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GAME TIME
Morgan State faces Rutgers in non-conference play on Saturday, Sept. 16 at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised by the Big Ten Network (BTN) and broadcast by WEAA, 88.9FM.

• 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.

• Morgan State looks to bounce back from its second consecutive shutout after suffering a 26-0 home loss to UAlbany. Rutgers is coached by Chris Ash, a 1996 graduate of Drake. The Scarlet Knights will attempt to rebound from a 16-13 upset loss to Eastern Michigan. 

TELEVISION
Big Ten Network (BTN) will be broadcasting the game live ...  Scott Graham will handle play-by-play duties with color analyst Ray Lucas.

LIVE STREAM
www.scarletknights.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 2, the Bears rank No. 5 in pass efficiency defense (75.87) and No. 6 in the FCS in total defense (221.0/g)
• 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 senior RB Eric Harrell ranked second for the Bears in rushing last season with 350 yards (3.4 avg) with a team-high three TDs in 11 games. The running game will also be bolstered by the return of Herb Walker Jr.
• 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.
• Fred T. Farrier's Bears are predicted to finish 8th in the MEAC's 2017 Preseason Order of Finish. 

A GLANCE AT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
•  Rutgers finished 2016 with an overall mark of 2-10 and an 0-8 conference record, including 9-consecutive losses to end the season...Rutgers' last win was a 37-28 victory against New Mexico on Sept. 17, 2016. The Scarlet Knights' current 11-game losing streak is the longest in the FBS.
•  Rutgers runs a multiple set offense with elements of the spread and pro-style in the playbook, and they run a 4-3 base defense.
•  Head coach Chris Ash(Drake, '96) added three new members to his coaching staff - offensive coordinator/QB coach Jerry Kill, cornerbacks coach Henry Baker and running backs coach Lester Erb.  
•  Rutgers offense is led by 6-2, 212-pound  QB Kyle Bolin. Bolin, the Louisville graduate transferred to Rutgers in the summer, and has completed 57.7 percent (41-of-71) of his passes for 376 yards and 2 TDs.
•  WR Janarion Grant (5-10, 178) is on the Maxwell Watch List (given to America's College Player of the Year) and the Hornung Award (most versatile player in the nation). Grant currently has 11 catches for 111 yards (55.5 avg/g) and a TD through two games. He's also averaging 11.5 yards per punt return, including a long of 27 yards.
• The Scarlet Knights offensive line has done a solid job of keeping Kyle Bolin upright. Rutgers has allowed just two sacks in two games (currently ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten). 
• R-senior Gus Edwards (6-1, 235) and senior Robert Martin (5-11, 212) will provide a 1-2 punch for Rutgers' ground attack. Edwards scored his first TD of the season last week versus Eastern Michigan and has recorded 36 carries for 135 yards (3.8 avg.) through the first two contests. Martin has rushed for 123 yards (4.7 avg) on 26 carries.
• Junior LB Deonte Roberts (6-1,235) leads the Rutgers' defense.  He racked up a game-high 8 stops against Eastern Michigan last Saturday. The Brooklyn native has 16 tackles through two games.
• Since 2009, Rutgers has blocked 47 kicks (FGs & punts) on special teams, the most by any team in the NCAA during that span. USC has 32 during that  me period, while Fresno State has 29 and Arkansas State has 27.
• The Scarlet Knights are 13-0 against teams from the MEAC and have outscored them 558-88 during that span.

GARDEN STATE CONNECTIONS
Saturday's contest marks the return of two Bears to the state of New Jersey. Junior safety Carl Garnes (Columbus/Camden Catholic HS), freshman cornerback Donte Small (Union/Paramus Catholic), freshman offensive lineman Alvin West (Bayonne/Marist HS), junior tight end Mujahid Fricke (North Brookside/Blue Ridge HS) and freshman defensive lineman Gerald Crowley (Newark/Paramus) call the Garden State their home.

PRESEASON PICKS
Morgan State was picked to finish eighth (8th) to MEAC defending champion and Preseason #1 North Carolina Central and #2 North Carolina A&T.

PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
Five (5) Morgan State football players were named today to the 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's preseason team, which was voted on by the conference head coaches and sports information directors.  Senior defensive lineman Jai Franklin and redshirt senior running back Herb Walker Jr. were second-team selections. Junior defensive backs Carl Garnes and Darius Johnson were third-team picks, along with junior return specialist William King. The five preseason All-MEAC performers are part of a group of 63 lettermen and 19 starters returning for the 2017 Morgan State football season.

BEARS OPEN 119th SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 119th season of football and will open the 2017 campaign under head coach Fred T. Farrier, set to enter his first year at the helm without the interim tag, and his fifth year at Morgan State.

RETURN MEN 
The 2017 Morgan State Bears return 63 letterwinners, including 17 starters - 7 on offense, 9 on defense and 1 on special teams.

CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS 
The Bears enter the 2017 season looking to post their first winning season since going 7-6 in 2014. 

NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Bears will open the 2017 campaign against three non-conference opponents. MSU opens the season against Towson (Sept. 2) in the 'Battle for Greater Baltimore', followed by a home-opener versus  Albany (Sept. 9). The Bears round out non-conference action at Rutgers (Sept. 16).

THE 3RD ANNUAL CELEBRATION BOWL 
At stake once again for the MEAC Champion is a postseason berth to the 3rd annual Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, Ga. on Dec. 16 at the brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium. North Carolina Central fell to Grambling State 10-9 in 2016. The all-time bowl series featuring the MEAC and SWAC Champions stands at 1-1.
• The Celebration Bowl, which showcases the legacy, values and traditions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, will pit the conference champion from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference against the Southwestern Athletic Conference champion. 

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.