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GAME TIME
Morgan State (2-4, 2-2) will attempt to snap a two-game losing streak when they travel to take on the Norfolk State Spartans (1-6, 0-4) on Saturday. The game will mark NSU's homecoming and is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff at Dick Price Stadium. WEAA, 88.9 FM will be broadcasting the game live. The Bears will look to rebound from a 21-17 Homecoming loss to North Carolina Central, while the Spartans posted a 21-14 home loss to Bethune-Cookman and remain in search of its first conference win. This will mark the 31st meeting in the series.
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 Lex Taylor in the booth. The game will be broadcast live on 88.9 FM and streamed on WEAA.org.
QUICK HITS
• Graduate student transfer QB Chris Andrews currently ranks No. 4 in the MEAC in total offense (1,047 yds); No. 3 in passing (961 yds, 9 TDs) and No. 4 in pass effic. (122.3).
• Sophomore RB Eric Harrell ran for a game-high 121 yards on 21 carries last week vs. North Carolina Central.
• Senior WR Ladarious Spearman has 16 catches (No. 6 in MEAC) for 291 yards and 3 TDs.
• Senior LB Greg Gibson ranks T-No. 4 in the MEAC in tackles (50) and posted a career-high 13 stops with 4 TFL and a fumble recovery vs. Howard in Week 4.
• The Bears rank No. 4 in the league in total offense by averaging 314.3 yards per game.
• MSU ranks T-No. 4 in the MEAC in sacks with 11.
• The game vs. Norfolk State will mark the Bears' third straight homecoming game in the last three weeks. MSU fell at Hampton 22-12, followed by last week's 21-17 loss to North Carolina Central.
THE SERIES
• Norfolk State leads the series against Morgan State with an overall record of 19-11 since the teams first played in 1965.
• The Bears have lost 9-straight meetings since 2007.
• Last year, Greg Hankerson passed for a touchdown and rushed for the game-winning score, sending Norfolk State to a 17-10 season finale win over the Bears at Hughes Stadium on Nov. 21, 2015.• The last time at Dick Price Stadium for MSU was on Sept. 27, 2014. The Spartans used a last minute drive to rally and pull out its first victory of the season with a 15-14 win.
LAST TIME OUT VS. NORFOLK STATE
BALTIMORE, Md. (Nov. 21, 2015) - Greg Hankerson passed for a touchdown and rushed for the game-winning score, sending Norfolk State to a 17-10 win over Morgan State at Hughes Stadium. Tied 10-10 in the fourth quarter, Hankerson kept it and went 57 yards to put the Spartans on top with 8:05 remaining. Moses Skillon found Orlando Johnson for a 12-yard score on the ensuing drive, and the Bears went to halftime with a 7-3 lead.
A GLANCE AT THE SPARTANS
• Norfolk State finished the 2015 season with a 4-7 overall mark and finished with a 4-4 conference mark. They capped the season by winning two of their last three games, including a season finale victory at Morgan State.
• The Bears' last road win against Norfolk State was on Nov. 4, 2006 when they had a 29-20 victory at Dick Price Stadium.
• Senior QB Greg Hankerson (6-0, 190) ranks No. 5 in the MEAC in passing. He has completed 51 percent of his passes (98- 184) for 1,066 yards with 5 TDs and 4 INTs. He's also NSU's leading rusher with 303 yards (No. 9 in MEAC) on 106 carries, including 5 TDs.
• Tailback Gerard Johnson will also get carries for the Spartans' ground attack and has 199 yards (4.1 avg) on 48 carries.
• Hankerson will also look to target WRs Marcus Taylor (24 rec., 291 yds - No. 9; 2 TDs), Gerard Johnson (18 rec., 176 yds) and James Church (17 rec., 170 yds, TD) in the passing game.
• Defensively, the Spartans will be led by junior LBs T.C. Livingston and Kyle Archie. Livingston ranks No. 2 in the MEAC in tackles has 46 tackles (21 solo) with nine tackles for loss and two sacks, while Archie ranks No. 3 with 60 stops (27 solo).
• Senior DL Chris Lee leads the team in sacks (2.5) and has 25 tackles and 2 QB hurries.
• Senior DB Donte Haynesworth has led the secondary with 41 tackles, .5 TFL and a pass breakup.
• NSU enters Saturday's contest with the MEAC's No. 4 ranked leader in scoring defense (29.1), total defense (362.0), total defense (329.6), and No. 3 pass defense (180.7).
• NSU ranks No. 4 in the MEAC in red zone offense. The Spartans have 8 touchdowns and 4 field goals on 15 appearances inside the 20 yardline.
A WIN WOULD ...
...give Fred T. Farrier his 22nd career win as a head coach.
... give Fred T. Farrier his 3rd win as MSU's interim head coach.
... mark Fred T. Farrier's 3rd win against an MEAC opponent.
... mark its first road win since defeating Delaware State on Oct. 3, 2015 in Dover.
... mark the Bears 12th win against Norfolk State since 1965.
... snap MSU's 2-game losing streak.
... snap the Bears' 9-game losing streak to Norfolk State.
PRESEASON PICKED LAST
Morgan State, who finished T-4th place a season ago, was picked to finish seventh (7th) to co-defending MEAC champions and Preseason #1 North Carolina A&T, #2 Bethune-Cookman and #3 N.C. Central.
PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
Five (5) Morgan State football players were named to the 2016 MEAC preseason team, which was voted on by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Redshirt senior cornerback Delonta Hall was named first-team All-MEAC, while senior running back Orlando Johnson was a second-team selection. Redshirt senior tight end Willie Gillus III, junior offensive lineman Joshua Miles and junior defensive lineman Jai Franklin were third-team picks.
BEARS OPEN 118th SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 118th season of football, and the first under interim head coach Fred T. Farrier.
RETURN MEN
The 2016 Morgan State Bears return 66 letterwinners, including 15 starters - 9 on offense, 8 on defense and 1 on special teams.
CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS
The Bears enter the 2016 season looking to post their first winning season since going 7-6 in 2014.
NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Bears will open the 2016 campaign against two of its first three non-conference matchups. MSU opens the season at home against Holy Cross (Sept. 3), followed by a road game at Marshall (Sept. 10). The Bears round out non-conference in a season-finale matchup at Army (Nov.19).
BEARS NAME TEAM CAPTAINS
The MSU Bears wrapped up the preseason by naming the team captains for the 2016 season. The leadership group is comprised of four seniors and a junior ... offense - Thomas Martin (Naples, Fla.), Dominique Woods (Skyline, Texas) - defense - Greg Gibson (Houston, Texas), Ayodeji Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) and special teams - Willie Gillus III (Suffolk, Va.).
BEARS OPEN 40th SEASON IN MEAC
The Bears will open its 40th season in the MEAC when they host the Howard Bison on Sept. 24.
• The Bears opened the 2015 MEAC schedule with a 21-13 victory against Howard at the 18th Annual Chicago Football Classic at Soldier Field.
• The Bears kicked off its first season in the MEAC in 1971. Morgan State withdrew from the conference at the end of the 1979-80 fiscal year, before returning to the MEAC in 1984.
MSU IN THE CIAA
Morgan State was a power as a former member of the 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.
HOME AT THE CAVE
Morgan State opened its 2016 season with a home-opener against Holy Cross on Sept. 3. The Bears 2016 schedule features five home games in Hughes Stadium, including a meeting with MEAC co-champion Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 5 in Baltimore.
ROAD WOES
Morgan State continues to be in search of its first road win of the 2016 season. The Bears dropped a 62-0 decision at Marshall (Sept. 10) and fell 22-12 at Hampton. Following this weekend's contest in the Tidewater, the remaining road games for the Bears will be at Florida A&M (Nov. 12), Army (Nov. 19) and at Savannah State (Nov. 26). MSU's last win outside of the confines of Hughes Stadium was on Oct. 3, 2015 when they handed Delaware State a 26-6 loss in Dover.
Game Tickets: Season tickets for all five contests at Hughes Stadium are on sale now. For Morgan State football ticket information click here.
Click here for the 2016 Football Schedule
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