Morgan State Notes  |     Bethune-Cookman Notes |    MEAC Notes |   Purchase Tickets |
 MEAC Teleconference Transcript  |     GAMEDAYGuide   |  
 Facebook.com/MorganStateBears   |    @MorganStBears

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.

GAME TIME
Morgan State returns to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference action on Saturday when the Bears travel to face Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Bears enter the game fresh off of a bye week. MSU holds a 3-4 overall mark and are 3-2 in league play following a 20-17 loss at North Carolina Central. Bethune-Cookman is coming off a 49-21 rout at Delaware State last week to improve to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in conference action. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Municipal Stadium and will be broadcast by WEAA, 88.9FM.
 
THE SERIES
• Saturday marks the 28^th meeting in the series that began with a 52-9 Bethune-Cookman win in 1986. The Wildcats hold a 19-8 advantage in the series against Morgan State.
• The Wildcats have won three straight against Morgan State, including four of the last five meetings since 2008.
• The last meeting against the Wildcats was on Nov. 3, 2012 at Hughes Stadium.  Isidore Jackson rushed for 111 yards and a late touchdown to lead Bethune-Cookman over Morgan State 24-13. The Wildcats rushing attack produced 259 yards, while MSU managed just 76 yards on the ground.
• The last meeting in Daytona (Fla.) was on Nov. 5, 2011. Bethune-Cookman's offense registered over 400 yards of offense to help snap MSU's 3-game winning streak. Isidore Jackson rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown, and Jackie Wilson ran for three touchdowns as the Wildcats eased past MSU 49-23 before a Homecoming crowd at Municipal Stadium. Freshman quarterback Seth Higgins completed 15 of 26 passes for 178 yards, including two touchdowns and he had two passes intercepted.
 
QUICK HITS
• R-senior QB Moses Skillon completed 4-of-7 passes for 30 yards before being replaced in the lineup by redshirt senior Seth Higgins late in the first quarter. Higgins completed 17 of 26 passes for 226 yards and accounted for a pair of touchdowns.
• MSU senior Andrew King ranks No. 4 in the FCS averaging 20.6 yards per return. He had a 40-yard punt return to help set up the Bears first score at N.C. Central. He also had three receptions for 18 yards.
• R-junior Chris Moller connected on a career-high 50-yard field goal at North Carolina Central…it was also the longest field goal in the MEAC so far this season.
• At N.C. Central, MSU's offense totaled -11 rushing yards (lowest total of season) and a touchdown, and 256 passing yards with a TD.
• Head Coach Lee Hull hold a 2-2 career record in games played in November.
•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 WILDCATS
•  Bethune-Cookman finished the 2014 season with an overall mark of 9-3 and a 6-2 conference record and captured a share of the MEAC title.
•  They returned 13 starters (6 offense/2 defense) from a team that won three of its last four games.
•  The Wildcats had seven (7) players selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Team and was tabbed to finish third in the MEAC's preseason predicted order of finish. The seven players are: OL Dariusz Bladek, RB Michael D. Jones, OL Trevin Huff, Marquis Drayton, QB Quinton Williams, RB Anthony Jordan an P Jonathan Cagle.
• Larry Brihm rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns and Bethune-Cookman rolled up 353 yards on the ground to defeat Delaware State 49-21 at Alumni Field. Brihm had 19 carries and touchdown runs of 1 and 4 yards , and Michael D. Jones had 98 yards on 12 carries and a 2-yard touchdown for the Wildcats.
•  QB Quinton Williams (6-0,190), a 2015 Preseason All-MEAC  2nd Team selection, will enter Municipal Stadium ranked No. 1 in pass efficiency (177.4 effic.) , No. 3 in total offense (228.0/g) and No. 4 in passing average (187.6/g). The redshirt senior from Tampa (Fla.) has completed 101-of-158 passes for 1,688 yards and 15 TDs, including six picks. He's also the Wildcats' third leading rusher with 364 yards on100 carries and has a pair of TDs on the ground.
•  The Wildcats' offense is the best in the MEAC and ranks No. 34 in the nation by averaging a whopping 428.1 yards per game. BCU also ranks No. 1 in the league in passing (248.8/g), No. 2 in scoring offense (30.2/g), and No. 3 in rushing (179.3/g).
•  RB Anthony Jordan (6-0,220) has compiled 515 yards (4.4 avg) on 116 carries with seven TDs and ranks No. 4 in the MEAC in rushing. Junior Michael D. Jones (6-2,187) is also ranked among the league's rushing leaders (No. 7) with 471 yards and six TDs.
• The main target in the Wildcats' air attack has been standout wideout Jawill Davis (5-11,177) and Frank Brown (5-11,185). Davis leads the way with 29 receptions for 604 yards (20.8 avg), while junior Davis has 23 catches for 293 yards and five TDs.
• The defense has been led by redshirt freshman LB Trenton Bridges (6-0, 234), who ranks No. 13 in the MEAC in tackles (59 tackles), including 3.0 TFLs, and a forced fumble; while sophomore SS Diquan Richardson (5-11, 167) also has added 56 stops, 2.0 TFL, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a sack. Senior LB Robert Way (6-1,209) has added a team-high seven tackles for loss and has 55 tackles.
• The Wildcats are the best team in the league in first downs. They have 182 first downs in nine games…that breaks down to an average of just over 20 per game.
• Terry Sims was introduced as the 15^th head coach at Bethune-Cookman on December 22, 2015. The 43-year old native of Jesup, Georgia took over the program after spending the previous five years as an assistant coach for the Wildcats. He's in his sixth year as a member of Bethune-Cookman.
 
A WIN WOULD ...
... give Lee Hull his 11th career win as a head coach.
... would snap the Wildcats' 3-game winning streak vs. Morgan State.
... mark its third road win of the season.
... mark the Bears first win against Bethune-Cookman at Municipal Stadium since a 24-13 win on Oct. 3, 2009.

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.).
 
HULL vs. THE MEAC
MSU coach Lee Hull is 8-4 in all games against teams from the MEAC. Hull's only losses came last year against Norfolk State (L, 14-15, Sept. 17, 2014) and N.C. A&T (L, 0-45, Nov. 8, 2014), and this season against Hampton (L, 10-20, Oct. 17, 2015) and at North Carolina Central (L, 17-20, Oct. 24, 2015).
 
AVOIDING THE KETCHUP
Through the first seven games, Morgan State has gotten off to slow starts on offense. The Bears have been outscored in the first quarter by a 50-7 margin. MSU has scored 35 points in the first half of the first three games (11.6 avg), and have averaged just 4.3 points per game (13 points) in the first half of the last three games.