FAIRFIELD, Conn. (Sept. 18, 2021) -- Despite a strong defensive outing for the Morgan State football program, the Bears were unable to come up with the win against Sacred Heart, falling 21-7. Morgan is 0-3 this season and enters the bye week.
Morgan was able to hold Sacred Heart to 155 rushing yards with the Pioneers entering the game averaging 204.0 to rank No.1 in the Northeast Conference and No. 20 in the FCS -- Elijah Williams and Lawrence Richardson led the defense, both finishing with double-digit tackles at 11 and 10, respectively.
Neil Boudreau was 12-of-25 passing for 109 yards (1 INT) with Thomas Martin (35 rec. yds), Isaiah Gerena (33 rec. yds) and Romel Kimbrough (18 rec. yds) leading the Bears with three catches apiece.
Jabriel Johnson led Morgan in rushing with a season-high 16 carries for 76 yards (4.8 avg).
The Bears wasted little time getting in gear as Johnson returned the opening kickoff 32-yards to give Morgan excellent field position at midfield. The Baltimore product also helped convert a 3rd and 2 when he broke off a 28-yard run down to the Pioneer's 9 yardline. Three plays later, junior Romello Kimbrough rumbled 1-yard into the endzone. Kluivert Akubuo-Onwuemeka's extra point gave the Bears a 7-0 lead with 11:08 remaining in the first quarter.
Sacred Heart (2-1) evened the score late in the first quarter with a 9-yard QB scramble for a touchdown by Marquez McCray to make it 7-7 with 4:06 left to play. McCray and Malik Grant contributed 49 combined rushing yards on the 13 play, 85-yard drive.
For most of the second quarter both defenses put a lot of pressure on the quarterbacks, but Sacred Heart was able to finally break through just before halftime.
After a 3-and-out by the Bears and shanked punt by Boudreau, the Pioneers offense setup on their own 49 with 3:21 left until the break. Grant helped the Pioneers convert a fourth and 1 from the Bears 42, and got a big play when McCray completed a 16-yard pass to DiNota. Two plays later, Dinota was on the end of a 6-yard TD pass from McCray to end a nine-play, 51-yard drive to give the Pioneers a 14-7 advantage.
Sacred Heart scored the final points of the contest midway in the third quarter. McCray engineered a 12-play, 89 yard drive capped by a 3-yard TD run by Grant with 4:06 left to make it a two-score game.
The Bears had chances in the fourth quarter, including an Akubuo 48-yard field goal that was blocked to end a 13-play, 60 yard drive orchestrated by Morgan's backup quarterback Duce Taylor.
Despite holding the Pioneers to a single score in the second half, the Bears couldn't find the end zone, falling 21-7.
Morgan heads into its bye week this week before returning to action on Saturday, Oct. 2, taking on nonconference opponent Saint Francis at Hughes Stadium.
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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.
