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Arkansas-Pine Bluff 35-15 Morehouse College: Whitlock's hat-trick powers Golden Lions in Natural State Kickoff Classic
Match recap: Arkansas-Pine Bluff 35-15 Morehouse College in NCAA football on August 29, 2026. Demetric Whitlock's hat-trick of touchdowns powers Golden Lions in Natural State Kickoff Classic at War Memorial Stadium.
Demetric Whitlock caught three touchdowns — including a 94-yard bomb — and Arkansas-Pine Bluff pulled away from Morehouse College in the second half for a 35-15 win at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Saturday night. The SWAC programme improved to 1-0, while the SIAC's Maroon Tigers opened 0-1 in the fourth all-time meeting between the two HBCU programmes.
How It Unfolded
Arkansas-Pine Bluff struck first. Jaylen Jennings capped a 4-play, 24-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run at 11:00 of the first quarter to make it 7-0.
Early in the second quarter, Garrison Davis hit Whitlock for a 94-yard catch-and-run touchdown that tied the longest play from scrimmage of the night. The Golden Lions led 14-0 at 12:11.
Morehouse answered. Quarterback Miles Scott — who entered the season as Morehouse's single-season record holder for passing yards (2,559 in 2025) — scrambled 1 yard for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-7 at 8:04.
UAPB needed one snap to restore the two-score lead. Jalen Williams ripped off a 70-yard touchdown run on the very next play from scrimmage, pushing the lead to 21-7 at 7:44.
Scott scored again on a 2-yard run at 3:32, and Jeremiah Gibson's two-point conversion pass pulled Morehouse within 21-15 at the break.
The Turning Point
Morehouse had the momentum after outscoring UAPB 15-14 in the second quarter, trailing by just six at halftime. But the Golden Lions defensive front tightened and the offence scored on back-to-back third-quarter possessions to put the game away.
Garrison Davis found Whitlock from 13 yards out on a 7-play, 56-yard drive at 9:39 of the third. Then, after a quick stop, backup quarterback Jack Schierholz hit Whitlock for a 39-yard touchdown at 7:05 — Whitlock's third score of the night — to make it 35-15. Morehouse managed just 105 total yards in the second half and never threatened again.
Key Performers
Demetric Whitlock, WR, Arkansas-Pine Bluff — 5 catches, 160 yards, 3 touchdowns (94, 13, 39 yards). His three receiving TDs accounted for nearly half UAPB's offensive output. Player of the match.
Garrison Davis, QB, Arkansas-Pine Bluff — 10/15 passing, 182 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception. Efficient when it mattered despite taking two sacks.
Miles Scott, QB, Morehouse College — 25/36 passing, 284 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT; 10 rushes, 34 yards, 2 touchdowns. Scott was productive through the air (284 yards) and on the ground but got no help from a run game that averaged just 2.4 yards per carry (38 rushes, 90 yards).
Jalen Williams, RB, Arkansas-Pine Bluff — 2 carries, 76 yards, 1 touchdown (70-yard burst). Averaged 38 yards per touch.
Jaylen Jennings, RB, Arkansas-Pine Bluff — 15 carries, 65 yards, 1 touchdown. The workhorse back who kept the chains moving.
By the Numbers — Interpreted
The box score tells a tale of two efficiencies. Morehouse ran 76 plays to UAPB's 51 and held the ball for nearly 10 minutes longer (34:44 to 25:16), yet were outgained 386-376. The difference? Explosiveness. UAPB averaged 7.6 yards per play to Morehouse's 4.9, and the Golden Lions' 94-yard and 70-yard touchdowns were the kind of chunk plays Morehouse could not answer.
Morehouse converted 5 of 16 third downs (31%) and settled for field goal range with no success (0/1 on field goals). UAPB's defence forced two fumbles (both recovered by the Golden Lions) while the Maroon Tigers failed to turn over UAPB despite recovering zero of two UAPB fumbles.
The Maroon Tigers intercepted two UAPB passes but turned those takeaways into just 19 return yards and zero points.
What It Means
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-0) opens the season with a non-conference win and will look to carry momentum into SWAC play.
Morehouse (0-1) drops its opener under new head coach Brad Sherrod. The Maroon Tigers return to SIAC action next week with the ATL Labor Day Classic against Clark Atlanta on September 5.
Verdict
Morehouse competed for a half, but UAPB's big-play offence and second-half defensive adjustments were too much. Whitlock's three touchdowns turned what could have been a tight game into a comfortable Golden Lions win. The Maroon Tigers will need more balance on offence, particularly in the run game, to compete in SIAC play.