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MSU Looks to Bounce Back at North Carolina Central in Week 7

Game to be played at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham; will be broadcast live on WEAA-88.9FM


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TV: N/A

RADIO: WEAA, 88.9 FM is the flagship station for the Morgan State Bears .... Lamont Germany will call the play-by-play with former Bear coach Kelvin Bridgers in the booth. The game will be broadcast live on 88.9 FM and streamed on WEAA.org. The game will also be broadcast on Sirius 126 and XM 211.


GAME TIME
Morgan State will be after its fourth Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win on Saturday when the Bears travel to face North Carolina Central in Durham. The Bears enter the game with a 3-3 overall mark and are 3-1 in league play following last week's 20-10 homecoming loss to Hampton. MSU dropped out of the BoxtoRow HBCU FCS Coaches Poll this week after the loss to the Pirates. NCCU is coming off a come-from-behind win at Savannah State last week to improve to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in conference action. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium and will be broadcast by WEAA, 88.9FM.
 
THE SERIES
• Morgan State leads the series against N.C. Central with an overall record of 24-13-2 since the teams first played on Nov. 15, 1930.
• The Bears have won seven of the last eight meetings.
• Last year, Morgan State overcame a late 13-point deficit to defeat N.C. Central 21-20 on Andrew King's 15-yard TD pass from Robert Council with 32.4 seconds left.

QUICK HITS
• R-senior QB Moses Skillon completed 17-of-36 passes for 141 yards vs. Hampton, including his first interception since throwing one in the season-opener at Air Force.
• MSU senior Andrew King ranks No. 4 in the FCS averaging 20.1 yards per return. He had a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown and finished with three punt returns for 128 yards last week versus Hampton. 
• R-junior Chris Moller connected on a career-high 49-yard field goal against Hampton…it was also the longest field goal in the MEAC so far this season.
• MSU's offense totaled 135 rushing yards (2nd lowest total of season).
• Head Coach Lee Hull hold a 4-2 career record in games played in October.
• Lee Hull's Bears were predicted to finish last in the MEAC's Preseason Order of Finish. However, MSU not only finished with its' first winning record since 2009...but they also captured its first MEAC Title in 35 years and its first Division I FCS Playoff berth.
 
SCOUTING THE PIRATES
•  The Eagles finished the 2014 season with an overall mark of  7-5 and a 6-2  conference record and captured a share of the MEAC title.
•  They returned 51 letterwinners to go along with 15 starters from a team that won four of its last five games.
•  The Pirates had nine (9) players selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Team and was tabbed to finish fourth in the MEAC's preseason predicted order of finish.
• Malcolm Bell passed for 116 yards and two TDs and ran for 92 yards and another score as NCCU came back from a 22-0 deficit to beat Savannah State 39-22. Dorrel McClain rushed for 135 yards on 18 carries and the Eagles amassed 291 rushing yards.
•  QB Malcom Bell, a 2014 All-MEAC  2nd Team selection, will enter O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium ranked No. 7 in passing average and No. 10 in pass efficiency. The redshirt-junior from Richmond (Va.) has completed 65-of-129 passes for 731 yards and 4 TDs, including six picks. He's also the Eagles' second leading rusher with 302 yards on 66 carries.
•  The Eagles' ground game is the best in the MEAC and ranks No. 34 in the nation (182.8/g). Dorrel McClain (5-10,172), who sat out the 2014 season, has compiled 467 yards (6.1 avg) on 76 carries with 3 TDs and ranks No. 2 in the MEAC in rushing.
• The main target in the Eagles' air attack has been standout wideout LaVontis Smith (5-10,170) and Armani Lanier (6-1,205). Smith leads the way with 21 receptions for 169 yards, while junior Smith has 19 catches for 158 yards and four TDs.
• The defense has been led by All-MEAC safety C.J. Moore (6-2, 200), who ranks No. 5 in the MEAC in tackles (49 tackles), including 3.5 TFLs, 2 INTs, 2 blocked kicks and a fumble recovery; while linebacker Jordan Miles (5-11, 225) also has added 42 stops (ranked No. 11 in MEAC), 2.5 TFL, and a sack.
• The Eagles are the best team in the league in scoring in the redzone. They have scored on 25-of-28 chances, with 16 TDs.

