Football | 9/3/2019 9:50:00 PM
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GAME TIME
Morgan State hits the road for the second time in 2019 when the Bears visit Bridgeforth Stadium to face #2 James Madison Saturday at 4 p.m. Morgan State fell to 0-1 on the year with last week's 46-3 loss to Bowling Green. James Madison is 1-1 after a 44-7 home win versus Saint Franics (Pa.). Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Washington. The game will also be broadcast on WEAA, 88.9 FM.
GAME COVERAGE
NBC SPORTS WASHINGTON: Curt Dudley will call play-by-play and Dorian Brooks will handle color analysis.
Comcast: 846 | DirecTV: 642 | Dish: 5424 | Fios: 576 • Online: MadiZONE (jmusports.com/MadiZONE) • Digital: CAA.TV (Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV)
RADIO: WEAA, 88.9 FM is the flagship station for the Morgan State Bears ... Lamont Germany will call the play-by-play with Renard Stubbs and Kelvin Bridgers in the booth. The game will be broadcast live on 88.9 FM and streamed on WEAA.org and on SIriusXM 387 and 991 on the SiriusXM mobile app.
LIVE STATS: www.jmustats.com | Click Here
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.
TICKETS
Season ticket plans—which include a ticket to all five home games, including homecoming start at only $95. Premium seats and the football/basketball Bear Pass are both 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.
THE SERIES
• Saturday, Sept. 14th will mark the second meeting in the series.
• The Dukes posted a 76-7 victory over the Bears on Sept. 2, 1995 at Bridgeforth Stadium.
• JMU set a program record for most points in a single quarter, scoring 35 in the second quarter of that game. That is tied with the 35 that JMU put up against Norfolk State in the second quarter of the 2017 meeting.
THE COACHES
• Morgan State – Tyrone Wheatley (Michigan, '08) was announced as the Bears' 22nd head football coach on February 21, 2019 and previously spent two seasons as the running backs coach for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. Wheatley also worked at Syracuse University from 2010-12, and then with the NFL's Buffalo Bills from 2013-14. CAREER RECORD (0-1, First Season).
• James Madison – Curt Cignetti (West Virginia, '82), enters his first season at the helm of the James Madison football program. Cignetti's coaching career spans 36-years and includes multiple Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) stops and a 67-26 record (.720) in eight years as a head coach, six at NCAA Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania followed by two at Elon. CAREER RECORD (1-1, First Season).
A WIN WOULD ...
...give Tyrone Wheatley his first win as MSU's head coach.
... mark the Bears' first win against James Madison in school history.
... mark MSU's first road non-conference win since defeating Bowie State (28-3) on Sept. 13, 2014.
... mark the Bears first road win against a ranked opponent since defeating #4 N.C. A&T by a score of 16-13 on Sept. 22, 2018.
... mark MSU's earliest season victory since recording a 28-3 home win against Illinois State on Sept. 12, 2015.
QUICK HITS
• The 2019 Morgan State Bears will be under the leadership of first year head coach Tyrone Wheatley.
• Redshirt sophomore Dion "DJ" Golatt Jr., a 6-3, 225-pound quarterback from Largo (Md.) completed 3-of-9 passes for 24 yards and was sacked three times at Bowling Green. Newcomer Doc Bonner also had a couple of snaps under center during the fourth quarter.
• R-senior LB Rico Kennedy returns as a leader for the Bears defensive unit. The 6-3, 235-pounder earned his second consecutive All-MEAC selection. He finished the 2018 season ranked third on the team with 61 tackles (33 solo). He also ranked T-No. 8 in sacks (4.5) and T-No. 10 in the MEAC with 10 tackles for loss. He currently ranks T-No. 4 nationally in total tackles (14).
• Senior LB Ian McBorrough was an All-MEAC First Team selection as one of the league's premier pass rushers a season ago. As a junior last year, McBorrough ranked No. 3 in the league with six sacks and ranked 15th in tackles for loss (9). He topped the Bears with 79 tackles, including two fumble recoveries. He currently ranks T-No. 1 nationally in total tackles (15).
• Junior DB Donte Small was a standout for the Bears secondary a season ago. The Union, N.J. native was named to the 2018 All-MEAC First Team and garnered 31 tackles and led the conference with four INTs in 11 games played.
