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GAME TIME
Morgan State (0-5,0-1) will look to earn its first victory of the season when they face South Carolina State (1-4)  for the Bulldogs' Homecoming on Saturday (Oct. 13). The Bears will enter the game coming off a 27-0 loss at Howard, while SCSU fell to Florida A&M 30-7 in Tallahassee, Fla. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST at Oliver Dawson Stadium. 

GAME COVERAGE
ESPN3 will be broadcasting the game live and the game will be re-aired on ESPNU ... Tiffany Greene will call the play-by-play with color analyst Jay Walker.

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 in the booth. The game will be broadcast live on 88.9 FM and streamed on WEAA.org, HSRN.com and on SIriusXM 386 and 988 on the SiriusXMmobile app. 

LIVE STATS: www.scsuathletics.com

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
Single game football tickets for all five (5) of Morgan State's home dates this season at Hughes Stadium are now on sale. Variable pricing for single game tickets will be used this year with single game tickets starting at just $20 per person. To purchase tickets, fans can visit www.ticketmaster.com, or call (443) 885-1522 (weekdays from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) 

THE SERIES
• The matchup marks the 41st meeting between the two schools. The Bulldogs lead the overall series 33-6-1 since 1971.
• MSU's last win against the Bulldogs was in Nov. 15, 2014 when the Bears won 24-21 at Hughes Stadium.
• MSU's last win in Orangeburg was Nov. 16, 2002 when they beat the Bulldogs 23-12.
• SCSU has won 12 of the last 13 meetings (2003-2019) against the Bears.

LAST TIME VS. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
October 19, 2019 -- Corey Fields threw a pair of long, second-half touchdown passes and South Carolina State built a three-touchdown lead going into the fourth quarter and held on to beat Morgan State, 24-10 in Orangeburg, S.C.
• The teams shared time of possession evenly, but the Bulldogs took advantage of five Morgan State turnovers.
• Nicholas O'Shea gave the Bears the lead with a 39-yard field goal four minutes into the game, but they would not score again until the fourth quarter.
• Fields hit Will Vereen with a 49-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and found Shaquan Davis from 41-yards out to make it 24-3 with 11:27 to play.
• Fields was 12-of-23 passing for 135 yards. Morris finished with 25 carries for 125 yards.
• Morgan lost five yards on 32 carries and fumbled three times. Quarterbacks DeAndre Harris and DJ Golatt combined for 267 yards passing but also threw two interceptions for the Bears.

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 (3-14, 3rd Season, 2nd on the sideline).
•  South Carolina State - Oliver 'Buddy' Pough (SCSU, '00) is in his 19th season as head football coach at South Carolina State. His teams have also captured two MEAC titles (2008 & 2009) outright, shared four others (2004, 2010, 2013 and 2014), and made four trips to the prestigious FCS playoffs (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013). CAREER RECORD (137-79, 19th Season).

A WIN WOULD ... 
...give Tyrone Wheatley his fourth win as MSU's head coach.
... improve the Bears' record to 33-7-1 since 1931 against SCSU in school history.
... mark Morgan's first conference win since defeating N.C. A&T 22-16 on Nov. 9, 2019 at Hughes Stadium.
... mark Morgan's first conference road win since defeating Norfolk State 44-27 on Nov. 17, 2018 at Dick Price Stadium.
... mark MSU's first win at South Carolina State since 2002.
... mark the Bears first win against the Bulldogs since 2014.

QUICK HITS
• The 2021 Morgan State Bears will be under the leadership of head coach Tyrone Wheatley. Wheatley enters his third season at the helm and the 2021 campaign will mark his second season on the sideline due to the program not competing during the 2020-21 athletic season.
• Senior Neil Boudreau, a 6-3, 220-pound QB from Irvine (Calif.) came off the bench and threw for 184 yards and 3 TDs vs. Tulane in Birmingham, Ala.
• Veteran WR Wesley Wolfolk had a big day vs. Tulane where he posted a game-high six catches for 110 yards and scored two TDs. He has 11 receptions for 176 yards and 3 TDs so far this season.
• Sophomore RB Jabriel Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) had a solid game vs. Saint Francis (Oct. 2) where he finished with 12 carries for a season-high 106 yards.
• Junior Romello Kimbrough (6-0, 225) scored on a 2-yard run vs. Saint Francis for his second career TD. 
• LB Lawrence Richardson leads the Bears with 34 tackles (22 solo) and has an interception. He registered 7 tackles and a TFL at Howard.
• LB Elijah Williams recorded 11 tackles and had a quarterback hurry against Sacred Heart ... it was the most tackles by a Bear since Ian McBorrough had 16 at Howard in 2019.
• DL Christian Teague has emerged as a a force on the Bears' defensive line. The 6-4, 240-pounder from Hagerstown, Md. has racked up 29 tackles, 4 TFL, a sack and three QB hurries ... he led the Bears with eight tackles at Howard
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to all 2020 fall athletes. Many seniors have decided to take advantage of this, and because they will return to the field in 2021.

