ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Nov. 11, 2023) — With just under 5 minutes left to play in the Gavyn Zimmerman connected on a 28-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 17-13 lead on a dreary and rainy Saturday, it looked like it would be just enough of a separation for South Carolina State, but then the impossible happened: The Bears beat the Bulldogs 20-17 by getting Morgan's second kick return touchdown of the year and it came in crunch time.
Following Zimmerman's field goal to extend the lead, the Bulldogs decided to squib kick in order to keep the ball away from Morgan's dangerous return specialist Keith Jenkins Jr. Zimmerman then did his job by knuckle-balling a 38-yard kick down to Morgan's 27-yard line and that's when lightning struck for the Bears.
Senior standout Jordan Toles fielded the ball for the Bears, then ran 15 yards up the middle, and was rerouted after bouncing off four tackles before sprinting up the sideline and sidestepping a tackle attempt by the kicker to finish off an improbable 73-yard score with 4:44 left that ended up winning the game for the Bears.
Sophomore safety Quincy Johnson picked off a pass by Bulldogs quarterback Corey Fields Jr. to seal the 20-17 win for Morgan. Johnson' pick was the fourth takeaway of the game by the Bears' defense as Morgan improves to 4-5 overall and 3-1 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.
Morgan freshman quarterback Tahj Smith threw for 86 yards and completed 5 of 14 passes and also had a rushing TD. Following a fumble recovery by Jordan Toles at midfield, Smith tossed a 38-yard pass to Anthony James Jr., and followed it up with a 13-yard TD run to help give the Bears a 6-0 lead with 13:52 remaining in the second quarter.
SCSU's Josh Shaw took a pitch from Fields and broke off a 36-yard run before a TD saving tackle by Carlvainsky Decius at the Bears 20 yard line. Two plays later, Fields tossed a 17-yard TD pass to Keshawn Toney to help the Bulldogs retake the lead 7-6 with 10:23 left in the half.
The Bulldogs were back in scoring position, following a 9-yard punt by Beckett Leary that spotted the ball at the Bears' 21. Morgan's defense came up with a play when junior linebacker Erick Hunter dropped back in coverage and picked off a pass from Fields in the back corner of the end zone.
SCSU ended up returning to the scoreboard following a special teams miscue by the Bears. Leary was in punt formation when he mishandled the snap and tried to kick the ball away on the ground, but the ball deflected into the end zone where SCSU's Malcom Magee recovered the ball for a score. Zimmerman's extra point gave the Bulldogs a 14-6 halftime lead.
Morgan began pounding the ball on the ground behind the running of J.J. Davis. Davis finished the game with 15 carries for a season-high 115 yards, including a sensational 56-yard touchdown sprint down the sideline to trim the Bulldogs' lead to 14-13 with 8:12 remaining in the third quarter.
Gavyn Zimmerman connected on a 28-yard field goal to cushion the Bulldog's lead to 17-13 with 5 minutes left to go.
Bear Notes:
▪️The game marked the final home game for Oliver "Buddy" Pough as head coach at South Carolina State.
▪️The win marked the Bears' second consecutive win against S.C. State since Oct. 29, 2022 (41-14).
▪️Morgan will head into the regular season finale (Nov. 18) at Howard riding a 3-game winning streak…its longest win streak since 2015.
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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.