• The Bears led the league in time of possession (32:36) and scored on 22 of 26 red zone opportunities (No. 3 in MEAC) last year.
• The Bears are predicted to finish 8th in the MEAC's 2019 Preseason Order of Finish.
A GLANCE AT THE DUKES
• James Madison finished the 2018 season with an overall mark of 9-4 and finished second in the CAA with a 6-2 league mark. The Dukes capped the season with a 23-20 loss against #9 Colgate in the second round of playoffs. It was the fifth straight year JMU won at least nine games.
• Curt Cignetti (West Virginia, '82), enters his first season at the helm of the James Madison football program. He was a member of the Mountaineer football team from 1979-82. Cignetti's father, Frank Sr., was also at WVU from 1970-79, serving as the head coach for his final four seasons.
• JMU was selected the overwhelming favorite to recapture the Colonial Athletic Association football crown in 2019, and eight Dukes were named Preseason All-CAA.
• JMU returns 19 starters from last year's squad while also bringing back redshirt senior CB Rashad Robinson (Richmond, Va.) who missed the entirety of the 2018 season to an injury. Robinson was named to the preseason STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Watch List - the award honors the top defensive player in the FCS.
• JMU's offense will be led by R-senior QB Ben DiNucci (Wexford, Pa.), who started in all 13 games a season ago. He was placed on the CFPA FCS National Performer of the Year Watch List. DiNucci (6-3, 210) spent three seasons at Pitt before transferring to JMU.
• Junior RB Percy Agyei-Obese (Frederick, Md.) and R-freshman Solomon Vanhorse (Alpharetta, Ga.) will lead the Dukes ground attack this year.
• Junior OL Liam Fornadel (Wyckoff, N.J.) was named Preseason STATS (2nd) and HERO Sports All-American (3rd).
• Defensively, JMU returns redshirt senior LB Dimitri Holloway (Newport News, Va.) who led the Dukes defense with 127 tackles (46 solo) and 11 TFLs, along with senior SS Adam Smith (Charlotte, N.C.) who recorded three interceptions with 68 stops in 2018.
• Junior P Henry O'Kelly (Wynnum, Queensland, Australia) was one of 28 punters selected to the preseason watch list for FCS Punter of the Year. He is a two-time 2nd Team All-CAA seelction, averaging 40.1 yards per punt over his first two season at JMU.
• Following a 44-7 win against Saint Francis-Pa., JMU currently ranks No. 2 in the FCS Top 25 Poll and the FCS Coaches Poll. The Dukes also ranked No. 2 in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll.
VIRGINIA CONNECTIONS
• The Tidewater region of Virginia has long been a fertile recruiting ground for Morgan State. A short list of Bears from the area includes NFL Hall of Fame OL Roosevelt "Rosey" Brown (Charlottesville), College Football hall of Fame head coach Edward P. Hurt (Brookneal), Two-time Arena Football League Champion defensive tackle Justin "JR" Lawrence (Amelia), 2008 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year linebacker George "Hitman" Howard (Chesapeake), and 2002 MEAC Coach of the Year Donald Hill-Eley (Suffolk).
• Other Virginia ties include; Morgan State - Eric Roy (Woodbridge/C.D. Hylton); Jeremiah Jones (Stafford/North Stafford); Dexter Carr, Jr. (Stafford/Colonial Forge), Dallas Caporaletti (Catlett/C.D. Hylton).
A LOOK AHEAD
• Morgan State returns to the road to face Army on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is slated for 12 noon on the CBS Sports Network.
• The teams will meet for the third time. Army leads the series 2-0 since 2013.
• Army opened its season Aug. 30 with a 14-7 win over Rice, followed by a heartbreaking 24-21 2OT loss at #7 Michigan (Sept. 7).
PRESEASON PICKED 8TH
Morgan State was picked to finish eighth (8th) to MEAC defending champion and Preseason #1 North Carolina A&T and #2 Bethune-Cookman.
PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
• Ten (10) Morgan State football players were named to the 2019 MEAC preseason team, which was voted on by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Senior linebacker Rico Kennedy and sophomore tight end Xavier Gravette were first-team selections. Senior linebacker Ian McBorrough, junior defensive back Donte Small and junior offensive lineman Stefan Touani were second-team picks, while senior running back Josh Chase, redshirt-junior offensive lineman Bruce Trigg, redshirt-senior Dominick "D.J." Trigg and redshirt-sophomore defensive lineman Devan Hebron and sophomore Nicholas O'Shea were selected to the third-team.
• The 10 preseason All-MEAC performers are part of a group of 17 starters returning for the 2019 Morgan State football season.
BEARS OPEN 121st SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 121st season of football and will open the 2019 campaign under head coach Tyrone Wheatley, set to enter his first year at the helm.
RETURN MEN
The 2019 Morgan State Bears return 42 letterwinners, including 17 starters - 7 on offense, 8 on defense and 2 on special teams.
CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS
The Bears enter the 2019 season looking to post their first winning season since going 6-5 in 2009. MSU's 7-6 record in 2014 was vacated.
NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Bears will open the 2019 campaign against three non-conference opponents. MSU opens the season against Bowling Green (Aug. 29), followed by road trips versus James Madison (Sept. 14), and Army (Sept. 21). The Bears will also host Virginia Lynchburg (Nov. 16) in a non-conference contest.
BEARS OPEN 42nd SEASON IN MEAC
The Bears will open its 42nd season in the MEAC when they host North Carolina Central for the conference opener on Sept. 28.
• The Bears opened the 2018 MEAC schedule with a 21-18 loss against South Carolina State (Oct. 6) at Hughes Stadium. *Morgan State's 16-13 upset win at #4 N.C. A&T (Sept. 22) was recorded as a non-conference matchup.
• 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 LEGEND EARL BANKS RECIPIENT OF AFCA'S 2018 TRAILBLAZER AWARD
Earl Banks, former head coach at Morgan State University, was named the American Football Coaches Association's recipient of the 2018 Trailblazer Award. The award was presented, posthumously, at the 2019 AFCA Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
• In 1960, Banks took over the head coaching position at Morgan State from 2011 Trailblazer Award winner, Edward Hurt.
• In his 14 seasons as head coach, he would lead the Bears to six CIAA titles, one CIAA Northern Division championship and one Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title. Banks had an overall record of 96-31-2 after he retired from coaching 1973 and produced three undefeated seasons from 1965 through 1967.
• He guided Morgan State to four bowl games, winning the 1965 Orange Blossom Classic and the 1966 Tangerine Bowl.
MSU UPGRADES HUGHES MEMORIAL STADIUM
Morgan State University's W.A.C. Hughes Memorial Stadium is currently undergoing a major overhaul of its football field and running track.
• The $2.5 million renovation project, which began on May 28, includes the replacement of the stadium's existing field with a new premium playing surface and the upgrade to a new high-performance, all-weather track.
• Beynon Sports was selected to oversee the project and installation which is slated to be completed in time for the start of the fall football camp in early August.
• "The latest phase of upgrades to Morgan's athletic facilities is part of our systematic approach to improving and elevating key assets that we have on campus," said Director of Athletics Edward Scott, Ph.D. "The investment in our facilities represents the University's continued commitment to providing Morgan's coaches and student-athletes with a high caliber athletic experience and the best resources available."
• The upgrade to the playing field comes at an opportune time, as new head football coach Tyrone Wheatley launches a new chapter in the program's history and seeks to field a winning team. The Bears play their first home game this season on the new field against North Carolina Central University on Saturday, September 28, 2019.
CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The Bears will be joining the rest of the nation in celebrating 150 years of college football.
• As part of the celebration, Morgan State will wear 150 patches on all of its jerseys throughout the year.
• For more information on College Football turning 150, visit cfb100.org.
• Fans can also follow the celebration on social media by following @CFB100 on Twitter and Instagram and by searching CFB100 on Facebook.
• Army has been an integral part of College Football since the first Army-Navy Game on the Plain at West Point in 1890.
FOLLOW US IN CYBERSPACE
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more.
• Follow us on social media:
Facebook: /MorganStateBears
Twitter: @MorganStBears
Instagram: /MorganStateBears
ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering 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.
