Morgan State Notes | MEAC Notes | NCCAA | 
Purchase Tickets |
MEAC Video Conference | GAMEDAYGuide
Facebook.com/MorganStateBears | 
@MorganStBears
GAME TIME
Morgan State (1-2) will try and make it back-to-back wins when they play host to non-conference opponent Virginia Lynchburg (0-4) on Saturday (Oct. 1). The game will be played at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Bears captured their first win of the season with an impressive 24-9 victory over Sacred Heart at Hughes Stadium, while the Dragons are in search of their first win of the season and most recently suffered a 59-14 loss at North Carolina Central (Sept. 24). 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 "Czar of the Playbook" 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
• Morgan leads the series 2-0.
• Virginia Lynchburg was treated as a non-countable opponent in 2015-17 ... The Bears played them Sept. 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.
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.
• Tim Newsom enters his first season at Virginia Lynchburg's head coach. Newman, a former Johnson C. Smith All-American who played a season with the New York Jets, was a big winner in previous stints with Charlotte-area post-grad and semipro teams as a head coach.
A WIN WOULD ...
... give Damon Wilson his second win as MSU's head coach.
... mark the Bears' first back-to-back wins since 2018 (Delaware State, Norfolk State).
... mark the Bears' back-to-back non-conference home wins for the first time since 2009 (Winston Salem State, Towson).
... improve the Bears' record to 3-0 against Virginia Lynchburg.
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 28 of 64 passes for 306 yards with two TDs and 2 picks thru three games.
• RB Alfonzo Graham (Baltimore, Md.) leads the league with 269 yards on 44 carries and has scored three TDs (2 rushing), while RB Jabriel Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) has recorded 24 carries for 112 yards and scored his first TD in Week 3 vs. Sacred Heart.
• 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 leads the MEAC with 29 tackles (19 solo) with 2.5 tackles for loss and 2 QB hurries ... 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 19 stops (13 solo) and has a QB hurry.
• 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 collected his first interception of the season in Week 3 versus Sacred Heart.
• Saturday's game will be the second of four noon kickoffs at Hughes Stadium for the Bears.
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. 28 nationally in rushing yards per carry (6.1) and No. 42 in rushing yards (269).
• Junior LB Lawrence Richardson ranks T-No. 18 nationally in total tackles (29).
• Freshman Keith Jenkins Jr. ranks No. 20 nationally in kickoff returns (24.2).
• MSU ranks T-No. 31 nationally in fewest sacks allowed (4), T-No. 38 in first downs defense (69), No. 44 in rushing yards (159.7) and No. 50 in team pass efficiency defense (132.2).
BEAR RUSH
The Bears rushing offense has been solid so far this season, averaging 154.7 yards per game thus far - the 2nd-highest total in the MEAC – behind North Carolina Central (201.5 avg).
• MSU put up 172 yards on the ground against Georgia Southern, followed by a 150 yard outing in Week 2 at Towson and 154 yards versus Sacred Heart in Week 3.
• MSU finished the 2021 season ranked last in the MEAC averaging 121.0 yards per game on the ground.
A GLANCE AT THE DRAGONS
• Virginia Lynchburg, a four-year HBCU, competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association and finished the 2021 season with an overall mark of 2-8...with two wins to cap the season against Univ. of Ft. Lauderdale (Home 71-8; Away 34-30).
• Tim Newman enters his first season at the helm of the Dragons' program as head coach and athletics director. Newman took over for Bobby Rome, who was 4-16 in two seasons. When Rome took over the program, Lynchburg had lost 47 straight games. Newman, a former JC Smith All-American who played a season with the New York Jets, has coached players like Tampa Bay world champion Antonio Brown, former Houston Texans receiver Lestar Jean and Falcons receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
• VLU's offense is averaging 11.5 points per game, 49.8 rushing yards and 210.5 passing yards. They have scored 4 passing TDs and one rushing.
• The Dragons' offense is led by quarterback CJ Brooks. The signal-caller ranks No. 2 in the NCCAA passing rankings and has completed 53-of-106 passes (50%) for 722 yards, with 4 TDs.
• The Dragons' receiving corps is led by Donmonic Perks who has 16 catches for 320 yards, including a touchdown in four games played. Cincere Clark (17 rec. 275 yds) and Anthony Duffy (6 rec., 68 yds, TD) will also be apart of the Dragons' aerial attack.
• Defensively, the Dragons have been led by Jayden Reeder who has accounted for 22 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss. Padro Davidson has 17 tackles, 1 TFL and an interception, while Robert Bush has added 15 stops, 1.5 TFL and a pick.
• Lynchburg, which has an enrollment of 500, is a HBCU school that plays in the National Christian College Athletic Association. The school offers football, men's and women's basketball and men's and women's track.
A LOOK AHEAD
• Morgan returns home for a Homecoming matchup versus Norfolk State on Saturday, Oct. 30. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
• The matchup marks the 43rd meeting between the two schools.
• Norfolk State leads the series against Morgan with an overall record of 30-12 since the teams first played in 1965.
• The Spartans have won 13 of the last 14 meetings since 2007.
• NSU posted a 31-20 win on Oct. 30, 2021 at William 'Dick' Price Stadium.
• MSU posted a 44-27 road win on Nov. 17, 2018 at Norfolk State.
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.
