Tommie "Taco" Manus hauls in career-best 6 receptions for 127 yards with a TD.
Boxscore
The last time Morgan State had back-to-back winning seasons was during the early 70’s, and today they moved one step closer as they defeated Delaware State, 53-36, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference shootout televised by the MBC Network.
The Bears reached the .500 mark (4-4, 3-3 MEAC) as they rained on Butch Posey’s head coaching debut in a game played in front of 5,349 Hornet fans celebrating Homecoming at Alumni Stadium. The teams combined for almost 700 yards of total offense and the Bears ended up scoring its most points since 1993.
Morgan wasted little time jumping on the scoreboard as quarterback Bradshaw Littlejohn hooked up with a wide-open Chris Cash in the endzone and freshman tailback Craig Nelson scored from 1-yard out to give Morgan a, 13-0, 1st quarter lead.
The Bears’ fortunes changed drastically in the 2nd quarter when Delaware State proceeded to explode for 28 unanswered points.
On 3rd and 11 with the ball on Morgan’s 38, Bradshaw Littlejohn dropped back to pass and was forced to scramble by a pursuing Hornets defense. Littlejohn ended up having the ball knocked out of his hands at the 17 and Justin Mitchell scooped it up and ran in for the Hornets first score of the day.
Delaware State’s (0-7, 0-3 MEAC) defense held the Bears to a 3-and-out and on the ensuing possession quarterback Keon Frazier marched his team 59-yards in 7 plays capped by a 5-yard touchdown pass to wideout Thomas Bolden.
The Hornets once again had an opportunity to light up the scoreboard when Bear LeJominick Washington’s pass was picked-off by Blake Saunders and returned 30 yards to the Bears 2 yard line. Two plays later Keon Frazier ran in from 1-yard out to give the Hornets a 21-13 lead. Bolden scored his second touchdown of the game when Frazier found him open for an 11-yard strike as the Bears found themselves down, 28-13, with 4:22 remaining in the half.
Following a sensational 56-yard kick-off return by Craig Nelson, the Bears offense moved the ball to within scoring position but the offense stalled and ended up turning the ball over on downs.
Instead of ending the half by running out the clock, the Hornets made a mistake by trying to increase its lead. On 1st and 10 from Delaware’s 43, Keon Frazier launched a bomb that was intercepted by Bears defensive back Thomas Potts, who made an incredible one-handed catch at the Morgan 14, then proceeded to elude defenders on his way to a school-record 86-yard touchdown. He recorded an 83-yard interception for a touchdown during the previous week against Howard. #LeJominick Washington# ran in a two-point conversion and Morgan went into halftime trailing by a touchdown, down 28-21.
Washington opened up the scoring for the Bears in the second half as he completed an 84-yard drive by running a 4-yard TD. The extra point attempt by Jon Voroshilin was blocked and James Spence returned it for two points and a 30-27 Hornet lead, but the Bears were far from finished scoring.
Following a 49-yard field goal by DSU’s Zach Bussey, Craig Nelson recorded his second big kick-off return of the day as he raced 69 yards before being pushed out of bounds by the kicker at the Hornets’ 26. Two plays later, Washington hooked-up with Tommie Manus on a 23-yard fly for a touchdown and a 34-33 lead.
Morgan’s defense held on the Hornet’s next possession, and the Bears marched 92 yards in 10 plays capped by a 15-yard play-action pass to a wide-open Antoine Elder in the endzone for a 40-33 advantage.
Jared Keating scored the Hornet’s last points of the contest when he booted in a 29-yard field goal in the fourth, while Bradshaw Littlejohn and Marbe Hughley put in the finishing touches as the Bears came away with a, 53-36, victory and its third win in four games.
Craig Nelson had a solid performance from his tailback position (15 carries, 79 yards) and racked up 163 yards on special teams.
LeJominick Washington and Bradshaw Littlejohn combined for 183 passing yards on 11-for-21 completions. Tommie Manus recorded his best game of the season as he finished with 6 catches for 127 yards, including a touchdown.
For the fourth time this season the Bears held its opponents to under 100 yards rushing. Delaware State was limited to 71 yards on the ground; however the Bears struggled against the Hornets’ air attack as they completed 19-of-42 passes for 252 yards.
Morgan State will attempt to make it three wins in a row when they travel to Savannah, GA to square-off with non-conference opponent Savannah State. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
