Three plays over 30 yards set the pace for Kentucky State as the Thorobreds took a 35-17 win over Morehouse back to the Bluegrass State.
Kentucky State got it going early, scoring 28 points in the first half. Quarterback Torrance Bardell hit Darius Cyprian in stride down the Morehouse sideline for a 61-yard touchdown on the ‘Breds second offensive series. The grad transfer went back to the well on the first snap of the third possession and found it full, hitting Jon McCall with a 50/50 ball in the end zone. McCall made one heck of a catch over Morehouse defensive back Joel Jones (see photo right). Jones couldn’t have played McCall any tighter without drawing a flag.
The Thorobreds followed head coach Felton Huggins, Jr.’s game plan to the letter. Kentucky State went toe-to-toe with D1 Grambling State the week before arriving in Atlanta. The loss in overtime didn’t sit well with Huggins, and played heavily into the preparation for Saturday’s game against the Maroon Tigers. “We felt like we dominated Grambling for four quarters and that one slipped away from us,” said Coach Huggins. “We came back this week wanting to flip the streak from losing two straight to going 1-0. We talked about it this week that we wanted to take people to deep water and don’t let’em come out.
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Don’t get it twisted, the Maroon Tigers are a talented bunch. The winless record (0-3) is less a reflection of their individual abilities than a lack of the unified belief that they can play with any team in the conference. Morehouse’s schedule-makers did them no favors by scheduling Johnson C. Smith and Howard for the first two games of the season.
The 2025 Bison aren’t the 1992 or 2011 Bison. These Bison are cut from a cloth dyed in experience from a recent appearance in the Celebration Bowl. And Johnson C. Smith, well, let’s just say one of the first HBCU football teams is cooking with high-octane petrol. The Golden Bulls put 11th-ranked Valdosta on a missing person poster the week after beating the Maroon Tigers by 30+.
While the first two losses were understandable, Saturday’s was not. Morehouse couldn’t get out of its own way. There aren’t many teams that can overcome 12 penalties and 105 negative yards. Head Coach Terance Mathis and his offensive coaching staff called the right plays at the right time. His offense racked up 408 yards on 67 plays. They had four drives of 50 yards or more that produced one field goal and three touchdowns. Unfortunately for Morehouse, one of the touchdowns was a 100-yard interception return by Thorobreds defensive back Navy Curry. The Maroon Tigers’ effort during the play was less than stellar. Curry started jogging 30 yards before reaching the end zone.
“Navy has been having a rough couple of weeks,” said Huggins. “We told him they were going to pick on him first play, that means they are out for ya. So for him to come back and took that pick 102 yards was huge for his confidence.”
Junior quarterback Miles Scott put Morehouse on the board with a tear drop to Kamrin Brunson. The senior receiver from Grayson HS spun off a shoulder hit from defensive back Isaiah Clay at the 25-yard line and, with pure power, pulled Roman Hernandez, who had a hold of his undershirt, into the end zone.
Never skip leg day.
“Kamrin Brunson is the best receiver in the conference,” said Mathis, a former NFL All-Pro wide receiver. Mathis was in the NFL’s top 10 for receiving touchdowns, receiving yards, and receptions twice during the era that produced no less than six Hall of Fame receivers. “He might be one of the best in the country. That dude right there, if I were a GM or scout, I would want him on my football team.”
Brunson made a catch in the fourth quarter that validated his coach’s praise. Scott floated a pass to the back of the end zone on second and a yard that Brunson caught while falling backwards. As he was falling, Brunson still had the presence of mind and agility to get his feet down in bounds.
Morehouse’s defense returned the ball to the offense four minutes later, but the penalty bug followed them on the field. The offense committed three penalties, trailing by 18 points with six minutes remaining in the game. Two holding calls and an illegal shift had the Maroon Tigers facing third-and-35 yards. In a normal situation, Scott’s 18-yard completion to Brunson would have been good enough for a first down and kept the chains moving. All it did in this instance was bring up fourth down-and-17.
Kentucky State kept the ball on the ground and watched the clock tick down to their second conference win of the season (2-1, 2-2). The Thorobreds return to the Peach State next week to face their third Tigers in as many weeks – Savannah State. The Orange Tigers rolled over Miles 45-19 at Albert J. Sloan-Alumni Stadium.
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Morehouse at Edward Waters