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@MorganStAthleticsDURHAM, N.C. – Morgan State chose not to play it safe in the final moments of a back-and-forth contest in O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. The risky decision may have ended any hope of defending its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title.
On 3
rd and 11 from the Eagle's 16,
Seth Higgins took the snap and rolled left before throwing back across the field to running back
Orlando Johnson. Higgins' pass was intercepted by North Carolina Central cornerback Ryan Smith at the 2 and was returned to the 13 with 2:48 left, and the Bears fell 20-17 to NCCU on Saturday afternoon.
Morgan State (3-4, 3-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) was moving the ball down the field for the potential tying field goal or go-ahead score with Higgins running the show. The redshirt senior, who was inserted late in the first quarter, completed a 21-yard pass to
Landen Malbrough, followed by a 39-yard strike to
Ladarious Spearman to put the Bears in prime scoring position with 1
st and 10 for the Eagles 15.
Higgins completed 17 of 26 passes for 226 yards and accounted for a pair of touchdowns. He also led the Bears with 16 carries for 30 yards.
Dorrell McClain ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and NCCU finished with 187 rushing yards while stifling the Bears ground attack to a season-low -11 yards.
Nigel Macauley booted a 30-yard field goal after a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter to improve the Eagles record to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the MEAC.
MSU's punter
Chris Moller fumbled a low snap that Ramone Simpson recovered at the MSU 19 with 7:41 remaining. The Bears defense held and Macauley booted in the winning points.
McClain scored a pair of touchdowns to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Bears responded with 14 unanswered points when Higgins scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter, and scored on the opening drive of the second half when he tossed a 4-yard TD to tight end Wille Gillus.
Macauley connected on a 47-yard field goal in the third quarter (6:52) to retake the lead, before MSU's Moller blasted a career-high 50-yard field goal to knot the ballgame at 17 apiece in the fourth quarter.
