RB Jason Jackson collected 145 yards on 14 carries with 2 TDs against S.C. State, the No. 6 ranked defense in 1-AA.
Boxscore
Orangeburg, S.C. -- Morgan State was on its way to recording one of its most remarkable comeback victories in the history of the program only to fall short when kicker Michael Gaston stepped in and booted a 45-yard field goal in overtime to help South Carolina State escape with a 38-35 win in front of 5,079 fans in attendance at Dawson Bulldog Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Morgan State (4-6, 3-4), rallied by senior standout Bradshaw Littlejohn, scored 29 unanswered points and took its first lead of the day at 35-28 with 3:25 remaining in regulation.
The Bears celebration was cut short when SCSU's (8-2, 5-1) Rondreika Darby returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards before being shoved out of bounds at the Morgan 3-yard line. Three plays later Coty Martin ran in for his second touchdown of the afternoon. Gaston's extra point knotted the ballgame at 35-35 and sent the game into overtime.
In overtime, Morgan's offense stalled and Nathan Keever's 39-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right and left SCSU with a chance to put up the game's final points.
MSU's defense stiffened as the Dawgs tried to move the ball into perfect field goal position, but a holding penalty sent SCSU back to Morgan's 27-yard line for 4th and 23. Gaston's 45-yard field goal sparked a triumphic celebration at mid-field as the Dawgs were able to come out with the close win.
Down 22-6 at halftime, Littlejohn ignited the Bears second half run by accounting for three touchdowns. The "Show" put on quite a performance and all but sealed the "MEAC Player of the Year" race by torching the Dawgs' No. 6 ranked defense for 35 points and 625 yards of total offense. He finished the game completing 32-of-58 passes for 392 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran for 88 yards and a score.
In the head-to-head battle of the MEAC's top running backs, MSU's Jason Jackson outperformed the Dawgs' Coty Martin. The two backs shared the same number of carries (14), but Jackson finished the game with 145 yards and 2 TDs, while Martin ended with 104 yards and 2 TDs.
The Bears defense had a hard time stopping the Dawgs as they surrendered 22 points and QB Brett Young completed 14-of-23 passes for 295 yards and 2 TDs in the first half. Young ended the game with 382 passing yards.
The second half was a different story, as the Bears defense shutout the Dawgs until late in the 4th quarter. Linebackers Carlos Watts, Shannon Maynard and Vincent Brown led the way in the defensive effort. Watts finished the game with a season-high 13 tackles (6 solo), Maynard had 11 (6 solo) and Brown collected 8 (6 solo).
Both team's receivers made the most of their opportunities. MSU's Tommy Manus finished with 12 catches for 109 yards, one shy of breaking the school record for most catches in a game. Rodrick Wolfe (6-85-1 TD) was and standout Kelvin Dickens (5-65) were also electric as they diced up the Dawgs secondary unit. Dickens needs just 12 more receivng yards to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark for the season.
SCSU's Tavarus Morgan and Rondreika Darby had outstanding games. Morgan finished with eight (8) catches for a game-high 147 yards and 2 touchdowns, while teammate Darby recorded 4 catches for 122 yards.
The Bears will finish off the season in Houston, Texas when they travel to take on non-conference oppponent Texas Southern. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
