ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Oct. 17, 2021) – South Carolina State fans had plenty to cheer today during their 37-14 victory over Morgan State before a homecoming crowd of 11,000 at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.
The win provided S.C. State (2-4, 1-0) with its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory of the season, while the Bears fell to 0-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
Zafir Kelly led S.C. State with two interceptions and provided a spark early in the second quarter when he returned a blocked field goal 90 yards to put the Bulldogs up 14-0.
Decobie Durant and Tim Ewing also added interceptions along with defensive lineman Jablonski Green, who returned a screen pass nine yards for the Bulldogs' final score.
Green and the rest of the Bulldog defense harassed Morgan State quarterbacks and allowed 58 rushing yards for the game.
B.J Davis led S.C. State with seven tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss. Tim Ewing had five tackles while Patrick Godbolt added four solo tackles, three tackles for loss and blocked a field goal.
Ahmari Benjamin led the Bears defense with six tackles, followed by Kaleb Coleman who finished with five tackles and had an 18-yard interception return in the third quarter. Lawrence Richardson also added a pick in the first quarter.
Offensively, the Bears finished with 196 yards of total offense, while S.C. State racked up 372 yards.
Neil Boudreau completed 10-of-26 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, but also finished with three interceptions. Backup quarterback Duce Taylor added 16 yards on 3-for-10 passing and also threw an interception.
S.C. State's Corey Fields threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns for the Bulldogs, but also had two interceptions in the game.
Richard Bailey led the Bulldogs with five catches and had 79 yards and a touchdown. Shaquan Davis caught three passes for 85 yards and a score while Will Vereen had three catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.
South Carolina State struggled running the football but did finish with 114 yards.
The Bulldog fans were hushed when Morgan's junior running back Alfonzo Graham (7 carries, 74 yards, TD) raced through the middle of S.C. State's defense for a 40-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 14-7 with 14:09 remaining in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs got back on the scoreboard when Fields connected with Shaquan Davis for a 54-yard touchdown pass helped give S.C. State a 21-7 halftime lead.
Morgan State threatened to make it a game early in the third quarter when Neil Boudreau completed a 32-yard touchdown pass to Devon Mondy, cutting the S.C. State lead to 21-14. The defense held and did not allow another point the rest of the game.
Morgan State will host North Carolina Central for Homecoming next Saturday in a MEAC showdown. The Eagles (2-4, 0-0) will enter the contest fresh off of a bye week. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Note:
● Earlier in the day, newly inducted Pro Football Hall of Famer Donnie Shell was recognized with a banner along the concourse of Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.
● The premiere of the MEAC Countdown to Kickoff presented by CocaCola, before the kickoff of the game was hosted by Hall of Fame broadcaster Charlie Neal and Nicole Hutchinson.
● Morgan State had a total of seven (7) turnovers. Along with the four interceptions, Neil Boudreau had a pair of fumbles - one in the first quarter recovered by Patrick Godbolt, and one that was caused by Chad Gilchrist early in the third quarter.
• SCSU has won 13 of the last 14 meetings (2003-2021) against the Bears.
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
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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.
