mark of the third period.
From there, the Bison defense did its part, stopping two Morgan State drives with interceptions. The second one set up Philyaw's third TD of the day, this one from four yards out.
"I think we played well overall," said Howard red-shirt junior safety Cameron Alston, who led all players in tackles with 11, 10 of them unassisted. "And the biggest thing is when we had opportunity to make plays and get off the field. We did that this game and as opposed to the last couple of games where we left plays on the field. It was a good team effort."
For the second straight week, the Bison running game proved to be effective. Against Florida A&M, Howard rushed for a season-high 254 yards. Against a good Morgan State defense, the Bison ground out a season-high 315 yards. McGhee led all rushers with 122 yards on 15 carries. Philyaw, last week's MEAC Rookie of the Week, just missed the century mark with 98 yards and Parker contributed 41.
"The offensive line had an outstanding day," praised McGhee, who completed 11 of 21 for 89 yards. "They did not give up any sacks. Anthony Philyaw ran the ball well. I ran the ball well. Give credit to the offensive line. They did a heck of a job blocking."
Added Petty, "Greg made some outstanding runs and I have been telling people since Day One that this young man Philyaw is going to be special in this conference over the next couple of years."
The Bears managed a respectable 206 yards on the ground, but the four turnovers proved to be too much.
"We knew that they were going to come out and play with a lot of energy and they did," said Morgan State head coach Donald Hill Eley. "They did a good job of stopping us when they had to. We had a couple of chances in the Red Zone and came away with nothing. Collectively, we did not play well enough to win."
COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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