Boxscore
Bears Shots Pt. 2
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Morgan State didn't fair well in their first three games against non-conference opponents. But today was a different story, as they posted a lopsided victory against a conference rival.
Morgan State placekicker Kemar Scarlett booted in two field goals and the Bears collected three interceptions to beat Howard 20-3 on Saturday at the New York Urban League Football Classic in front of 34,167 fans.
"We'll take the win, but we have a lot of things we need to fix offensively," said MSU coach DonaldHill-Eley.
"It's good to see our defense still continuing to play well, along with our special teams unit. A lot of players did a lot of good things to bring us through tonight. Kevin Myrie did a good job of stopping the mid-line run option, and Reshaude Miller did a good job in the secondary by making stops and protecting against the passing game. Offensively, we just didn't have a lot happening."
Morgan State (1-3, 1-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) opened in a 3-4 scheme instead of the 4-3 it ran last week against No. 23 North Dakota State last week. The scheme change held Howard's triple-option offense to 129 yards on 68 plays, including a season-high four sacks with three interceptions.
Despite holding a commanding advantage in time of possession (35:02-to-24:58), first downs (12-to-4) and total yards (129-to-64), the Bears still made the most of its opportunities.
Kemar Scarlett scored the first points of the game when he hit a 45 yard field goal with 6:06 remaining in the first quarter to give the Bears an early 3-0 lead.
Morgan State's first offensive touchdown of the season came on a Donovan Dickerson 16 yard TD pass to freshman wideout Chuka Okakpu early in the second quarter.
Howard quarterback Casey Council engineered a 13-play, 73 yard drive into the MSU red zone. But on 2nd and goal from the MSU 9 yardline, Council attempted a short pass that was intercepted by Reshaude Miller who returned it 89 yards for a touchdown. It was the first interception return for a touchdown since 2008.
Howard's only points of the day came on the leg of Parker Munoz who connected on a 40 yard field goal just before halftime.
Morgan State's defense pitched a shutout in the second half and Scarlett hit a 46 yard field goal in the 3rd quarter that capped all scoring.
BEAR BITS
DL
Kevin Myrie was selected NYUL Football Classic Defensive MVP
WR #
Tyrone Hendrix# made his first start of the season and had a career-long 45 yard return
CB Nico Scott recorded his first interception as a Bear
WR Chuka Okakpu caught his first career TD, also marking the Bears' first TD of the season
WR Winfred Diggs suffered a concussion during the Bears first play from scrimmage
