BALTIMORE, Md. (Oct. 1, 2022) – Morgan State showed no signs of rust today.
The Bears returned to work after their bye week gave them a chance to rest and recover and wasted little time lighting up the scoreboard against Virginia University of Lynchburg.
Carson Baker threw three touchdown passes in the first half and senior Alfonzo Graham ran for 70 yards and a touchdown, as Morgan overwhelmed Virginia-Lynchburg 44-10 on Saturday before an announced crowd of 2,576 at Hughes Stadium.
With the victory, Morgan State is 2-2 to begin a season for the first time since the 2016 squad also opened with a 2-2 record. The program also won back-to-back games for the first time since 2019.
The Bears were impressive in their final preparation for a stretch of three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matchups in their next four games.
There were clouds and intermittent rain during the game as the remnants of Hurricane Ian.
Morgan (2-2) led 37-7 at halftime as the Bears turned it into a rout quickly.
Tyler Wilkins caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Baker to open the scoring at the 9:21 mark of the first quarter. Graham scored on a 9-yard run that capped a 10 play, 66-yard drive to help give the Bears a 14-0 lead. The Bears defense got into the act with a saftey when Elijah Williams and Ted Windom Jr. sacked Dragons quarterback Alvaro Ortega in the endzone. Baker threw his second TD of the day when he connected with Avery Jones for a 49-yard strike. The Bears held a 23-0 lead after the first quarter.
Baker engineered a 9 play, 80-yard drive midway through the second quarter and connected on his third TD with a 10-yard pass to Damond Hamler (4 rec., 47 yds, 2 TDs).
Morgan's special teams unit scored when Dragons punter mishandled the snap and Maurice Crutchfield scooped it up for a 6-yard score. The Bears led 37-0.
Virginia-Lynchburg (0-5) got on the scoreboard when Shonny Nelson found Robbie Faison wide open behind the Bears secondary for a 59-yard touchdown catch. The Bears went in to the halftime break with a 37-7 advantage.
Virginia-Lynchburg was held to 200 yards, including 63 yards on the ground. The Dragons played three quarterbacks on the day and combined for 9 for 28 passing for 137 yards, including five sacks and an interception by Morgan's Carlvainsky Decius.
Baker was sharp, completing 10 of 14 passes for 160 yards. Sophomore Duce Taylor stepped in as the Bears signal caller in the second half and finished the game completing 4 of 13 passes for 83 yards, including a 12-yard TD pass to Hamler in the fourth quarter to cap all scoring.
Junior linebacker Lawrence Richardson finished with a game-high seven tackles, while defensive lineman Nana Asante had five tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
Sophomore defensive end Elijah Williams added five stops, three tackles for loss and a sack.
"It's very important to show teams what we're made of so that they know that we're not coming to play around," Williams said. "We're here to actually win the MEAC."
BEAR NOTE:
The 37-point outburst in the first half was the most scored by Morgan State in the opening frame since Sept. 19, 2015, when that squad racked up 47 points en route to an eventual 61-0 shutout of Virginia-Lynchburg. The 44 total points were the most since Nov. 17, 2018, when that team walked away with a 44-27 win against Norfolk State.
UP NEXT:
The Bears will open MEAC action when they host Norfolk State at Hughes Stadium on Oct. 8. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will mark Homecoming for Morgan State.
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 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.
