Morgan State Notes | Towson Notes | MEAC Notes | CAA Notes | 
Purchase Tickets |
MEAC Video Conference | GAMEDAYGuide
Facebook.com/MorganStateBears | 
@MorganStBears
GAME TIME
Morgan State will travel to face Towson in the 'Battle for Greater Baltimore' on Saturday (Sept. 10) at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST and will be broadcast live by Maryland Public Television (MPT) and WEAA, 88.9FM.
GAME COVERAGE
Maryland Public Television (MPT) | Check your local listings Here | Spiro Morekas will call the play-by-play with color analyst Gordy Combs. Ben Rosenbaum will be sideline reporter.
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.towsontigers.com | Click Here
LIVE STREAM: www.Flosports.com ($) | Click Here
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 BATTLE FOR GREATER BALTIMORE
• The Morgan State–Towson rivalry, known as "The Battle for Greater Baltimore," the rivalry opened with the Bears winning the first three meetings in 1979, 1980 and 1981.
• The series lapsed into hiatuses between 1988-92, 1995-97, 2004, 2010, 2012-16, and 2019-20.
• Towson has won the last four meetings and defeated the Bears 31-0 at Hughes Stadium on Sept. 4, 2021.
• Morgan State will host this year's meeting and again on Sept. 16, 2023, Sept. 6, 2025, and Sept. 4, 2027. Towson will be the host on Sept. 10, 2022, Sept. 7, 2024, and Sept. 5, 2026.
THE SERIES
• Saturday will mark the 27th meeting in the series that began with a 34-7 Morgan Sate win at Towson on Sept. 1, 1979.
• Towson handed the Bears a 31-0 loss at Hughes Stadium on Sept. 4, 2021.
• The Tigers hold an 20-6 advantage in the series vs. MSU.
• The Tigers have won 8 of the last 9 meetings against Morgan State since 2005, including the last three matchups.
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.
• Rob Ambrose enters his 14th season at the helm and 13th on the sideline of the Towson football program. In his first 11 years as head coach, Ambrose led the Tigers to six winning seasons, two CAA championships, three playoff appearances and a trip to the 2013 FCS National Championship game.
A WIN WOULD ...
... give Damon Wilson his first win as MSU's head coach.
... mark the Bears' first win against Towson since a 12-9 victory at Hughes Stadium on Sept. 26, 2009.
... mark the Bears' first win at Towson since a 17-13 win on Sept. 5, 1981.
... improve the Bears' record to 7-20 against Towson since 1979.
... mark MSU's first non-conference win since defeating Georgetown 28-21 on Nov. 20, 2021 at Hughes Stadium.
... mark MSU's first road non-conference win since defeating N.C. A&T 16-13 on Sept. 22, 2018.
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 Baxter, a 6-3, 205-pound transfer from Western Kentucky, completed 10 of 21 passes for 78 and a pick in his debut as starting QB for the Bears last Saturday.
• The Bears return pair of running backs from last season's team ... RB Alfonzo Graham (Baltimore, Md.) led the team with 106 yards on 14 carries against Georgia Southern, while RB Jabriel Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) finished eight 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 recently named Richardson to its 26-member preseason All-MEAC team
• 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.
A GLANCE AT THE TIGERS
• Towson finished the 2021 season with a 4-7 overall record and went 2-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
• The Tigers took the 11th spot in the CAA's preseason predicted order of finish, voted on by the league's head coaches and media relations directors.
• Two Tiger football players were voted to the Preseason All-CAA squad. Luke Hamilton earned 2022 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team at fullback while D'Ago Hunter was an honorable mention at kick return and punt returner.
• Towson won a thriller in the season opener last Saturday night in Lewisburg, Pa., defeating Bucknell 14-13 in overtime off a missed point by the home team for the win. Towson outgained Bucknell 383-307 in the game, including 158 yards on the ground.
• The Tigers played a pair of QBs in their season opener at Bucknell. Redshirt freshman Scott Smith III (6-4, 210) started the game and threw for 30 yards on 4 of 6 completions, while sixth-year QB Tyrrell Pigrome (5-10, 200) finished the game under center for the Tigers. The Univ. of Mississippi transfer completed 21 of 36 passes for 195 yards and rushed for 31 yards on 12 carries versus Bucknell.
• Junior safety Ubayd Steed led Towson in tackles at Bucknell with seven, adding a pass break-up. Redshirt freshman LB Mason Woods and redshirt senior LB Ryan Kearney each had six tackles.
• Towson junior running back Devin Matthews (5-9, 195) will lead the Tigers' ground attack. The Falls Church (Va.) product rushed the ball 26 times, earning 112 yards and two touchdowns, never losing yards on a carry ... He was Towson's leading scorer a season ago as a rookie, leading Towson with eight touchdowns, all rushing.
• Towson held a commanding 38:35 to 21:25 advantage in time of possession against Bucknell.
A LOOK AHEAD
• Saturday, September 17th will mark the second meeting in the series that began with a 30-27 victory over Sacred Heart on Sept. 1, 2012 at Hughes Stadium.
• SHU handed the Bears a 21-7 loss at Campus Field on Sept. 18, 2021.
• The series is tied 1-1.
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.
