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GAME TIME
Morgan State (2-4, 0-2 MEAC) steps out of conference when they return to action on Saturday, Oct. 22 against the #12 Delaware Blue Hens (5-1, 3-1 CAA). The Bears suffered a 59-20 loss Thursday night at North Carolina Central, while the Blue Hens come into the game fresh off of a bye week and ready for homecoming as they are in search of their sixth win of the season. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. and will be streamed live by FloFootball and broadcast by WEAA, 88.9FM.
GAME COVERAGE
FloSports will be broadcasting the game live ... Jon Mozes will call the play-by-play with color analyst Scott Brunner.
RADIO: WEAA, 88.9 FM is the flagship station for the Morgan State Bears ... MSU 2022 Hall of Fame inductee 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.BlueHens.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
Season ticket plans—which include a ticket to all five home games, including homecoming start at only $120. Premium seats and the football/basketball Bear Pass are both now available for purchase by calling 443.885.1522 or visiting MSU Student Center Athletics Ticket Office during business hours (Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or click 2022 MSU Ticket Information.
THE SERIES
• The matchup marks the 5th meeting between the two schools. Delaware leads the series 3-0-1 since the teams first played on Dec. 12, 1970 in Atlantic City, N.J. where the Bears fell 38-23.
• Delaware posted a 76-0 win in the last meeting between the teams on Nov. 3, 1984 at Delaware Stadium.
THE COACHES
• Damon Wilson was announced as the Bears' 23rd head football coach on June 10, 2022 and previously spent 13 seasons as the head coach at Bowie State University where he achieved three straight Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) conference championship 2010-12.
• Ryan Carty enters his first season as head football coach at Delaware. A Delaware alum and member of the 2003 national championship team, Carty spent the previous four seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Sam Houston. Carty was named the 2021 FCS Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop.com.
A WIN WOULD ...
... give Damon Wilson his third win as MSU's head coach.
... snap the Bears' 2-game losing skid.
... mark the Bears' first road win of the season
... mark the first road win since a 44-27 win at Norfolk State on Nov. 17, 2018
... mark the first non-conference road win since Sept. 19, 2009 vs. Winston-Salem State (16-10) in the NY Urban League Classic.
... give the Morgan its first win against the Blue Hens in five meetings.
QUICK HITS
• The 2022 Morgan State Bears will be under the leadership of head coach Damon Wilson. Wilson, the 23rd coach in school history, comes to Morgan after serving for 13 seasons as the head football coach at Bowie State. There, he achieved three straight Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) conference championships, in 2021, 2019 and 2018; five NCAA playoff berths; and three CIAA Coach of the Year honors.
• Carson Baker, a 6-3, 205-pound transfer from Western Kentucky, has completed 63 of 120 passes for 717 yards with 7 TDs and 3 picks thru six games ... he also has 32 carries for 91 yards and scored his first rushing TD of the season in the Bears' nailbiter against Norfolk State.
• RB Alfonzo Graham (Baltimore, Md.) leads the league with 583 yards on 89 carries and has scored five TDs (4 rushing) ... he finished with a career-high 203 yards (T-No. 10 highest total in FCS) on 23 carries against NSU.
• Morgan has a number of offensive lineman as they enter the 2022 season ... The Bears have 15 OL listed on the roster and will be led by veteran G Marvin Atuatasi (6-1, 305) and T Chris Anthony (6-4, 290).
• LB Lawrence Richardson ranks among the league leading defenders with 47 tackles (33 solo) with 1.5 tackles for loss, 2 QB hurries, an interception and a forced fumble ... FCS-focused podcast/website The Bluebloods named Richardson to its 26-member preseason All-MEAC team ... he recorded a game-high 13 tackles with 2 TFL and a forced fumble in Week 2 at Towson.
• Erick Hunter is excelling as a sophomore LB for the Bears .. he is currently the teams' second leading tackler with 36 stops (23 solo), two breakups, two QB hurries and a sack.
• 2021 Preseason All-MEAC First Team selection Jae'Veyon Morton, aka.Knock, returns as a veteran and one of the top corners in the league ... he has 20 tackles, four pass breakups and collected his first interception of the season in Week 3 versus Sacred Heart.
NOTABLE NATIONAL NOTES
Here are a few 2022 FCS national statistics of note on offense, defense and special teams that pertained to the Bears:
• Senior RB Alfonzo Graham ranks No. 17 nationally in rushing yards per game (97.2), No. 17 in rushing yards per carry (6.5) and No. 13 in rushing yards (542).
• Junior LB Lawrence Richardson ranks T-No. 17- nationally in solo tackles (33).
