By Keith Henry
Special to the AFRO
Devan James completes a carry for Morgan State.(Courtesy Photo)
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(November 1, 2009) - The Morgan State Bears can’t seem to catch a break at the opportune time, and they needed one badly, facing fourth-and-inches in overtime against the Florida A&M Rattlers. But they didn’t get it, as Florida A&M stopped Morgan State quarterback Carlton Jackson to seal a 31-28 victory at Hughes Stadium on Oct. 31.
“The kids asked for it. It’s their team,” Morgan State head coach Donald Hill-Eley said of the fourth-and-inches play call. “They thought it was a good call. I actually thought we got the first down. [Carlton] needed six inches. It’s kind of impossible to fall across the 15 and then have it marked behind.”
The two teams traded scores for much of the game, until Florida A&M struck in the fourth quarter when quarterback Curtis Pulley faked a handoff ran 36 yards for a touchdown with 14:14 left, putting Florida A&M back on top, 28-21.
Morgan State answered back on their next drive when Jackson hit Edwin Baptiste for a 53-yard touchdown pass to help tie the game at 28 with 8:33 left.
Florida A&M had a chance to win the game in regulation as they entered field goal range late in the game. But a key unsportsmanlike conduct call pushed the Rattlers beyond their kicker’s range with 12 seconds left, and Morgan State’s Gary Albury intercepted a Hail Mary pass from Pulley with as time expired to force overtime.
In overtime, Trevor Scott converted a 35-yard field goal to give A&M the lead. On Morgan State’s possession, Jackson was sacked by LeRoy Vann for a nine-yard loss. Jackson responded, completing a 15-yard pass to Terrell White at the A&M 19-yard line. Jackson ran the ball three yards to the 16-yard line to make it fourth-and-inches.
Jackson kept the ball and looked to have fallen forward far enough for the first down. However, the ball was placed close to the 15-yard line with the nose of the ball touching the line. The sticks were brought out and the measurement turned up a couple inches short, ending the game in heartbreaking fashion for Morgan State.
Florida A&M advanced to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Morgan State fell to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the MEAC, and will take on Norfolk State on Nov. 7 at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore.