ASU to take on undefeated Morehouse

Hurricane Michael caused the SIAC matchup between Albany State and Morehouse to be played today at 1 p.m. up in Atlanta. The Rams get a taste of professional life with the Sunday start time and will have to bring their A-game for arguably their toughest test of the season.

The Tigers are currently 6-0 on the season and atop the SIAC East and ranked number 2 in the BOXTOROW HBCU Football Media poll. Morehouse is coming off a 30-24 win over Tuskegee last week.

Here are a few keys to this week’s game:

DIRTY BLUE HAS TO APPLY PRESSURE

The Tigers enter Sunday’s contest with a high-powered offense. They’re averaging 401.7 total yards of offense per game with, 219 of them coming through the air. Morehouse quarterback Michael Sims has completed 107 of 171 passes this season for 1238 yards. Albany State head coach Gabe Giardina has spoken several times this season about having to control the line of scrimmage and if they Rams want to have a chance they’ll have to do that and make things difficult for Sims.

OFFENSE NEEDS TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE

The Tiger defense has allowed 217.6 passing yards per game this season, and the Rams need to take advantage of that. Giardina has spoken on Kelias Williams and Stephon Masha, should he play, being able to make the necessary reads on the fly and this week will be another test for them. The Tigers have also allowed 130.3 rushing yards per game, so the run game will need to get going as well. ASU running back Tracy Scott was named SIAC Offensive Player of the Week last week for his performance against Catwaba College. Scott rushed for a season-high 190 yards with two touchdowns. Look for ASU to get him in a rhythm early.

RAMS CAN’T BEAT THEMSELVES

Four of Morehouse’s six game have been decided by six points or less. The Tigers have been able to maximize most of their possessions, converting 41.18 percent of their third down attempts and scoring in the red zone 20 out of 25 times. Offensively the Rams are going to have to match that level of efficiency and extend drives. Defensively, ASU will need to continue improving in terms of making tackles and get off the field on third down.