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GAME TIME
The Morgan State Bears (1-8, 1-4) will look to make it back-to-back wins when they travel to take on the University of Albany Great Danes (1-8, 1-6) on Saturday, Nov. 13. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium and will be broadcast on FloSports.com and WEAA, 88.9FM.
GAME COVERAGE
FloSports will be streaming the game live.
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: UAlbanysports.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
• UAlbany leads the series against Morgan State 2-0.
• In their last meeting, UAlbany held on to post a 30-27 win on Sept. 15, 2018 at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium in Albany, N.Y.
• UAlbany posted a 26-0 win on Sept. 9, 2017 in Hughes Stadium.
LAST TIME VS. UALBANY
September 5, 2018 -- Freshman Dev Holmes had eight receptions for a season-high 238 yards, including an 88-yard go-ahead touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, to help UAlbany beat Morgan State 30-27 at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. It marked the second straight season the Bears have lost to the Great Danes.
• The Great Danes were trailing 27-23 with about eight minutes to play when quarterback Vincent Testaverde, facing a second and 23 from his own 12-yard line, rifled a pass over the middle to a wide open Holmes, who ran untouched to the end zone in front of 6,501 fans.
• Holmes finished 13 yards receiving shy of the school's single-game record and his touchdown was the third longest pass play in program history. He has 21 receptions for 449 yards and two TDs this season.
• Ethan Stark made field goals of 27, 32 and a career-long 51 yards and Testaverde had 310 yards passing and two touchdowns for UAlbany (1-2). Testaverde, whose father Vinny played 21 seasons in the NFL, completed just 15 of 43 passes and threw four interceptions.
• Sophomore cornerback Donte Small returned an interception 45-yards for a score to give Morgan State (0-3) a 27-23 lead with 7:55 to play. It marked Small's third pick of the night -- just one shy of the school record held by Craig Spencer who had 4 interceptions in a game vs. Virginia State in 1977.
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 (4-17, 3rd Season, 2nd on the sideline).
• UAlbany - Greg Gattuso is in his eighth year as head coach of the Great Danes. A former standout defensive lineman at Penn State who's worked at Duquesne, Pittsburgh and Maryland, Gattuso has led the Great Danes through six seasons in the Colonial Athletic Association, one of the top Football Championship Subdivision conferences in the nation. CAREER RECORD (132-80; 35-48, 8th Season at UAlbany).
A WIN WOULD ...
...give Tyrone Wheatley his fifth win as MSU's head coach.
... improve the Bears' record to 1-2 against UAlbany.
... mark Morgan's first non-conference win since defeating Savannah State 18-11 on Oct. 13, 2018 in Savannah, Georgia.
... mark Morgan's first non-conference road win since defeating Savannah State 18-11 on Oct. 13, 2018 in Savannah, Georgia.
... mark the Bears first back-to-back wins since beating N.C. A&T (Nov. 9) and Virginia Lynnchburg (Nov. 16) in 2019.
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.) completed 17-of-26 passes for 210 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions last Saturday vs. Delaware State.
• The Bears had two scoring explosions versus Delaware State - a 72-yard TD pass from Boudreau to Thomas Marcus, followed by a 70-yard TD run by Alfonzo Graham ... both scores were in the first quarter.
• Morgan finished with 15 total first downs and 378 total yards of offense against Delaware State.
• 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 20 receptions for 304 yards and 4 TDs so far this season.
• Sophomore RB Jabriel Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) ranks No. 5 in the league in rushing with 116 carries for 441 yards (3.8 avg) and scored his first TD of the season at Norfolk State.
• LB Lawrence Richardson ranks No. 4 in the MEAC with 62 tackles (35 solo) and has two interceptions.
• DL Jae'Veyon Morton and Christian Teague rank No. 9 (52 tackles) and No. 10 (50 tackles) in the league in tackles, respectively.
• 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 GREAT DANES
• UAlbany finished the 2019 season with a 9-5 overall record and posted a 6-2 mark in CAA play.
• UAlbany was picked to finish No. 8 in the CAA Preseason Coaches Poll. Karl Mofor was named to the All-CAA preseason team, while quarterback Jeff Undercuffler, defensive lineman Jared Verse, and linebacker Danny Damico, earned Preseason Honorable Mention honors.
• The Great Danes enter Saturday's contest against the Bears looking to win back-to-back games, most recently beating New Hampshire 20-7 in Albany. Karl Mofor finished the day with two scores and 222 yards on the ground to lead the UAlbany offense, which only attempted 13 passes the entire game. The defense forced four UNH turnovers (three interceptions, fumble recovery) to give the Great Danes a 38:49 to 21:11 advantage in time of possession.
• Senior sensation Karl Mofor is the CAA's No. 2 leading rusher with 199 carries for 808 yards (89.8 avg) and a with seven TDs ... He has three games with 100 or more rushing yards.
• The Great Danes have three very productive receivers and are led by WR Roy Alexander. Alexander ranks among the CAA's leading receivers with 26 catches for 432 yards with two TDs. Parker Jackson has 24 catches for 339 yards and a TD, while Mohamed Jabbie has added 262 yards on 22 receptions.
• LBs Jackson Ambush and LB Danny Damico are two of the top defenders in the conference. Ambush is No. 3 with 81 tackles (47 solo) and Damico is ranked No. 9 with 59 stops. Junior DL Jared Verse has been a QB's menace.. he ranks No. 3 in the conference with 7.5 sacks and ranks No. 13 with 9.5 tackles for loss and has 10 QB hurries.
• UAlbany leads the league in pass defense (168.9) and has recorded eight interceptions thru nine games.
A LOOK AHEAD
• The Morgan State Bears will conclude the 2021 season when they host the Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday, Nov. 20. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. at Hughes Stadium.
• The game will mark the first meeting between the teams.
BEARS RED ZONE DEFENSE
If opponents have wanted to score touchdowns against Morgan State they've had to do so from a distance.
• Morgan ranks second in the league in red zone defense – 19 touchdowns allowed on 36 opponent's trips inside their 20-yard line.
• The Bears currently rank T-No. 28 in the nation in red zone defense.
SWARM TO THE BALL
If there's one thing defensive coordinator Antonio James emphasizes to his defense, it's run to the ball.
• There's no question that the Morgan defense takes to his coaching very well as 11 different players have at least 25 tackles this season.
• The only other teams in the MEAC having 10 or more players with at least 25 tackles is North Carolina Central and Norfolk State with 10 each.
GO FOR IT
Morgan State ranks No. 2 in the MEAC in 4th down conversions.
• The Bears have converted 12-of-22 4th down attempts (54.5 pct).
MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON
WR Wesley Wolfolk
• Wolfolk (689) is 11 reception yards shy of 700 for his career at Morgan State. He leads the team with four TD receptions this season and has recorded seven (7) in his career. 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. 5 in the league in rushing (441; 3.8 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 1,222 yards (135.8 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
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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.
