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GAME TIME
Morgan State faces #24 UAlbany in non-conference play on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Md. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast by WEAA, 88.9FM.
• The Bears open 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 a 10-0 loss to cross-town rival Towson in the inaugural Battle For Greater Baltimore. UAlbany is coached by Greg Gattuso, a 1983 graduate of Penn State. The Great Danes will attempt to rebound from a 31-17 loss at FBS member Old Dominion.
TELEVISION
N/A
LIVE STREAM
www.morganstatebears.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 Austin Ward in the booth. The game will be broadcast live on 88.9 FM and streamed on WEAA.org.
QUICK HITS
• 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., Joshua Chase and Brandon Womack.
• MLB Brandon Griffin posted a game-high 8 tackles with two tackles for loss and recorded an interception in the Bears' season opener at Towson.
• 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.
• DB 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 GREAT DANES
• UAlbany finished 2016 with an overall mark of 7-4 and a 4-4 conference record, including a 22-16 upset of Buffalo in the season opener.
• UAlbany returned 14 starters (six on offense and eight on defense) from a team that ended the 2016 season on a 2-game winning streak.
• Greg Gattuso (Penn State, '83) leads the UAlbany in his fourth season at the helm. This marks his 16th season as a head coach.
• UAlbany's RB Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks, FB Anthony Manzo- Lewis and DL Malachi Hoskins all were named to the CAA Preseason All-Conference team and the Danes were tabbed to finish 6th in the CAA's preseason predicted order of finish.
• UAlbany was strong defensively a season ago, allowing just 18.8 points per game, second-best in the CAA. The Danes also were No. 2 in the league in turnover margin at plus-16.
• RB Elijah Ibitokun- Hanks finished the 2016 campaign with a CAA-best 1,401 yards and is currently on the 2017 preseason watch list for the National Performer of the Year Trophy, presented by College Football Performance Awards. Ibitokun-Hanks did not play in the Danes season opener last Saturday at Old Dominion as a result of suffering an injury during training camp.
• The main target in the Danes' air attack will be redshirt junior slot receiver Jordan Crockett (5-8,159). Last year, Crockett led the Danes with 19 receptions for 373 yards and 3 TDs.
• R-Senior LB Nate Hatalsky (6-3,270) leads the Danes' defense. He racked up a game-high 12 stops and had a fumble recovery against Old Dominion last Saturday.
• R-Sophomore Will Brunson will handle the Danes'QB chores. He completed 13-of-29 passes for 160 yards and threw an interception... he was also sacked seven times.
• The Danes currently rank No. 24 in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll.
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.
