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GAME TIME
Morgan State (0-2) will be in search of its first win of the season when they take to the road to face Sacred Heart (1-1) on Saturday (Sept. 18).  The game will be played at Campus Field in Fairfield, Connecticut. The Bears were dropped by Tulane 69-20 in Alabama, while Sacred Heart fell versus Bryant 17-6 in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST and will be broadcast by NEC Front Row and WEAA, 88.9FM. 


GAME COVERAGE
NEC Front Row will be streaming the game live. Randy Brochu will call the play-by-play with color analyst Freddie Coleman.

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.sacredheartpioneers.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 teams will meet for the second time in program history. MSU posted a 30-27 victory Sacred Heart on Sept. 1, 2012 at Hughes Stadium.

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 (3-11, 3rd Season, 2nd on the sideline).
•  Mark Nofri enters his 10th season Sacred Heart's head coach. He's led the Pioneers to three Northeast Conference titles (2013, 2014, split title in 2018) and earned three NEC Coach of the Year accolades (2013, 2014, co-winner in 2018). CAREER RECORD (54-44, 10th Season.

A WIN WOULD ... 
... give Tyrone Wheatley his fourth win as MSU's head coach.
... improve the Bears' record to 2-0 against Sacred Heart in school history.
... mark MSU's first non-conference win since defeating Virginia-Lynchburg 59-26 on Nov. 16, 2019 at Hughes Stadium..
... mark MSU's first road non-conference win since defeating Winston-Salem State 16-10 on Sept. 19, 2009 in the New York Urban League Classic.

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 Birmingha, 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 totaled 22 receptions for 385 yards and 2 TDs in 2019.
• The Bears backfield has been heavy in committee work thru the first two games.  Sophomore Jabriel Johnson (Baltimore, Md.),  junior Romello Kimbrough (6-0, 225) and senior David Adeleke have seen the bulk of the carries, along with junior dual-threat QB Jairus Grissom who leads the team averaging 7.0 ypc. 
• LB Devan Hebron returns as a leader for the Bears D. He finished with with 39 stops, in addition to 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and an INT in 2019 ... Hebron finished with five tackles, 2.5 TFL and a sack versus Towson.
• DB Jae'Veyon Morton leads the Bears with 17 tackles (15 solo) and registered an INT vs. Tulane.
• 2021 Preseason All-MEAC selection Merinio Dendoe is expected to be a force on the Bears' defensive line. The 6-3, 275-pounder from The Netherlands finished with 28 taackles, 3.5 TFL, 2 sacks and blocked a kick in '19. 
• 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 PIONEERS
•  Sacred Heart finished the spring season ranked 22nd in the final Stats Perform FCS National Poll. The Pioneers ended the abbreviated season with a 3-2 record and a spot in the FCS Playoffs. SHU defeated Duquesne, 34-27, to win the fourth conference title under head coach Mark Nofri. Sacred Heart lost a close 19-10 contest to #5 Delaware in the first round of the playoffs.
•  The Pioneers dropped a 17-6 decision in their Northeast Conference opener at Bryant on Saturday. The Pioneers struggled to move the ball, amassing only 227 yards of total offense. Junior RB Malik Grant rushed for a career-high 85 yards on 21 carries
•  Sophomore QB  Marquez McCray took over the starting role in 2021 and earned Second-Team All-NEC honors.
•  SHU returns First-Team All-NEC DE Kevin Peprah. Also back is junior LB DeAndre Byrd, who recorded nine tackles and a TFL last Saturday vs.Bryant. 
•  RB Julius Chestnut, the NEC Offensive Player of the Year, was selected to the Walter Payton Award Watch List. The Bowie, Md. (Archbishop Spaulding) product led the FCS in the spring at 171.0 yards per game and 855 total rushing yards. In addition, he was first in the nation with 205.2 all-purpose yards per game. He was selected NEC Offensive POTW after posting 170 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 21-0 win against Bucknell.

A LOOK AHEAD 
• Morgan State returns home for a non-conference matchup versus Saint Francis on Saturday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
• The teams will meet for the first  time in program history. 
• Saint Francis (0-2)  has opened its season with losses at Eastern Michigan (35-15) and at #6 Delaware (27-10). The Red Flash will look to pick up its first win when they host Wagner in their home-opener on Saturday (Sept. 18).

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.