• Freshman Keith Jenkins Jr. ranks No. 6 nationally in kickoff returns (32.0).
• MSU ranks No. 29 in 4th down conversion defense (.312), T-No. 36 nationally in fewest sacks allowed (10), and No. 40 in rushing offense (160.5), No. 47 in kick returns (20.8).
BEAR RUSH
The Bears rushing offense has been solid so far this season, averaging 158.0 yards per game thus far - the 2nd-highest total in the MEAC – behind North Carolina Central (199.0 avg).
• MSU put up 172 yards on the ground against Georgia Southern, followed by a 150 yard outing in Week 2 at Towson, 154 yards versus Sacred Heart in Week 3, 115 vs. Virginia-Lynchburg in Week 5 and a season-high 249 yards against Norfolk State.
• N.C. Central limited the Bears to 120 rush yards.
• MSU senior Alfonzo Graham is the MEAC leading rusher and is currently averaging 97.2 yards per game (No. 17 in FCS).
• MSU finished the 2021 season ranked last in the MEAC averaging 121.0 yards per game on the ground.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Morgan State has been pretty good at scoring in the red zone. Through the first six games, the Bears have scored 11- of-13 (85%) times inside its opponent's 20 yardline.
• 10 of the Bears touches in the red zone have resulted in TDs.
A GLANCE AT THE BLUE HENS
• Delaware finished the 2021 season with a 5-6 overall record and posted a 3-5 mark in CAA play.
• UD was picked to finish No. 2 in the CAA Preseason Coaches Poll. Five Blue Hens earned recognition on the 2022 Preseason All-CAA Football Team.
• The Blue Hens enter Saturday's contest against the Bears coming off a bye week and looking to get back in the win column after suffering a 27-21 loss at Willia & Mary Campbell that ended the UD's 5-game winning. QB Nolan Henderson threw for 203 yards and two TDs in the loss.
• Henderson is one of the top QBs in the CAA. He ranks No. 1 in passing TDs (18), No. 3 in passing averaging 276.6 per game, No. 4 in total offense 290.5) and No. 5 in pass efficiency (152.4) .. so far this season he has been named the FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week by Stats Perform as well as the CFPA FCS National Co-Performer of the Week and CAA Offensive Player of the Week. Henderson set career highs with 29 completions for 379 yards and four TDs in a Week 3 win against Rhode Island (42-21).
• WR Jourdan Townsend ranks No. 5 in the CAA in receptions (32) and No. 10 in receiving yards (366) with four TDs ... WR Thyrick Pitts is the team's second leading receiver with 28 receptions for 316 yards and 4 TDs.
• LBs Johnny Buchanan and S Noah Plack are two of the top defenders in the conference. Buchanan ranks No. 13 with 78 tackles (31 solo) and 3.5 TFLs, while Plack has 47 stops (26 solo).
• UD leads the league in a number of statistical categories: No. 1 in total defense (275.0), scoring defense (12.8), pass defense efficiency (94.4), pass defense (127.6), passing TDs (18), penalties (31.2), and red zone defense (57.1 pct).
A LOOK AHEAD
• Morgan returns to conference action when they return to host South Carolina State on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. and will be streamed live by ESPN+.
• The matchup marks the 42nd meeting between the two schools. The Bulldogs lead the overall series 34-6-1 since 1971.
• MSU's last win against the Bulldogs was in Nov. 15, 2014 when the Bears won 24-21 at Hughes Stadium.
• SCSU has won 13 of the last 14 meetings (2003-2019) against the Bears.
PRESEASON PICKED 6TH
Morgan State was picked to finish sixth (6th) 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 2022.
PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
• The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced the selections for the 2022 Preseason All-MEAC team. Senior Jae'Veyon Morton has been named to the All-MEAC First Team, which is voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors.
• Morton is one of 25 players named to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team and is the lone representative for the Bears. No other Morgan players were named to any of the other teams.
BEARS OPEN 123rd SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 123rd season of football and will open the 2022 campaign under head coach Damon Wilson, set to enter his first year at the helm.
RETURN MEN
The 2022 Morgan State Bears return 16 starters - eight (8) on offense and eight (8) on defense.
CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS
The Bears enter the 2022 season looking to post their first winning season since going 6-5 in 2009. MSU's 7-6 record in 2014 was vacated.
BEARS OPEN 44th SEASON IN MEAC
The Bears will open its 44th season in the MEAC when they host Norfolk State for the conference opener on Oct. 8 ... it will also mark Morgan's Homecoming.
• The Bears opened the 2021 MEAC schedule with a 27-0 loss against Howard (Oct. 8) at Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C.
• 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 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.
