The stands and area surrounding William H. Greene Stadium on Howard University’s campus was full as spectators gathered from Spelman College, Morehouse College and Howard to witness the 102nd Howard Homecoming football game.
The matchup, formerly hosted at MetLife Stadium for the HBCU New York Classic, returned to Howard’s campus and drew thousands of alumni.
With a 28-10-2 record, the Howard Bison took the lead over the Morehouse Tigers and turned a close game into a definitive victory as the scoreboard read 31-17 at the final buzzer on Oct. 17.
The game remained tied until the third quarter, when the Bison offense scored a touchdown in the last five minutes. Howard’s rushing attack was anchored by graduate quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins for 42 yards and graduate running back Eden James for 120 yards.
Scroggins, a criminology major from Las Vegas, scored two touchdowns. He attributes a part of that success to “looking at vulnerabilities on film that they focused on and talked about on the sidelines.”
Receiving was spread out evenly amongst several receivers, with sophomore wide receivers CJ Neely, Antonio Hunter and Semaj Pierre leading with 30, 29 and 22 yards, respectively.
Junior running back Travis Kerney, Scroggins and James scored touchdowns, and junior kicker Matt Conord kicked two field goals.
Conord said that his performance is very important to the team’s success.
“Consistency has contributed to a lot of my success,” said Conord, a business management major from Lithia, Florida. In the long run the team needs me to be consistent so sticking to my plan and practice keeps me focused.”
Midway through the first quarter, senior wide receiver Zaden Jackson caught a six-yard out-of-bounds pass and Conord kicked a field goal, giving Howard an early 3-0 lead.
Morehouse responded early in the second quarter with senior quarterback Miles Scott rushing nine yards for a touchdown and junior kicker Davis Rowe with a successful extra point. With 6:30 left in the second quarter, Scroggins rushed for the first Bison touchdown of the game, gaining 16 yards.
On the final play in the half, Morehouse junior long snapper Cyar DeBose successfully made a field goal, bringing the score to 10-10 at halftime.
In the third quarter, James rushed for a 61-yard touchdown.
“I saw the opportunity and took it and just kept moving when I was on the field,” said James, a master’s of business administration candidate from Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Later in the third quarter, Morehouse wide receiver junior Noah Rhodes rushed for 10 yards and another touchdown, keeping the teams tied 17-17 going into the final quarter.
With five minutes left, the Bison began to take control as Scroggins hustled into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown. With 48 seconds left on the clock, Kerney rushed for seven yards to score another touchdown, followed by a successful extra point from Conord. The Tigers had no answer to the late surge and the Bison secured the Homecoming win.
Iliza Rwabuihi, a freshman biology major from Charlotte, North Carolina, said the game was the perfect ending to her weekend.
“My first Homecoming as a Bison at the school that I’ve dreamed of attending and ending the weekend with a win meant everything to me.”
The Bison will take on their next opponent, Morgan State University on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Hughes Stadium.
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas
