Morgan State Notes  |    Hampton Notes |    MEAC Notes |   Purchase Tickets |
 MEAC Teleconference (mp3)  |     GAMEDAYGuide   |  
 Facebook.com/MorganStateBears   |    @MorganStBears

GAME TIME
Morgan State (2-2, 2-0) hits the road for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play at Hampton (2-3, 2-1) on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (ET) at Armstrong Stadium and will be broadcast by Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com) and will also be streamed on SiriusXM radio (Sirius 132, XM 204). The Bears, who have won two straight, are coming off a 20-17 comeback victory on Sept. 24th against Delaware State. Hampton looks to build on its 27-17 road win against Delaware State. This will mark the 66th meeting in the series.

RADIO: Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com) will be covering this Saturday's contest at Hampton. Lamont Germany will call the play-by-play with former Bear coach Kelvin Bridgers in the booth. The game will also be streamed on SiriusXM radio (Sirius 132, XM 204).

QUICK HITS
• Graduate student transfer QB Chris Andrews made 10 starts in three seasons at Wagner College, and currently ranks No. 4 in the MEAC in total offense (804 yds); No. 3 in passing (704 yds, 6 TDs) and No. 3 in pass efficiency (120.5).

• R-senior RB Lamont Brown III ran for 72 yards on 17 carries to help defeat Delaware State in Week 5.

• Senior WR Thomas Martin ranks No. 3 in the MEAC in reception yards (213 yds) and No. 4 in receptions (15).

• Senior WR Ladarious Spearman has 12 catches (No. 4 in MEAC) for 207 yards and 2 TDs.

• Senior LB Greg Gibson ranks T-No. 2 in the MEAC in tackles 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 325.5 yards per game.

THE SERIES
• Morgan State leads the series against Hampton with an overall record of 38-25-2 since 1931.

• The last time at Hampton was on Nov. 1, 2014 when the Bears walked out of Armstrong Stadium with a 38-35 victory.

• Hampton has won four of the last six meetings against the Bears.

LAST TIME OUT VS. HAMPTON
BALTIMORE, Md. (Oct. 17, 2015) - Hampton forced four turnovers, one leading to a touchdown to help the Pirates knock off the Morgan State Bears 20-10, ruining their homecoming festivities at Hughes Stadium.  The Pirates win ended MSU's seven-game MEAC home winning streak, along with the Bears' two-game winning streak against Hampton.

A GLANCE AT THE PIRATES
• Hampton finished the 2015 season with a 6-5 overall mark and was 5-3 in MEAC play, including a 3-2 home record. They capped the season by four of their last six games.

•  The Bears' last home win at Armstrong Stadium was on Nov. 7, 2015 when they shutout Florida A&M 33-0 . 

•  QB Jaylian Williamson is the league's leading passer. The talented senior has completed 57 percent (95-of-167) of his passes for 1,222 yards, five TDs and five picks. Tailback Yahkee Johnson will lead the Pirates' ground attack and has 378 yards (No. 3 in MEAC) on 55 carries with a pair of TDs so far this season. Williamson  will also look to target WRs Rashawn Proctor (39 rec., 559 yds, TD - No. 1 in MEAC), Shakim Alonzo  (15 rec., 59 yds, 3TDs)  and Twarn Mixson (15 rec., 105 yds) in the passing game. 

• Defensively, the Pirates will be led by middle linebacker Devin Vandyke. Vandyke has 32 tackles (14 solo) with three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. Owen Obasuyi and Desmond Sturdivant leads the D in the trenches with 18 stops, 2.5 TFL and a sack, while Sturdivant has 17 stops and 1.5 TFL. CB Joseph Turner has led the secondary with 18 tackles and ranks T-No. 9 in the MEAC in passes defended (4).

•  Hampton comes into Saturday's contest with the MEAC's leading offense by racking up 401 yards per game, including a league-best 253 yards in the air.

•  Connell Maynard (N.C. A&T, '91) enters his 3rd season at the helm of the Pirates. During his playing days at North Carolina A&T, Maynor was named First- Team All-MEAC in both 1990 and 1991. In addition, Maynor was named the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year and was honored as the 100% Wrong Club Player of the Year in both 1990 and 1991 en route to leading the Aggies to the 1991 MEAC championship. 

•  Hampton's home football games are played at its on-campus facility in Hampton, Va.: Armstrong Stadium, capacity 12,000. The field is AstroTurf 3D Decade. The stadium was opened in 1928.

AREA TIES
• MSU's junior DL Jai Franklin and Hampton WR Rashawn Proctor were both at Old Dominion before transferring to their current teams.

• The Bears have five student-athletes from the state of Virginia … Morgan State's Lamont Brown III, Willie Gillus Jr. and Tra Revell are from Suffolk. Brown and Gillus attended Nanesmond River HS and Revell attended Lakeland HS; Torrance Little Jr. is from Richmond and graduated from Monacam HS.

HITTING THE ROAD
Saturday's contest with Savannah State (Oct. 8) is the second of six road games for the Bears this season. Following the game in Savannah (Ga.), the Bears' next road games will be at Hampton (Oct. 15), Norfolk State (Oct. 29) and Florida A&M (Nov. 12). The 2016 season will conclude on the road against Army on Nov. 19.

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 beating Delaware State on Oct. 3, 2015.
... mark the Bears 39th win against Hampton since 1931.
... improve Fred T. Farrier's record as MSU's interim head coach against Hampton to 1-0.

POLL POSITION
With Morgan State's 20-17 victory over Delaware State in Week 5 the Bears entered the Boxtorow HBCU FCS Coaches Top 10 Poll at No. 9. It was the first time Morgan State has been recognized by a national poll so far this season. The Bears fell to No. 10 following a week in which the Bears game versus Savannah State was rescheduled as a result of Hurricane Matthew. The Bears also sit at No. 10 in the latest Heritage Sports radio Network (HSRN) FCS Top 10 Poll.

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.

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
 
Follow Morgan State Athletics on Twitter (@MorganStBears) and Facebook (Facebook.com/MorganStateBears), in addition to www.MorganStateBears.com. The Morgan State Bears mobile application is also available for free download from the App Store and Android Market.

SaveSave