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GAME TIME
Morgan State (0-6, 0-2) will look to earn its first victory of the season when they face North Carolina Central (2-4, 0-0)  for the Bears' Homecoming on Saturday (Oct. 23). The Bears will enter the game coming off a 37-14 loss at South Carolina State, while the Eagles will enter the game fresh off of a bye week. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST at Hughes Stadium and will be broadcast live by ESPN+ and WEAA, 88.9FM. 

GAME COVERAGE
ESPN+ will be broadcasting the game live ... Phil Schoener will call the play-by-play with color analyst Emory Hunt.

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.morganstatebears.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 43rd meeting between the two schools. 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, including a 27-17 victory in their last matchup at Hughes Stadium during the 2019 season.
• 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.

LAST TIME VS. NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
September 28, 2019 -- Morgan State fell 27-17 to North Carolina Central in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener on a Saturday night at Hughes Stadium.
• Devan Hebron forced a fumble and Malachi Washington recovered the ball and rumbled 35 yards for the touchdown with 13:33 left in the third quarter. Morgan clawed to within three at 13-10.
• Davius Richard struck again for NCCU when their nine play, 54-yard drive ended with his seven yard touchdown sprint with 3:07 remaining in the third quarter. That was Richard's second rushing touchdown of the night. Olivo's extra point helped give the Eagles a 20-10 lead.
• Collier struck again for NCCU. This time, he ran the ball 43 yards for a touchdown with 11:59 left in the game. That was Collier's second touchdown run of the night. With Olivo's extra point, the Eagles advantage expands to 27-10.
• Morgan then turned to DJ Golatt Jr. at quarterback. It paid off quickly as he threw a 18-yard TD pass to Manasseh Bailey with 9:11 left in regulation to help push the Bears within 27-17.
• Golatt Jr.'s pass was picked off by Bryan Mills at the Morgan State 46-yard line with three minutes left. It was Mills' third interception of the game. That turnover shut the door on Morgan State's comeback attempt.

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).
•  North Carolina Central - Trei Oliver (NCCU, '98)enters his third year as the leader of his alma mater's football program, but just his second on-field campaign after COVID-19 kept the Eagles off the gridiron during the 2020 season. Oliver returned to NCCU as head coach after spending the previous three seasons (2016-18) as the defensive coordinator and safeties. CAREER RECORD (6-12, 3rd Season).

A WIN WOULD ... 
...give Tyrone Wheatley his fourth win as MSU's head coach.
... improve the Bears' record to 25-16-2 since 1930 against N.C. Central 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 the Bears first win against N.C. Central since Oct. 18, 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 15 receptions for 155 yards and a TD 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 Alfonzo Graham (6-0, 225) scored on a 40-yard run vs. S.C. State (Oct. 16) for his first career TD. 
• LB Lawrence Richardson leads the Bears with 38 tackles (24 solo) and has two interceptions. 
• 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 31 tackles, 4 TFL, a sack and three QB hurries ... he led the Bears with eight tackles at Howard (Oct. 8). 
• 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 EAGLES
•  North Carolina Central finished the 2019 season with a 4-8 overall  record and  posted a 3-5 mark in MEAC play
•  NCCU was picked to finish No. 3 in the MEAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Eight Eagles earned recognition on the 2021 Preseason All-MEAC Football Team.
•  The Eagles enter this Saturday's contest against the Bears looking to snap a 3-game losing streak. Sophomore QB Davius Richard threw for 313 yards and two TDs, but Tennessee Tech defeated the Eagles 27-16 at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
•  Davius Richard is one of the top QBs in the conference. He ranks No. 3 in passing averaging 215.2 per game, No. 4 in pass efficiency (116.7) and No. 4 in total offense (194.0).  
•  WR Ryan McDaniel leads the MEAC in receptions  (37) and receiving yards (472) with two TDs.
• LBs Cole Williams and Noah Rainbow-Douglas are two of the top defenders in the conference. The pair are T-No. 2 in tackles with 43 tackles apiece.
• NCCU leads the league in scoring defense (26.3) and punt return average (13.4). Brandon Codrington leads the league averaging 17.1 yards per punt return.
• NCCU has a few members who formerly played and worked at Morgan State: OL Bruce Trigg, DL Colby Warrior and Offensive Line Coach Isaac Williams.

A LOOK AHEAD 
• The Morgan State Bears will look to get in the win column when they travel to take on the Norfolk State Spartans on Saturday, Oct. 30. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN3.
• Norfolk State leads the series against Morgan with an overall record of 29-12 since the teams first played in 1965.
• The Spartans have won 12 of the last 13 meetings since 2007.
• NSU posted a 48-0 win on Nov 2, 2016 at William 'Dick' Price Stadium. 
• MSU posted a 44-27 road win on Nov. 17, 2018 at Norfolk State.

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
• The sophomore is ranked No. 6 in the league in rushing (248; 3.6 avg). His 106 yards vs. Saint Francis-Pa. (Oct. 2) is one of five 100-yard performances in the league.

QB Neil Boudreau
• Boudreau is ranked No. 5 in the league in passing with 696 yards (116 avg). His 206 passing yards vs. Saint Francis-Pa. (Oct. 2) and 3 TD passes with 17 completions vs. Tulane (Sept. 11) are season highs.

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
 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.