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GAME TIME
The Bears will host new conference member Savannah State when they hit the gridiron on Saturday (Oct. 8) for MSU's Homecoming. The Tigers will attempt to rebound from a disappointing 34-14 home-opener loss to Howard last Saturday at Ted A. Wright Memorial Stadium. MSU will look to get back in the win column following a disappointing 24-3 home loss against North Carolina A&T. Game time at Hughes Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. and there will be a live radio broadcast of the game on WEAA, 88.9 FM.
THE BEAR-TIGERS MATCHUP
• The Bears and Tigers will meet for the 7th time in history ... Morgan leads the series 6-0.
• MSU head coach Donald Hill-Eley holds a 3-0 record against the Tigers since 2003.
• The last time the two teams met was on August 30, 2007 during the Bears' home-opener. MSU defeated Savannah State 47-7 at Hughes Stadium.
• Donald Hill-Eley's teams have outscored the Tigers 147-47 in career opportunities. The average margin of win has been 33.3 points.
QUICK HITS
• Against N.C. A&T, true freshman
Seth Higgins completed 22-of-40 passes for169 yards and threw two interceptions in his first collegiate start at quarterback. He was also sacked three times.
• QB
Seth Higgins connected with eight (8) different receivers and was led by
Winfred Diggs (5-46 yds) and
Tyrone Hendrix (4-36 yds).
• Redshirt-freshman LB
Michael Dallas II collected two tackles against N.C. A&T before leaving the game in the first half with a concussion.
• Against N.C. A&T, standout junior LB
Allen Stephens recorded his first career interception in the first half to help setup a 43-yard field goal by junior placekicker
Ervin Gonzalez.
• MSU junior LB
Tierney Yates has collected back-to-back 10 tackles performances and leads the team with 4.5 sacks (T-2nd in the MEAC) this season ... he was recently named by the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) as an honorable mention following his outing against N.C. A&T.
• Redshirt-junior punter
Nicholas Adams had 4-of-7 punts drop inside the 20-yard line against the Aggies last week; "Turbo" finished the game with a 42.9 average and he currently ranks No. 3 in the MEAC by averaging 39.7 yards per punt.
MSU LEADS MEAC, RANKED T-No. 1 IN TO MARGIN
One of the positives of season has been MSU's ability to take care of the football as the Bears have turned the ball over nine times (3 fumbles, 6 interceptions). MSU
ranks No. 2 in the MEAC in turnover margin at plus-1 per game. Against N.C. A&T, MSU turned the ball over twice, while getting one takeaway from its defense in the loss. The Bears also
rank T-No. 5 in the FCS in turnovers gained (14).
SAVANNAH STATE NOTES
• The Tigers (1-4, 1-1 MEAC) will enter Hughes Stadium in search of its second win of the 2011 season. They started the season with a 3-game losing streak (Albany State - L, 34-37; SW Louisiana - L, 6-63; Appalachian State - L, 6-41). They captured their first win of the season at North Carolina Central (W, 33-30) before being dropped at home against Howard (L, 14-34).
• Savannah State is averaging 298.0 yards of total offense and 85.4 yards on the ground.
• One of the key problems for Savannah State this season has been on the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers rank last in total defense and have surrendered an average of 429 yards per game, including 205 points (41.0 avg) and 27 touchdowns.
• Sophomore quarterback
Antonio Bostic (6-1, 190, Quincy, Fla.) has completed 32-of-82 passes for 455 yards and two touchdowns. He has also thrown four interceptions. The Tigers' passing attack currently ranks No. 5 in the MEAC by averaging 212 yards in the air.
• The Tigers have the best (ranked No. 1) punt return game in the conference. They currently average 22.6 yards per return.
• Defensively, the Tigers are led by freshman lineman
Leroy Cummings. Cummings (6-2, 270, Thompson, Ga.) ranks No. 4 in the MEAC with 4.5 sacks and ranks No. 5 with 6.5 tackles for loss.
NEXT UP
After Saturday's contest the Bears will travel to Durham (N.C.) for a matchup with new conference opponent North Carolina Central ... Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on October 15 at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
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For ticket information contact the MSU Ticket Office at 443-885-3830, or contact Ticket Master at (410) 547-SEAT or via the web at http://www.ticketmaster.com.