A WIN WOULD ...
... give Lee Hull his 11th career win as a head coach.
... would be the Bears' third straight victory over N.C. Central.
... mark the Bears first time opening the conference 4-1 since 2008.
... mark its third time road win of the season.
... mark the Bears third consecutive road win.
... mark the Bears third straight win at O'Kelley Riddick Stadium since Oct. 15, 2011.

FOOTBALL HERITAGE
Morgan State was a power as a former member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). The Bears posted 173 wins between 1929 and 1959 when Edward P. Hurt was the head coach and the Bears won 14 CIAA championships. Earl Banks added to the championship collection by winning four titles during the 1960s and a MEAC title in 1971. Clarence Thomas led the Bears to a MEAC title in 1979...and now - after a 35-year drought - head coach Lee Hull has added a MEAC title following a thrilling and historical 2014 season.
Other MSU highlights:
•Four (4) Pro Football  Hall of Famers (Len Ford, Leroy Kelly, Roosevelt Brown & Willie Lanier)
•19 CIAA championships
•4  MEAC championships
•30 consecutive games won (8th in 1964 to the 5th in 1968)
•57 longest non-losing streak (4th in 1931 to the 6th in 1938)
•4 MEAC Coaches of the Year; 3 Offensive POTY;
4 Defensive POTY; and 1 Offensive POTY
•84 All-MEAC First Team selections
•38 All-CIAA First Team selections

CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS
The Bears enter the 2015 season looking to post their first back-to-back winning seasons (over .500) since going 7-5 in 2002 and 6-5 in 2003.

NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Bears will open the 2015 campaign with two of its first three non-conference matchups coming on the road. MSU opens the season at Air Force (Sept. 5), followed by a game at Illinois State (Sept. 12). The Bears round out non-conference play when they host Division II member VA-Lynchburg (Sept. 19) in the home-opener.

BEARS NAME TEAM CAPTAINS
The MSU Bears wrapped up the preseason by naming the team captains for the 2015 season. The leadership group is comprised of a senior, two juniors and a sophomore ... offense - Andrew King (Columbia, Md.), defense - Andrew Mitchell (Memphis, Tenn.) and Greg Gibson (Houston, Texas) and special teams - Chris Moller (Newport News, Va.).

BEARS LOOKING TO START 4-1 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2008
The Bears will look for its fourth win of the season on Saturday versus MEAC foe North Carolina Central.
• The Bears dropped to 3-1 with a 20-10 homecoming loss against Hampton last Saturday.
• MSU will look for its first 4-1 MEAC start since the 2008 team lost to Bethune-Cookman before stringing together a 4-game winning streak beating N.C. A&T, Howard, Delaware State and Florida A&M.
• The Bears finished the 2008 season with a 6-6 overall record and a 4-4 MEAC mark.

MSU IS 3-2 UNDER HULL FOLLOWING A LOSS
MSU is 3-2 since 2014 under Lee Hull following a loss. The only time the Bears have lost back-to-back games was in the 2014 season when the Bears dropped the season opener at BCS-member Eastern Michigan (L, 28-31) followed by a loss to Hull's alma mater Holy Cross (L, 26-29), and this season at Air Force (L, 7-63) and #4 Illinois State (L, 14-67). Hull's Bears have never lost consecutive MEAC games. 

 
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Players Mentioned

Robert Council

#15 Robert Council

QB
6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
Moses Skillon

#12 Moses Skillon

QB
6' 5"
Senior
Greg Gibson

#41 Greg Gibson

LB
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Andrew King

#11 Andrew King

WR
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Andrew Mitchell

#92 Andrew Mitchell

DL
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Chris Moller

#37 Chris Moller

PK
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

Robert Council

#15 Robert Council

6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
QB
Moses Skillon

#12 Moses Skillon

6' 5"
Senior
QB
Greg Gibson

#41 Greg Gibson

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
LB
Andrew King

#11 Andrew King

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
WR
Andrew Mitchell

#92 Andrew Mitchell

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
DL
Chris Moller

#37 Chris Moller

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
PK