North Carolina  Central University ....19
Morris Brown College..........................16
Richard Allen Football Classic 

Morris Brown pressed down to NCCU's  five yard line with eight seconds left to play but could not punch it in for what would have been the winning touchdown

Morris Brown Wolverines fall to North Carolina Central Eagles in final seconds

It was a close fought  football game from the opening kick.

The first annual Richard Allen Football Classic lived up to its hype.  It was a clash  that  was  exciting both on the sidelines and on the field..

oThere was a lot of ebb and flow in this game The Morris Brown Wolverines found their running game early and used it in the first quarter to emerge with a 3 nothing lead.

The North Carolina Eagl;es showed they could do some running of their own in the second quarter, and scampered in for a TD but could not covert for the extra point.  Morris Brown also hit the end zone but left the extra point behind.  At the half it was Morris Brown 9 NCCU   6.

They should have kept score at half town for it  was throw down time between the Sound Machine of  North Carolina Central University and Morris Brown College marching band.

North Carolina set the tone with a high-energy presentation that was musically  tight and  they did "keep it real.".  

Morris Brown's presentation was bigger in scope and participants.  It fielded a huge band that was perfectly in synch.  They did not march out to the field, they began their drill running and it seemed they never slowed down until it was concluded.

hIt was a high-energy half time presentation, everything the crowd came expecting. 

It was a beautiful day for football at Veterans Stadium, but the massive sporting oval  was only half full at best.  A lot of people missed a great  sporting event.

After the half time show, the third quarter belonged to North Carolina.  They used their running game to score twice and despite missing on extra point, they still went into the fourth quarter leading 19 to 9.

It appeared North Carolina was going to run away with the game but then the passing game of  Morris Brown re-ignited.  The Wolverines passed themselves right into a touchdown, working along the sidelines.  They converted the extra point making it a three point game.

Morris held defensively as the clock dipped under two minutes and forced  North Carolina to surrender the ball.

Morris Brown had just a little over a minute to work the ball down field for a touchdown and the victory.  A field goal wold have tied the game.

A pass over the middle took Morris Brown to the mid-filed mark.  A side line pass, and an interference call, carried them to the five. Now, only second remained in the game.

Morris Brown tried a sweep to carry the ball into the end zone.  North Carolina stuffed it a few yards short.  

Now it was eight seconds left, no time outs remaining.  Morris Brown decided to try and run it in.  It was a little toss to the left, but North Carolina read it all the way and stopped the play two feet short of the goal line.  And the final seconds expired giving the North Carolina Eagles a 19-16 skin-of-their-teeth victory over the Morris Brown College Wolverines.

Morris Brown College lost the football game but they won the battle of the side lines with their award-winning band, pictured above, thrilling the crowd with its music and its moves.