Williams 4th Quarter heroics leads Morgan State to Homecoming win, 34-24

BALTIMORE, Md. – Delonte Williams saved his best for last. The redshirt freshman led Morgan State on a comeback drive with under a minute remaining in the game.

Williams had three interceptions – two of them returned for touchdowns – and was sacked three times. But he also led the Bears on an 8-play, 85 yard drive and threw a 34 yard touchdown pass to Tyrone Hendrix with 20 seconds on the clock. Sheldon Jacques added a two yard fumble return for a touchdown as the Bears came away with a climatic 34-24 win over the Hornets on Saturday at Hughes Stadium before an announced Homecoming crowd of 14,312 fans.

The Bears (4-3, 3-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) extended their homecoming record to 8-1 since coach Donald Hill-Eley took the helm in 2002.

"They showed a lot of savvy," Hill-Eley said. "Fourth-and-10, get a first down, constantly moving the ball and then to be able to make that throw and catch at the end — it was just remarkable."

"We had confidence in ourselves on the last drive, and we pushed ourselves," said Hendrix, who caught two passes for 60 yards. "It was up and down today, [a] roller-coaster. It was hard to stay focused. But if you stay focused, we'll win."

One game after scoring three touchdowns to beat North Carolina A&T, Williams finished 11-of-18 passing for 167 yards and threw two touchdowns. Chris Flowers returned a kickoff 73 yards for a touchdown and Winfred Diggs.

Jaashawn Jones ran 22 times for 114 yards and a touchdown for the Hornets (1-6, 1-3 MEAC).

The defense was solid throughout most of the game and helped setup the Bears first points of the game. Morgan State safety Reshaude Miller intercepted an Anthony Glaud pass and returned 31 yards to the Hornets 37 yard line. On the second play of the Bears ensuing possession, Brian Mann raced 24 yards for a score. The point after kick by Kemar Scarlett gave the Bears an early 7-0 advantage.

Williams ran 13 times for 69 yards and David Brown added 64 yards on 11 carries.

Williams threw an interception for a touchdown on his second pass of the second quarter as Delaware State tied the game at 7-7. But the young signal-caller bounced back by leading the Bears on a 6-play, 61 yard drive capped by a 14 yard touchdown pass to freshman wideout Chuka Okakpu. Morgan State held a 14-7 lead at the break.

The Bears forced five turnovers in the first half and six total. Glaud completed 17-of-24 passes for 216 yards, but was intercepted three times – twice by Miller. The Bears defense racked up four sacks and was led by linebackers Chris Eugene and Dominick Bryan who finished with nine and eight tackles respectively.

“It all starts in practice,” said Miller. “Having an extra week off kept us prepared, and there was nothing we did, that we didn't go over in practice. We just did what we always do, and that's force turnovers.”

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