After a rough 44-7 loss in their season opener to Rutgers, the Howard Bison looked to bounce back in their first game at Greene Stadium against the traveling Mercyhurst Lakers.
After a first quarter that saw the opening drive end with a fumble at the goal line and a missed field goal, the Bison offense settled in and executed an 11-play 73-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown run from running back Jarett Hunter.
The Bison defense then forced a fumble on the next possession, and Howard put another touchdown on the board with Hunter, again getting into the endzone from seven yards out. Howard’s defense allowed the Bison to hold a 14-3 lead going into halftime.
Despite holding a 21-3 lead midway through the third quarter, the Bison found themselves trailing by five points with 40 seconds to go after Lakers quarterback Adam Urena threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to receiver Cameron Barmore.
However, after a blocked PAT was returned to the end zone for two points by Howard defensive back Kenny Gallop Jr., the Bison trailed by just two points and took possession with a chance to win.
The Bison, led by sophomore quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins, marched down the field to give senior kicker Dylan West a chance to win the game.
West had already missed two field goals earlier in the game but came through in the biggest moment to bury the game-winning 37-yard field goal as the clock hit zero.
When asked how he could lift his team on the game-winning drive, Scroggins said, “It was either make a play or lose at home, and we don’t lose at home.”
Scroggins finished the game with 164 passing yards and a touchdown to go with 122 rushing yards.
Hunter echoed a similar sentiment.
“We executed when it was time,” said Hunter, who finished the game with 126 rushing yards and three touchdowns. “We had to come down and have a good drive. Dylan made a great kick, and we got some things to sure up, but we closed it out.”
Hunter was the standout player for Howard University, finishing the game with the second-highest rushing yard total of his career in a single game. In the postgame, Hunter gave credit to his offensive line for his success, asserting, “The O-line did their thing today.”
Scroggins and Hunter emphasized the need to bounce back after Howard’s defeat last week at the hands of Rutgers.
When asked about how the Bison were able to bounce back, Scroggins said, “We just learn it is never a loss. We just learned and we learned last week. We took it into practice and we had great practice this week and that’s what happens.”
Despite the win, the Bison players still feel they have some things to improve going into their game against Morehouse next week. The Bison committed 10 penalties during the game, many of which helped Mercyhurst mount their comeback in the second half.
When asked how the team could carry the positive momentum of the win into next week, Hunter said, “We have to be more disciplined and make better plays.” ”
Scroggins echoed the same message after the game.
“We just have to learn from it. We have the ups and the downs, the good and the bad, and we just learn from it. We take the win, we take momentum and go into Morehouse week,” he said.
With the win, the Howard Bison lifted their record to 1-1 and will face the Morehouse Tigers in the HBCU NYC Football Classic next week in New Jersey.
Copy edited by Jalyn Lovelady
