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By Chaunte’l Powell

ALBANY — The Albany State Rams were able to overcome a very slow offensive start to thrill the Homecoming crowd and get a 34-10 win over Morehouse.

Defense was the primary offense for both teams in the first half. Morehouse’s first possession ended with a punt that ASU fumbled away. Jalen Boyd made up for it with a 60-yard pick-six on the very next play to give the Rams a 6-0 lead. The Rams’ defense added to that lead after a bad snap by Morehouse at the Maroon Tigers’ own goal line sailed through the end zone for a safety.

Morehouse’s defense took the lead in the second quarter after a field goal and a 59-yard pick-six by cornerback Cameron Miller.

The Rams (5-2, 3-0 SIAC) went into the halftime break trailing 10-9, and head coach Gabe Giardina said Morehouse’s defense kept Albany State’s off-balance in the first half.

“Morehouse did some really good things in the first half,” Giardina said. “They mixed it well on us, we didn’t handle it well, we didn’t execute well, and they gave us some problems. They’re really good up front and a really good defense, so I give them credit, but at the same time we’ve got to play better.”

ASU responded in the second half as Quadray Simmons caught a 3-yard pass for the first offensive touchdown of the game with 5:59 left in the third.

Both Kelan Fraise and McKinley Habersham reached the end zone after the break from 73 and 49 yards out, respectively. Giardina said his team was able to read what the Tigers were giving them better in the second half.

“Second half, we played a lot smarter and a lot more physical,” Giardina said. “When we get in trouble we gotta solve problems with physicality, and we did that in the second half.”

Defensively, the Rams forced four fumbles and recovered two for a total of three takeaways in addition to six sacks.

The Tigers, known as a pass-happy team, was held to just 168 passing yards on the day and 180 total yards. Defensive coordinator Cory Peoples said the key was not letting Morehouse quarterback Kivon Taylor get comfortable in the pocket.

“We tried to send a lot of pressure, that was the biggest thing,” he said. “They like to play a lot of 0-1 empty packages, so what we did was send a lot of pressure and we happened to get some guys free (Saturday).”

Giardina said he was very proud of the way the defense picked up the offense both with their encouragement on the sideline and their play on the field. He said the defense played a complete game.

“I think it was back and forth,” Giardina said. “Defensively we really dominated, and I was really proud of the way the ‘Dirty Blue Defense’ and Coach Peoples played for 60 minutes. They didn’t let those guys breathe or score on offense.”

Johnson took several hard shots throughout the game and sat out the end of the fourth quarter, but suffered no major injuries according to Giardina. Johnson finished 9-of-17 for 105 yards with a touchdown and just his second interception of the season. He was also sacked seven times.

Habersham led the team in rushing with 124 yards on 16 carries. Fraise finished with 85 on six.