Boxscore
DURHAM, N.C. -- For Morgan State , it was another chapter in the brief but growing legend of Donald Hill-Eley coaching from the booth.
Hill entered the ballgame, following a 44 point outing against Savannah State, and watched as his offense opened up with 42 first half points en route to a 52-3 rout at North Carolina Central.
“The guys played hard and to have this kind of success on the road is pretty great,” said Hill.
“I don't know if it's about me being in the pressbox, because I don't want people to think this is the way to do it. It's just the fact that these kids are playing hard and they understand that when things happen you can't sit around waiting for people to help you, you just have to do whatever it takes to survive.”
The win marked the most points scored by the Bears since a 55-26 victory at Savannah State on Sept. 17, 2005. MSU improves to 4-3 overall and moves into a tie for second place with a 3-1 record in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
The Bears rolled up 415 yards of total offense, while the Eagles finished with 168 yards and was limited to just 52 yards in the first half.
Davidson was absolutely sensational, rushing for 142 yards on 25 carries and scored three touchdowns on runs of 49, 2 and 8 yards.
“I think we played hard, and we played as a team,” said Davidson. “I owe a lot of credit to the offensive line, because they were able to open up lanes for me. We're coming together week by week. We just need to continue to practice and work hard.”
Morgan State lit up the scoreboard just three minutes into the game when true freshman quarterback
Seth Higgins tossed a 15-yard touchdown to sophomore wideout
Chuka Okakpu. The extra point by Irvin Gonzalez put the Bears in the lead 7-0.
The Bears' next score was setup by a pass interference call on NCCU's Brian Frierson to give the Bears first down at the Eagles' 16. Three plays later, senior running back
Jourdan Brooks bulled over some Eagles to help put the Bears up 14-0 with 6:22 left in the first quarter
NCCU (1-5, 0-3 MEAC) go on the scoreboard following an 8-play, 55-yard drive that culminated in a 35-yard field goal by Oleg Parent. The Eagles trailed 14-3 with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter. It was as close as the Eagles would get for the remainder of the game.
The Bears ended up outscoring NCCU 28-0, with three drives being scored in less than 60 seconds. Davidson scored on a 49-yard TD run down the right sideline (41 sec.).
On the Eagles ensuing possession, the snap flew over QB Michael Johnson's head and was recovered by MSU at the Eagles' 15. Two plays and 39 seconds later, Davidson plunged in from 2 yards out to give the Bears a 28-3 lead. Davidson completed the tri-fecta, following another Eagles turnover, this time on the ensuing kickoff. MSU took over 1st and goal at the 8, and 5 seconds later Davidson was running into the endzone for an 8-yard touchdown.
The Bears returned to the scoreboard just before the intermission. Senior tight end
Lamont Bryant caught a pass over the middle from Higgins and raced 52-yards before being tackled at the Eagles' 10. On 1
st and goal, Higgins ran a playaction bootleg and found junior tight end
Jorge Young wide open for a touchdown. The Bears took a 42-3 lead into the break and never looked back.
Higgins, the reigning MEAC Rookie of the Week, threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 13-for-18 passing.
“I haven't had a kid with this must poise in a long time," Hill said about the play of Higgins. "To see a kid make the great decisions that he's making, I'm happy to have him here and I'm looking forward to having him for the next few years.”
The Bears cushioned the lead with special teams play. A 49-yard punt by junior
Nicholas Adams, was muffed by Arthur Goforth at the 5 and was recovered by the Bears.
Andrew King scored off tackle to make it 48-3 with 9:22 left, and Gonzalez capped all scoring with a 20 yard field goal.
It was a collective and dominant performance by the defense. Freshman linebacker
Michael Dallas II led the Bears with six tackles and two sacks. Junior linebacker
Allen Stephens chipped in five tackles, while junior cornerback
Kenneth Ridley added four tackles and recorded his third interception of the season.
“It was definitely a very exciting win,” said MSU defensive coordinator Alonzo Lee. “It was a total team effort in all three phases.”
“Defensively, we did a few good things. We forced quite a few three-and outs, and had some turnovers. We're starting to see that when we play assignment football, and do things how it's drawn up, good things will start to happen. I'm excited about our possibilities.”
