Defense pitches shutout as Albany State hammers Morehouse | PHOTOS

ALBANY — With history on their side, the Albany State Rams earned a 38-0 homecoming win over Morehouse Saturday at the Albany State University Coliseum, making it seven straight wins against the Maroon Tigers.

Offensively, running back Jarvis Small led the way with 173 rushing yards, including a 49-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

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Defense set the tone for the Rams and imposed their will in this contest, holding the Tigers to just 154 yards of total offense.

The defense came up with interceptions during Morehouse’s first three possessions. Raynard Ware picked off the first pass and Nick Scott came up with two more in the first quarter. Head coach Dan Land said the front line was the catalyst for the turnovers.

“I’m proud for the guys,” he said. “The guys have been trying to get a shutout since the beginning of the season and we finally got it done.”

The interceptions put the Rams in Tiger territory where Jarvis Small went to work. After Ware’s interception and a late hit on Morehouse, ASU started on the Tiger 15 where Small would run for 12 yards, then the remaining three for the touchdown.

Scott’s second interception gave the Rams a short field and Small ended the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run. The Rams ended the first quarter with a 14-0 lead.

Outside of the turnovers, ASU’s offense struggled to get much going in the first half despite 139 rushing yards from Small. Quarterback Caleb Edmonds ended the first half just 5 of 11 for 76 yards and was sacked twice.

The Rams put together a solid drive that got them inside the red zone with less than two minutes left in the half, but three straight penalties backed them up to the 40. They got in field goal range, faked the kick, then fumbled the ball and turned it over on downs.

Morehouse went to their hurry-up offense, quickly moved down the field and threatened to score with under a minute left. Jordan Tarver took a shot into the end zone and was picked off by Marquez Hodo, who took it 100 yards in the opposite direction for a pick-six. After the PAT, the Rams went into the halftime break with a 21-0 lead.

The Rams moved the ball better in the second half but had a hard time finishing. In two third quarter trips to the red zone early in the third, they were only able to come up with a field goal. Later in the fourth, they were able to put together a long drive that ended with a nine-yard touchdown run by Dalviness Green.

Land said the Tigers were crowding the line of scrimmage and making it difficult for the offense to get looks in the first half. He added that once they figured out their blocking scheme, the Rams were able to settle in make things happen in the second half.

Earlier this season, Land said he would like to see his already impressive defense post a shutout. He got his wish Saturday and said he was pleased to see the team accomplish one of their season goals.

“Because of what the defense was doing up front and d-linemen putting pressure on the quarterback and making him scramble, he couldn’t exactly see where he wanted throw the ball,” he said. “The defensive backs were able to go and grab a couple picks.”

The Rams are now at .500 on the season at 3-3 and 3-1 in SIAC play. They will travel to Atlanta next week to take on Clark Atlanta.