Head Coach Tony Carter flipped the script a year after taking over at Central State, breaking a five-game losing streak by defeating Morehouse 49-21. The final score doesn’t describe how dominant the Marauders were for three of the four quarters.
Carter, a former NFL defensive back for Denver, New England, and Indianapolis, took over a team that is looking for its first winning season since
winning the 1995 NAIA Division 1 Championship. His experience as a player and a defensive assistant coach in the NFL helped him identify and land top talent from high schools and key college transfers that made an immediate impact in the win.
Seven signees played dividends on Saturday. Junior Jackson Wasik stepped into the starting quarterback role. The transfer from Kentucky Christian threw three touchdowns to three different receivers and rushed for another.
Defensive back Jaylen Burrell, the No. 23-ranked player in Maryland from national powerhouse St. Frances Academy, had four tackles, including one for a loss. SFA teammate and fellow freshman Karmello Williams had 2 tackles and a tackle for loss.
Freshman linebacker Carson Kinnaird had two tackles for the Marauders
True freshman Marquis Whipple from two-time Ohio state champion Glenville High School is entrenched at left guard. The Marauders’ backfield rushed for an average of 6.7 yards per carry for 269 total yards.
Central State scored first as Kaleb Jenkins capped a 10-play, 98 drive with an 18-yard run up the middle for six.
A 24-yard pass from Wasik to Khamari Adams ended the Marauders’ first quarter of scoring. Adams reached through cornerback Joziah Campbell to haul in the pass. He led all receivers with 87 yards on 3 receptions.
Morehouse finally got on the board, responding to another Central State touchdown. Fifth-year senior transfer Savion Red capped a 7-play, 75-yard drive with an impressive 11-yard run. Red eluded five Marauder defenders with a series of Madden-esque maneuvers to end the first half of scoring.
The Marauders exploded for four touchdowns in the second half. Wasik hit Tyler Wright for a 30-yard touchdown with CSUs first possession. Their second possession ended the same way as the first – with a touchdown. Isaiah Thompson broke a tackle and sprinted 49 yards down the Marauder sideline and past his head coach into the end zone.
Another touchdown pass opened the fourth for the Marauders. Wasik dropped a gem into the outstretched hands of Avantae Burt. Morehouse safety Anais Blackman was step-for-step with Burt but could not prevent the score.
Morehouse put together an 88-yard drive to answer the Marauders score. PJ Hatter replaced Miles Scott at quarterback. Hatter kept the chains moving with his arm and legs. Inside the 10-yard line, the M-Tigers turned to Red. The 233-pound back punched through the middle for a 6-yard touchdown.
A 94-yard kickoff return by Jaysen Quartey put the nail in the M-Tigers’ coffin. The Tony Roberson III touchdown cut the Marauders’ lead to 28 points.
Central State heads to Arkansas for a money game against Arkansas Pine Bluff. The Golden Lions defeated Morehouse 35-13 in week 0. Morehouse travels west to face winless Lane College.