The North Carolina Central University football team celebrated homecoming with a 16-7 victory over Morgan State on Saturday at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
The Eagles (6-2, 2-0 MEAC) have won five straight games.
“We need one or two of these dog fights to kind of test you,” Eagles coach Trei Oliver said.
The Eagles got on the board first when quarterback Walker Harris connected with Markell Quick on a deep pass up the middle for a 49-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. That play, at the 7:06 mark of the second quarter, capped a 4-play, 76-yard drive.
That score held at the half.
Midway through the third quarter, after the Eagles went 52 yards on eight plays, Kaleb Robison made his first career field goal from 21 yards to grow the lead to 10-0.
Morgan State made it a one-possession game at the 9:58 mark of the fourth quarter, taking advantage of a rare Harris interception when Jason Collins, Jr. capped an 8-play, 34-yard drive with a 2-yard score to trim the Eagles’ lead to 10-7.
The Eagles answered on the ensuing drive. On the sixth play of a drive that started on N.C. Central’s own 27-yard line, J’Mari Taylor kept his touchdown streak alive with a 50-yard run to the end zone. With 6:37 to play, the Eagles led 16-7.
“We knew we had to run the ball,” said Taylor, who had 196 rushing yards. “All we had to do was make blocks and the plays came to me.”
The Bears (3-4, 0-1) had one more chance, but Thomas Jackson sacked quarterback Tahj Smith on 4th-and-10 with 4:24 remaining to end the drive and give the ball back to the Eagles.
Morgan State never touched the ball again, and the Eagles ran out the clock. The Eagles held the Bears to under 200 yards of offense.
Courtesy: North Carolina Central Athletics