A GLANCE AT THE BULLDOGS
•  South Carolina State finished the 2019 season with a 8-3 overall  record and notched 2nd place in the MEAC with a 6-2 record. The Bulldogs finished 3-1 during the 2021 spring football season.
•  The Bulldogs were picked to finish No. 1 in the MEAC Preseason Coaches Poll. 
•  SCSU suffered a 30-7 road loss at Florida A&M on Saturday at Bragg Stadium. QB Corey Fields had a tough day at the office by completing 8-of-21 passes for 75 yards and threw three interceptions. He ranks No. 2 in the MEAC in passing (217.2) and No. 5 in pass efficiency (115.9).
•  WR Will Vereen is one of the top receivers in the conference. He ranks No. 3 in the league in receptions per game (4.6) and reception yards (370 yds) with two TDs so far this season. 
•  RB Kendrell Flowers leads the Bulldogs ground attack and ranks No. 4 in the league with 64 carries for 272 yards (4.2 avg) and ranks No. 2 in the league with six rushing TDs.
• LB Chad Gilchrist is currently T-No. 8 in the conference in tackles and No. 3 in tackles for loss (4.5). The senior has 29 tackles (17 solo) in five games. LB BJ Davis is also ranked No. 13 with 27 tackles (5.4 avg). 
• DB Decobie Durant leads the league in passes defended with seven breakups and two interceptions. He also had 18 tackles.

A LOOK AHEAD 
• Morgan State returns to Hughes Stadium for a Homecoming matchup  when they take on the North Carolina Central Eagles on Saturday, Oct. 23. Kickoff is slated for1 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN3.
• Morgan State leads the series against N.C. Central with an overall record of 24-16-2 since the teams first played on Nov. 15, 1930.
• NCCU has won the last four meetings since 2015.
• NCCU posted a 21-17 win on Oct. 22, 2016 at Hughes Stadium during Homecoming.
• MSU posted a 21-20 Homecoming win on Oct. 18, 2014 at Hughes Stadium.

MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON
WR Wesley Wolfolk
• Wolfolk (561) is 39 reception yards shy of 600 for his career at Morgan State. He has three TD receptions this season and has recorded six (6) in his career. He is 32 reception yards shy of passing Raymond Chester (593) on the school's all-time career pass reception yards list. Wolfolk's two TD catches versus Tulane (Sept. 11) are tied for the most receiving TDs (game) in the conference and his 110 reception yards is one of 10 100-yard performances in the league.
 
RB Jabriel Johnson
• Johnson is currently ranked No. 8 in the MEAC in all-purpose yards with 367 yards (74.4 avg). He is 133 yards shy of 500 yards for the season. The sophomore is also ranked No. 5 in the league in rushing (242; 4.2 avg). His 106 yards vs. Saint Francis-Pa. (Oct. 2) is one of five 100-yard performances in the league.

PRESEASON PICKED 5TH 
Morgan State was picked to finish fifth (5th) in the MEAC standings, according to the poll of the conference head coaches and sports information directors.
• South Carolina State University has been picked to win the MEAC Football Championship as the Bulldogs topped the league's annual preseason poll for 2021.

PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
• The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced the selections for the 2021 Preseason All-MEAC team Friday, with three players representing Morgan State. Offensive lineman Marvin Atuatasi, defensive lineman Merinio Dendoe and linebacker Devan Hebron were the three Bears named to the list, which is voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors.
• The three preseason All-MEAC performers are part of a group of 12 starters returning for the 2021 Morgan State football season.
 
BEARS OPEN 122ndt SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 122nd season of football and will open the 2021 campaign under head coach Tyrone Wheatley, set to enter his third year at the helm and second year on the sideline.

RETURN MEN 
The 2021 Morgan State Bears return 12 starters - four (4) on offense and eight (8) on defense.

CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS 
The Bears enter the 2021 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 2021 campaign against four non-conference opponents. MSU opens the season in the 'Battle for Greater Baltimore' at home against Towson (Sept. 4), followed by a pair of road trips versus Tulane (Sept. 11), and Sacred Heart (Sept. 18). The Bears will have a bye week before hosting Saint Francis (Oct. 16). The Bears will cap the season with a road matchup with Univ. of Albany (Nov. 13) followed by a season finale home game versus Georgetown (Nov. 20).

BEARS OPEN 43rd SEASON IN MEAC
The Bears will open its 43rd season in the MEAC when they travel to D.C. to take on Howard for the conference opener on Oct. 8.
• The Bears opened the 2019 MEAC schedule with a 27-17 loss against North Carolina Central (Sept. 28) 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 LEGEND EARL "PAPA BEAR" BANKS
Earl "Papa Bear" Banks was a legendary head coach at Morgan State University, 
• 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.
• He 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.

FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS 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
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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.