WASHINGTON (October 17, 2026) ---The Howard University football team came out of its doldrums to score two touchdowns to get past Morehouse College (MC) in a nonconference homecoming showdown at Green Stadium before 9,995.
The Bison offense opened the scoring with a 34-yard field goal by junior placekicker
Matt Conord (Lithia, Fla.). Howard had good field position, but the drive stopped due to a couple of timely penalties that made it 3-0 of the 9:30 mark of the first quarter.
The Maroon Tigers of the Southern Intercollegiate Conference (SIAC) finally got its offense going as they went 74 yards on eight plays with Morehouse senior quarterback Miles Scott slithering his way nine yards to cap off the drive. MC was on top, 7-3, and appeared to gain momentum after two successive stops on offense.
Howard responded with 16-yard scamper by graduate quarterback
Ja'Shawn Scroggins (Las Vegas) to regain the lead, 10-7, at the 6:29 mark of the second period.
Both teams exchanged possessions until the Maroon Tigers converted a Howard turnover into a 34-yard field goal as the half ended to go the locker room tied, 10-10.
Then, running back
Eden James (Indianapolis) showed why he is one of the premier backs in the FCS when he is healthy. The graduate took matters into his own legs as he burst through the right side of the Morehouse defense and raced 61 yards to help the Bison regain the lead, 17-10, with 11:01 remaining in the third quarter. It was James' second TD of over 60 yards this season.
"That was definitely a big play," noted Howard head coach
Ted White. "We needed a spark and he gave it to us. He was injured early in the season, so we were not able to play him. But as you can see, now that he is healthy, he is a difference maker. I have been very impressed with his approach to practice and in games."
The feisty Maroon Tigers, who forced five fumbles, two of which they recovered, led to another score that led to score. Morehouse drove 75 yards with Scott finding receiver Noah Rhodes for 20 yards to tie the score, 17-17, headed in the final stanza. Then came was what was drive of the season.
With Scroggins at the control, the Bison drove 67 yards in 11 plays, using up almost six minutes. The Las Vegas native scored his second TD, a one-yard push to put his team on top, 24-17, with 6:50 left on the clock.
As they had displayed all day, the Maroon Tigers were on their way to tie the game again. But made what was perhaps the play of the day on defense when he took a Scott pass and got it down to Morehouse 45 yards. Using its rush game and a short pass, Kerney closed the drive with a seven-yard rush that closes out the scoring and helped Howard pull out the victory, 31-17.
It was James again who had a big day. The talented running back led all rushers with 120 yards on 13 carries. Scroggins was an efficient the passing game, completing 17-of-27 for 128 yards, along with 42 yards on the ground, including two TDs.
"The play of James and Scroggins was the key on offense," assessed White. "We need that kind of effort as we head into MEAC play."
The Buffalo Soldier defense held the Maroon Tigers to 264 yards of total offense. Standouts included
Kedrick Green (6 tackles),
Kyle Dillon (6 tackles) and
J. Augustus Olidge (INT).
"We came out with a different mindset in the second half," explained Olidge, a candidate for All-MEAC honors. "We did a better job making them feel uncomfortable on offense. We were able to stop their strong points by taking away the space that they felt comfortable with in the first half. It was a good all-around effort as we head into conference play."
Howard forced three turnovers.
It must be noted that Conord had his first field miss of the season and is now 8-of-9 on field goal attempts. He is a perfect 15-for-15 on PATs and leads the team in scoring with 34 points.
NEXT UP: Howard travels to Baltimore to take on the Bears of Morgan State in an important MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) opener.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
