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GAME TIME
Morgan State will face Tulane in their first road contest of the 2021 season on Saturday (Sept. 11). The game will be played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, due to the effects of Hurricane Ida. Both teams come into the game looking for their first win of the season. The Bears were dropped by Towson 31-0 in Baltimore, while Tulane fell short of an upset by losing to Oklahoma 40-35 in Norman, Okla. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST and will be broadcast by ESPN+ and WEAA, 88.9FM.
GAME COVERAGE
ESPN+ will be streaming the game live ... Mat Stewart will handle the play-by-play duties with color analyst Brian Kinchen.
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.tulanegreenwave.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
• Saturday, Sept. 11th will mark the first meeting in the series between both schools.
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 (3-10, 3rd Season, 2nd on the sideline).
• Willie Fritz (Pittsburg State, '83) enters his 29th season as a collegiate head coach and 25th leading a NCAA program at the Division I or Division II level. The Green Wave's three bowl appearances under Fritz's watch are the most by any Tulane football head coach. CAREER RECORD (222-108-1, 29th Season; 29-34 RECORD AT TULANE, 6th Season)
A WIN WOULD ...
...give Tyrone Wheatley his fourth win as MSU's head coach.
... mark the Bears' first win against Tulane 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.), junior Eastern Michigan transfer Jairus Grissom and freshman Duce Taylor all saw time under center for the Bears opener versus Towson.
• Veteran WR Wesley Wolfolk is expected to be a favorite option in the Bears air attack. He totaled 22 receptions for 385 yards and 2 TDs in 2019.
• There has been plenty of competition in the backfield throughout the preseason. RB situation appears to be in good shape. 5-9, 197-pound sophomore Jabriel Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) returns to the Bears along with talented Virginia Tech transfer Terius Wheatley (6-0, 200, Ann Arbor, Mich.) and junior Romello Kimbrough (6-0, 225) to name a few. who both have provided competition in the backfield throughout preseason.
• 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 on Saturday.
• DB Jae'Veyon Morton led the Bears with nine tackles (8 solo) and a breakup in his MSU debut vs. Towson.
• 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 GREEN WAVE
• Tulane has played in a bowl game in each of the last three seasons after the Green Wave went 6-6 during the 2020 campaign, closing the regular season with four wins in its final five games.
• The Green Wave dropped a hard-fought 40-35 decision against the No. 2-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. The Green Wave's 35-point effort were the most points Tulane has posted against a Top 5 team in program history.
• Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt threw for 20 touchdowns in 10 appearances in 2020. His 20 touchdown passes were the most in The American and were the most at the FBS level by a true freshman. He was named to the 2021 Allstate Sugar Bowl Manning Award Watch List.
• Tulane was picked to finish in seventh out of 11 teams in The American preseason predicted order of finish, while Cincinnati was selected to finish in 1st place.
• RB Cameron Carroll led The American with 12 rushing touchdowns last season while RB Tyjae Spears averaged 7.4 yards per carry in three games before suffering a season-ending injury.
• Head coach Willie Fritz enters his sixth year in New Orleans and returns 19 starters returning (9 offense/7 defense/3 specialists) and lost 6 starters (2 offense/4 defense).
• Tulane sophomore linebacker Dorian Williams was named to the 2021 Chuck Bednarik Preseason Award Watch List. He led the American Athletic Conference a season ago with 98 total tackles, averaging 8.2 per game. He was also second in the nation in tackles for loss at 16.5.
A LOOK AHEAD
• Morgan State returns to the road to face Saint Francis on Saturday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
• The teams will meet for the second time. MSU posted a 30-27 victory Sacred Heart on Sept. 1, 2012 at Hughes Stadium.
• Sacred Heart opened its season (Sept. 4) with a 21-0 shuout win vs. Bucknell. The Pioneers will travel to face Bryant on Saturday (Sept. 11) in Smithfield, Rhode Island.
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.
