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GAME TIME
Morgan State (2-5, 0-2 MEAC) will look to snap a 3-game losing streak when they return to conference action to host South Carolina State (3-4, 1-0) on Saturday, Oct. 29. The Bears suffered a 38-7 loss at #12 Delaware, while the Bulldogs come into the game fresh off of a 26-24 upset win against North Carolina Central (5-2, 1-1). Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. and will be streamed live by ESPN+ and broadcast by WEAA, 88.9FM. 

GAME COVERAGE
ESPN+ will be broadcasting the game live ... will be streaming the game live Phil Schoener will call the play-by-play with color analyst Emory "Czar of the Playbook" 

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.morganstatebears.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 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.

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.
• Oliver 'Buddy' Pough is in his 20th season as head football coach at South Carolina State. His teams have also captured three MEAC titles (2008, 2009 & 2021) outright, shared four others (2004, 2010, 2013 and 2014), and made four trips to the prestigious FCS playoffs (2008, 2009, 2010 , 2013).

A WIN WOULD ... 
... give Damon Wilson his third win as MSU's head coach.
... snap the Bears' 3-game losing skid.
... mark the Bears' third home win of the season
... mark the first win since a 44-10 home win against Virginia-Lynchburg on Oct. 1, 2022.
...  mark the first conference road win since Nov. 4, 2021 vs. Delaware State (20-14).
... give the Morgan its first win against Stony Brook.

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 67 of 128 passes for 752 yards with 7 TDs and 3 picks thru seven games ... he also has 37 carries for 90 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 666 yards on 109 carries and has scored six TDs (5 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 54 tackles (37 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 49 stops (29 solo), two breakups, two QB hurries and a sack ... he posted a season-hgih 13 tackles at #12 Delaware.
• 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, six pass breakups and has two interceptions (vs. Sacred Heart and #12 Delaware).

BEAR RUSH
The Bears rushing offense has been solid so far this season, averaging 149.6 yards per game thus far - the 2nd-highest total in the MEAC – behind North Carolina Central (205.3 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 and #12 Delaware held the Bears to 99 yards.
• MSU senior Alfonzo Graham is the MEAC leading rusher and is currently averaging 95.1 yards per game.
• 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 seven games, the Bears have scored 13- of-15 (86%) times inside its opponent's 20 yardline. 
• 11 of the Bears touches in the red zone have resulted in TDs.

A GLANCE AT THE BULLDOGS
• South Carolina State finished the 2021 season with a 7-5 overall record and captured the MEAC championship with a 5-0 conference mark ... The Bulldogs also captured the Celebration Bowl with a 31-10 victory against Jackson State.
• The Bulldogs were picked to finish No. 1 in the MEAC Preseason Coaches Poll for the second straight year ... Sixteen Bulldogs were named to MEAC All-Preseason Team.
• SCSU held on to upset N.C. Central 26-24 at Dawson "Bulldog" Stadium on Saturday. Graduate quarterback Corey Fields connected 21-of-31 for 264-yards and three touchdowns. 
• WR Shaquan Davis is the No. 1 receiver in the conference (584 yards). He ranks No. 1 in reception TDs (8) and No. 2 in the league in receptions per game (4.3).
• RB Kendrell Flowers leads the Bulldogs ground attack and ranks No. 6 in the league with 87 carries for 366 yards (4.2 avg) and has three rushing TDs.
• LB BJ Davis is currently No. 1 in passes defended (9) and No. 6 in the conference in tackles (50), while Patrick Godbolt ranks No. 3 in the tackles for loss (6.5) and has 1.5 sacks. 
• South Carolina State leads the league in a number of statistical categories: No. 1 in interceptions (9); No. 1 in sacks allowed (11); No. 2 in sacks (18); No. 2 in pass defense (192.9); No. 3 in pass offense (199.4); No. 3 in total offense (305.6) and total defense (363.6).

A LOOK AHEAD 
• Morgan steps out of  conference action  when they travel north to take on host Stony Brook on Saturday, Nov. 5. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. and will be streamed live by FloFootball.
• The matchup marks the first meeting between the two schools. 

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.