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GAME TIME
Morgan State (0-2) will be in search of its first win of the season when they play host to non-conference opponent Sacred Heart (1-1, 1-0 NEC) on Saturday (Sept. 17). The game will be played at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Bears fell short at Towson 29-21 in 'The Battle for Greater Baltimore' at Johnny Unitas Stadium, while Sacred Heart recorded a 14-10 victory in an early conference test against Central Connecticut State in New Britain, Connecticut. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. EST and will be broadcast by ESPN+ and WEAA, 88.9FM.
GAME COVERAGE
ESPN+ will be streaming the game live ... Phil Schoener will call the play-by-play with color analyst Emory Hunt
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.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 teams will meet for the third time in program history ... The Pioneers posted a 21-7 victory in last season's contest in Fairfield, Conn.
• MSU recorded a 30-27 victory Sacred Heart on Sept. 1, 2012 at Hughes 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.
• Mark Nofri enters his 11th season Sacred Heart's head coach. He's led the Pioneers to four Northeast Conference titles (2013, 2014, split title in 2018, 2021) and earned five NEC Coach of the Year accolades (2013, 2014, co-winner in 2018, 2020-21).
A WIN WOULD ...
... give Damon Wilson his first win as MSU's head coach.
... mark the Bears' first win against Sacred Heart since a 30-27 victory at Hughes Stadium on Sept. 1, 2012.
... mark the Bears' first home-opener win since a 42-3 win on Oct. 10, 2015.
... mark the Bears' first non-conference home win since defeating Georgetown 28-21 on Nov. 20, 2021 at Hughes Stadium.
... improve the Bears' record to 2-1 against Sacred Heart since 2012.
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, completed 10 of 24 passes for 152 yards with two TDs and a pick in the Bears 29-21 loss at Towson.
• The Bears return pair of running backs from last season's team ... RB Alfonzo Graham (Baltimore, Md.) led the team with 89 yards on 17 carries and scored two TDs against Towson, while RB Jabriel Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) finished with five carries for 36 yards.
• Morgan State 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 led the Bears in 2021 with 68 tackles (40 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack ... 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 last Saturday at Towson.
• Elijah Williams excelled as a linebacker for the Bears during his freshman season .. he was the Bears' third leading tackler a season ago in which he recorded 52 stops (30 solo) with a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks ... the new coaching staff has converted him to defensive end.
• 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. The 5-9 senior from Detroit finished the 2021 season ranked T-No. 4 in the conference in passes defended (8) and No. 9 in tackles with 63, averaging 5.7 per game. The junior also added an interception and a pair of tackles for loss on the season.
• Saturday's game will be the first of four noon kickoffs at Hughes Stadium for the Bears.
BEAR RUSH
The Bears rushing offense has been solid so far this season, averaging 161.0 yards per game thus far - the 2nd-highest total in the MEAC – behind Delaware State (180.0 avg). • • • MSU put up 172 yards on the ground against Georgia Southern, followed by a 150 yard outing in Week 2 at Towson.
• MSU finished the 2021 season ranked last in the MEAC averaging 121.0 yards per game on the ground.
A GLANCE AT THE PIONEERS
• Sacred Heart finished the 2021 season with an 8-4 record and hoisted the Northeast Conference trophy with a 6-1 mark after defeating LIU, 38-14, to claim its second championship in a row and third in the last four years under head coach Mark Nofri. Sacred Heart lost a close 13-10 contest to #5 Holy Cross in the first round of the playoffs.
• The Pioneers dropped a 6-0 decision in their season opener at Lafayette College (Sept. 3) and will enter Hughes Stadium fresh off a 14-10 conference win at Central Connecticut State last Saturday. The Pioneers defense limited the Blue Devils to 254 yards of total offense. Senior RB Malik Grant rushed for a game-high 109 yards on 25 carries and scored on a 2-yard TD run.
• Senior QB Marquez McCray leads the Pioneers offense by completing 30 of 55 passes for 289 yards.
• In addition to being picked as the favorite to win the NEC in the preseason poll, Sacred Heart also led the way with the most Preseason All-NEC members. The Pioneers led all teams with seven selections: DL Kevin Peprah, LB DeAndre Byrd, RB Malik Grant, DB Arsheen Jiles, QB Marquez McCray, OL Jon Mucciolo and WR Kenneth Womack.
• DL Kevin Peprah was named Third-Team All-American by Stats Perform and was a one-man wrecking crew on the defensive line in 2021 ... His 9.5 sacks rated 22nd in the NCAA while his 13 tackles for a loss were 37th ... the Woodbridge, Va. native also rated 14th in the country with four forced fumbles ... he is a two-time First-Team All-NEC selection.
A LOOK AHEAD
• Morgan returns home for a non-conference matchup versus Virginia Lynchburg on Saturday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. and will mark Bear Family Day.
• Morgan leads the series 2-0.
• Virginia Lynchburg was treated as a non-countable opponent in 2015-17 ... The Bears played them September 19, 2015 and defeated the Dragons 61-0 at Hughes Stadium under head coach Lee Hull ... Morgan handed the Dragons a 59-26 loss on Nov. 16, 2019 in Baltimore.
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
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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.
