BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 4, 2021) -- Morgan State's football team would not get revenge in the 'Battle for Greater Baltimore' rematch against Towson, as they were defeated 31-0 on a sunny afternoon before an announced crowd of 8,035 at Hughes Stadium.
The 2021 season opener marked the 26th meeting between the Bears and the Tigers with Towson winning the last four meetings. The Tigers now hold a 20-6 advantage in the series.
It was a tightly contested affair between the teams during the early going, as both team's first drives ended with punts.
Towson (1-0) was the only team to put points on the board during the first 15 minutes of the game when Chris Ferguson connected on an 8-yard pass to Jason Epps. Keegan Vaughan's extra point sailed wide right as the Tigers led 6-0 with 2:21 left to play in the quarter.
The Tigers scored twice in the second quarter, starting with a 73-yard touchdown strike from Ferguson to Darian Street at the 9:19 mark. Towson pieced together a 12-play, 46-yard drive capped with a 29-yard field goal by Vaughan to push the visitor's lead to 17-0 at the intermission.
The Tigers pushed their lead to 24 midway in the third quarter. A 16-play, 77-yard drive was punctuated with a 2-yard touchdown run by Devin Matthews.
Towson put the game out of reach during the first drive of the fourth quarter. The Tigers kept the ball on the ground for seven-straight plays to gain 73 total yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run by Kobe Noel at 10:42 to secure a 31-0 road win.
Towson's shutout victory was the first against the Bears since a 10-0 home win on Sept. 2, 2017. It was also the first time Morgan had been shutout by the Tigers at Hughes Stadium since a 21-0 loss on Oct. 18, 1986.
The Bears (0-1) defense gave up 412 yards to Towson and Ferguson threw for 269 yards, including a pair of touchdowns. The Bears also had 10 penalties for 84.
Offensively, the Bears could not get anything going. Morgan's freshman quarterback Duce Taylor, one of three quarterbacks that played for the team, completed 3-of-9 passes for 68 yards. Junior wideout Marcus Thomas led the Bear receivers with 42 yards on three catches. Junior quarterback Jarius Grissom added 35 yards on the ground.
"Lot of rust," said coach Tyrone Wheatley. "Guys just throwing caution into the wind, meaning they didn't play with a lot of technique. I think they just overexcited. As I told them in there, this one is on me. I ultimately have to get these guys better prepared. they just went out and played instead of doing the technical things and reading keys."
Morgan finished the game with 142 yards on 47 plays.
What's Next:
The Bears will take to the road for the first time in 2021 when they play against Tulane, next Saturday.
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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.
