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GAME TIME
Morgan State will take to the road fresh off of a bye week when they return to MEAC play with a matchup at South Carolina State. The match-up will kick off in Oliver Dawson Stadium on Friday, Oct. 6th at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU. 

• The Bears enter the 2017 season under the leadership of Fred T. Farrier who had the interim tag removed and assumed the full-time position as MSU's head football coach.

• MSU is coming off a 49-17 home loss to #15 N.C. A&T  and will look to bounce back from an 0-4 start to the season. South Carolina State is coached by Oliver "Buddy" Pough, a 1975 graduate of SCSU. The Bulldogs are 1-3 overall and fell to 0-2 in the conference following a 21-7 home loss versus #13 N.C. A&T last Saturday. 

TELEVISION
ESPNU will be broadcasting the game live ...  Eric Clemons will handle play-by-play duties with color analyst Jay Walker.

LIVE STATS & LIVE STREAM
www.scsuathletics.com

TICKETS
Season ticket plans—which include a ticket to all five home games, including homecoming start at only $95. Premium seats are now available for purchase by calling 443.885.1522 or visiting MSU Student Center Athletics Ticket Office during business hours (Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or visit  morganstatebears.com/tickets.
  
SOCIAL NETWORKS
Fans can keep up-to-date with all MSU Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/MorganStBears and @MorganStateFootball. You can also become a fan of the Bears on Facebook at Facebook.com/MorganStateBears.

RADIO
WEAA, 88.9 FM is the flagship station for the Morgan State Bears ... Lamont Germany will call the play-by-play with Kelvin Bridgers in the booth. The game will be broadcast live on 88.9 FM and streamed on WEAA.org. 

QUICK HITS
• After Week 5, the Bears rank No. 2 in pass yards allowed (137.2) and No. 14 in the FCS in total tackles for loss (32).
• R-junior QB Elijah Staley (6-7, 240) transferred from Tyler Junior College (Tex) where he completed 21 of 36 passes for 373 yards, including 5 TDs during the 2016 season.  
• MSU's offense posted 343 yards of offense against N.C A&T (Sept. 23) was the most since 2015 when the Bears recorded 366 yards against Savannah State.
• NT Jai Franklin was named to the 2016 All-MEAC Second Team as a junior. Franklin was a force on the Bears' defensive line where he finished the 2016 season with 50 stops, 13.0 TFL and four sacks.
• SS Carl Garnes was a standout for the Bears secondary a season ago. The Columbus, N.J. native was named to the 2016 All-MEAC Third Team and garnered 35 tackles and a pair of INTs in 10 games played.
• Morgan State has not started a season with three straight losses since 2013, a year they finished 5-7 under Donald Hill-Eley.
• Fred T. Farrier's Bears are predicted to finish 8th in the MEAC's 2017 Preseason Order of Finish. 

THE SERIES
• Friday's matchup marks the 38th meeting between the two schools.  
• The Bulldogs lead the overall series 30-6-1 since 1971.
• Morgan State posted a 24-21 victory in the last meeting in Baltimore in 2014.
• SCSU has won nine of the last 10 meetings (2003-2014) against the Bears.
• The Bulldogs hold an 18-3 home record against Morgan State.

A GLANCE AT THE BULLDOGS
•  South Carolina State finished 2016 with an overall mark of 5-6 and finished third in the conference with a 5-3 record.
• South Carolina State runs a Multiple/Pro I offense and a Multiple 4 set on defense.
•  Head coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough's (SCSU, '75) offense is averaging 314.0 yards of total offense (121.8 rushing; 192.5 passing). They have scored 4 rushing TDs and 3 passing. The Bulldogs average 3.7 yards per rush and 7.2 per pass, including 13.5 per catch.
•  SCSU's offense is led by QB Dewann Ford, Jr. The 6-2, 185-pound Atlanta product has completed 57-of-106 passes (53.8%)  for 770 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs. He also leads the team with 50 carries for 163 yards and 2 TDs.
•  RB Trey Samuel is averaging 27.0 rushing yards with a TD. The 5-9, 180 pound redshirt-senior has 108 yards on 28 carries (3.9 avg) and has four receptions for 59 yards and a TD.
• Three receivers have over 100 yards receiving: Tra'Quan DuBose, 230; Quan Caldwell, 174; and De'Mo Burroughs, 188. Caldwell has 14 catches and a TD. DuBose is averaging 16.4 yards per catch and Burroughs 15.7.
• SCSU is allowing 259.5 yards of total offense (rushing 121.8; passing 192.5). The Bulldogs have also forced five turnovers (4 INT; 1 FR). Opponents are averaging 4.3 yards per play. The Bulldogs have recorded 29 TFL.
• SCSU's D will be led by 2016's MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Darius Leonard. Leonard, 6-3, 235) leads the league with 43 tackles (10.8 pg), with 2.0 sacks (ranked T-No. 10), and 4 QB hurries. He was named to the Butkas Award Watch List that honors the nation's best linebacker.
• SCSU has one of the best kick specialists in the league in Tyler Scandrett. The 5-9, Barnesville, Ga. native has connected on 6-of-7 field goals (No. 1 in the MEAC), including a long of 39-yards. He also has a 44-yard punt that was downed inside the 20.
• South Carolina State's Javon Hargrave was selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished his college career as a 2x selection as the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. He currently has 6 tackles and 2 sacks thru four games for the Steelers.

NOTABLE NATIONAL NOTES
Here are a few 2017 FCS national statistics of note on offense, defense and special teams that pertained to the Bears:
• Rico Kennedy currently ranks in the T-No. 24 in the FCS in tackles for loss (6.5).
• The Bears rank No. 5 in passing yards allowed (137.3).
• The Bears rank T-No. 14 in tackles for loss (32).
• The Bears rank No. 29 in pass efficiency defense (116.58).
• The Bears rank No. 45 in first down defense (81).
• The Bears rank T-No. 48 in sacks allowed (6).
• The Bears rank No. 49 in total defense (358.5)

BEARS CONTINUE 41st SEASON IN THE MEAC
• Morgan State will continue its 41st season of MEAC action when they face South Carolina State on Friday, Oct. 6.
• The Bears opened the 2017 MEAC schedule with a 49-17 loss against #15 N.C. A&T at Hughes Stadium. 
• 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.

ABOUT MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is celebrating its 150th year of excellence in higher education. A Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution, Morgan offers more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.