Roger Thomas Rushes for 199 Yards As CAU Defeats Morehouse 30-13

.@CAU is ahead of @Morehouse in the fourth quarter! #GoCAU #WeAreCAU @TheSIAC @thecaupanther @HBCUGameday pic.twitter.com/VELZ0G6I2c

— CAU Athletics (@caupanthers) November 3, 2018

ATLANTA, Georgia -- On Senior Day, Roger Thomas, playing in his final game as a Panther, rushed for 199 yards to help lead Clark Atlanta University to a rousing 30-13 win over Atlanta University Center rival Morehouse College Saturday at Panther Stadium.

In the season finale for both teams, Clark Atlanta (3-7, 2-3 SIAC) avenged last season's 40-0 loss at Morehouse (7-3, 3-3 SIAC) and has now won two of the last three games in the long-time series.

After CAU opened the game with a drive that resulted in a Carlos Saldana field goal, Morehouse countered with a 68-yard drive that ended on a Michael Sims-to-Santo Dunn 11-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-3 midway through the second quarter.

But on the Thomas' legs and quarterback Charles Stafford's arm, along with a stingy CAU defense, the Panthers outscored Morehouse – the conference's top scoring team – 13-0 over the next nearly 18 minutes to take a 20-7 lead.

Saldana added a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter, followed by Stafford's 26-yard TD toss to Josh Banks just before halftime, and Stafford's 10-yard touchdown pass to Makel Young midway through the third quarter to go up 20-7.

The Panther defense then clamped down the rest, only allowing the Maroon Tigers two field goals the rest of the day. The CAU defense only allowed 247 total yards to Morehouse, including just 135 passing yards to Sims, the SIAC's fourth-ranked passer. They also held Dunn, the conference's leading rusher, to less than 100 yards at 85 yards for the day.

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ATTENDANCE: 3761

Thomas had 31 rushes, with a long run of 34 yards. It turned out to be Thomas' biggest game of the year. Stafford finished 12-of-21 for 194 yards and three touchdown passes. Johnathan Sanders had six catches for 67 yards and a TD, while Felix Jones caught three passes for 65 yards. Banks had two catches for 52 yards and a TD, while Makel Young had his one catch for 10 yards and a touchdown.

The CAU defense was led by another player in his final game at CAU, Ezekiel Edmonds who had nine tackles, seven of them solo, and 2.5 tackles for loss. Tyrone Mixon also had nine stops, with Joseph Culpepper adding six tackles. Breante Glover, Kenneth Morgan, and Jeramie Tate – who also had two tackles for losses – all have five tackles.

CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY PANTHERS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS