Morgan State University Athletics

Jon Voroshilin booted in a 44-yard field goal in overtime to give Morgan State a three-point advantage, and possibly its first conference win of the season.

It was not enough.

Hampton quarterback Timothy Frazier connected with Marcus Rush on a fade route for the go-ahead touchdown and a, 24-21, victory before 40,245 at Giants Stadium in the 33rd annual New York Urban League Whitney Young Classic.  It was the first overtime contest in the history of the Classic.

Hampton (3-1, 2-0 MEAC), No. 8 in the Sheridan Black College poll, has now won eight of the past nine Classics.

This was an important game for both teams, but especially for Morgan State (1-3, 0-2 MEAC) as they were attempting to get in the MEAC win column.

Instead, Hampton capitalized on untimely Morgan miscues as Frazier rallied his team from an 18-10 deficit in the fourth quarter.

"Losing is tough," said Bears coach Donald Hill-Eley. "The thing is, you get a chance to play 60 minutes, you have an opportunity to make plays, you don't make plays. And the game is given to the one who makes the most plays, and they made more plays than we did."

Up 15-10 late in the fourth with the ball deep in Hampton territory, Morgan State just missed two touchdown hookups, settling for a 42-yard field goal by Voroshilin with 4:34 left.

On the ensuing possession, the Pirates attempted to run a reverse with Jerome Mathis. But the speedster ended up fumbling in the backfield and linebacker Carlos Watts pounced on the ball with 4:15 remaining. The Bears had an opportunity to ice the ballgame.

But MSU freshman running back Craig Nelson fumbled it right back, and two plays later, Frazier found his favorite target, Jerome Mathis, on a 76-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion tied the game at 18.

The Bears defense practically owned Hampton as they were shutout until the last scoring strike to Mathis. The “Four Horsemen” linebacker corps of Vincent Brown, Carlos Watts, Albert Gamble and Sydney Baskins hounded Pirate ballcarriers throughout the contest as they sealed rushing lanes and forced Frazier into hurrying his passes.

Hampton didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard to start the game.  Following a short kickoff, the Pirates used five plays to go 40 yards as Frazier threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jachin Chandler.

The Bears looked like they were going to score with a touchdown of its own as Bradshaw Littlejohn and the Bears traveled 68 yards to the Pirates 1-yard line.  On 4^th and goal Littlejohn handed off to Nelson who ended up being stuffed by Marlon Fair short of the endzone.

Both defenses dominated throughout most of the first quarter.  Morgan State ended up hitting the scoreboard following a spectacular 73-yard punt return for a touchdown by junior William DeShazo, tying the game, 7-7, with 1:53 remaining in the first quarter.

Andrew Paterini started the scoring in the second quarter as he nailed a 30-yard field goal to give the Pirates a 10-7 lead.  Morgan got back on the board late in the half when Bradshaw Littlejohn scrambled and threw a 76-yard touchdown strike off his back foot to sophomore Kelvin Dickens. The Bears converted on a fake extra point as holder Jorge Pena optioned off to Voroshilin for a two-point conversion and a 15-10 lead at the break.

Littlejohn led the Bears’ offense by completing 6-of-22 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, and he was selected as the Classic’s Offensive Most Valuable Player.

Senior Jon Voroshilin put on a sensational kicking performance, especially during one particularly play.  With Morgan State on its own 11, Voroshilin launched a school-record 71-yard punt that Pirate returner Marquay McDaniel touched as it bounced away. MSU’s Justin Hunt recovered the fumble, and Voroshilin ended up hitting a 42-yarder to give the Bears an 18-10 lead.

Littlejohn and LeJominick Washington combined for 97 yards on the ground, while Craig Nelson added 40 yards on 13 carries.  Sean Napper led the Bears with 4 receptions for 37 yards.

Newcomer Vincent Brown led an aggressive defensive unit with 12 tackles (10 solo), a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Carlos Watts had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery, while All-MEAC linebacker Albert Gamble had 8 tackles and a sack.

Morgan State will be back in action when they travel to Daytona, FL to take on the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman.  The ‘Cats are currently ranked No. 1 in the MEAC and are ranked among the best teams in Division I-AA and Black College football.  Kick-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.