RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 2, 2023) — What a battle.
In the end, it was the Bears who emerged with the win tonight in what was a monumental victory.
The Morgan State football team played perennial FCS power Richmond to a 7-7 standoff in the first half Saturday night at Robins Stadium, before upsetting the No. 16 ranked Spiders in a 17-10 win behind their tenacious defense and solid special teams play.
"Our guys persevered and fought," said Morgan Head Coach Damon Wilson . "I think all three phases made plays when we needed. Our defense played outstanding. Our offensive line is young upfront, but those guys handled their own when we needed it."
"Our guys made plays. Our punter did an outstanding job as a freshman. There's a lot of freshmen that played today, and those guys, they represented. I'm really proud of what they accomplished. Our coaches did a good job putting guys in position to make plays and gave us the opportunity to win."
The opening series of the game looked like a tone setter. Richmond drove the ball down the field with relative ease.
In his debut as the Spiders' starting quarterback, redshirt- sophomore Kyle Wickersham engineered a 12-play, 75 yard drive and capped with a 1-yard QB keeper. The point after by Andrew Lopez gave the Spiders a 7-0 lead with 9:45 remaining in the first quarter.
However, that is the most success the Spiders would have offensively all game. There was no apparent panic in the Bears.
On their first possession of the night, senior running back Jabriel Johnson ripped off a 23-yard run and Treyveyon Pratt was on the end of a 21-yard pass by Carson Baker to put Morgan in striking range. Baker punctuated the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. The extra point by Beckett Leary knotted the game at 7-7 midway through the first quarter.
Morgan's defense held its own against a Spiders team that appeared to be seeking an offensive identity behind their new quarterback.
As nighttime descended, the Bears kept coming.
Morgan's defense adjusted and completely stonewalled Wickersham and there was little movement from the Spiders offensively for the rest of the game. The defense put on an incredible performance and did their part all game.
The game would play out exactly how the first half did. The Bears and Spiders with only a bit of movement offensively, while both defenses played strong. The only way the game would be broken open for either side was with a turnover. That turnover happened late in the third quarter.
As Baker dropped back on 2nd and 12 from Morgan's 29, Marlem Louis strip-sacked him and recovered the ball for the Spiders with 4:16 remaining. The Bears defense once again came up big as the Richmond was limited to a 28-yard field goal by Lopez to put the Spiders ahead 10-7 to end the third quarter scoring.
Morgan's backup quarterback Dominique Anthony checked in to lead the Bears their ensuing possession. The ODU transfer led the Bears on a 12-play drive, including a key 4th and 1 conversion when he found Anthony James for a 26-yard completion. Leary connected on a 37-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-10 with 10:49 left to go.
The Bears defense recorded their fifth sack of the night when Erick Hunter stripped Wickersham and Noah Washington recovered the ball on the Richmond 10-yard line with 6:27 left in the game. A play later, Morgan took the lead with a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Jabriel Johnson.
Freshman Shane Messenger punted at the 2:12 mark to give Richmond its final offensive opportunity of the night, but the ball was mishandled and Morgan regained possession where they ran out the clock with a 10-yard gain and three kneels by the quarterback.
The Bears turned the ball over on downs with one second left, then Wickersham connected on his longest pass of the night— a 32 yard reception by Ja'Vion Griffin — but time would expire, closing the door on Richmond.
BEAR NOTE
▪️The game marked Morgan's first season-opener win since 2012 when they beat Sacred Heart 30-27 in overtime at Hughes Stadium.
▪️Richmond had never lost in a home opener at Robins Stadium, which opened in 2010 . . . The Spiders had won their previous 17-game home openers dating back to 2006.
▪️Richmond entered the 2023 season ranked in both national NCAA FCS polls in the preseason, coming in a No. 18 in both the Stats Perform Poll and No. 16 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
▪️It was Morgan's first win against a ranked opponent since Sept. 22, 2018 -- the Bears defeated No. 4 ranked North Carolina A&T 16-13 at Aggies Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
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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.
