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GAME TIME
Morgan State  (1-2) and the UAlbany Great Danes (1-2) will get together  at Hughes Stadium in a non-conference matchup on Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The game will mark Youth and Family Day and will air on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast by WEAA, 88.9FM.

GAME COVERAGE
ESPN+ will air the game live. Phil Schoener will call the play-by-play with color analyst Emory "The 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 2023 MSU Ticket Information.

THE SERIES
• Saturday will mark the 4th meeting in the series that began with a 26-0 win on Sept. 9, 2017 in Hughes Stadium.
•  UAlbany leads the series against Morgan 3-0.
•  In their last meeting, the Danes recorded a 41-14 win at Tom & Casey Stadium on Nov. 13, 2021.
•  On Nov. 13, 2021, UAlbany rolled to a 41-14 victory over Morgan. 

THE COACHES
• Damon Wilson enters his 2nd season as Morgan's head coach. He 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.
• Greg Gattuso enters his 10th season at the helm of the UAlbany football program in the fall of 2023. A former standout DL at Penn State who's worked at Duquesne, Pittsburgh and Maryland, Gattuso has led the Great Danes in the CAA, one of the top Football Championship Subdivision conferences in the nation.

A WIN WOULD ... 
... give Damon Wilson his sixth win as MSU's head coach.
... mark the Bears' first win against Albany.
... improve the Bears' record to 1-3 against UAlbany since 2017.
... mark the Bears first win at Hughes Stadium since beating South Carolina State on Oct. 29, 2022.
... mark MSU's first non-conference home win since defeating Virgnia-Lynchburg 44-10 on Oct. 21, 2022.
... mark MSU's first night game victory at Hughes Stadium since defeating Delaware State (W, 20-14) on Nov. 4, 2021 in an ESPN2 nationally televised contest.

QUICK HITS
• The 2023 Morgan State Bears will be under the leadership of second year head coach Damon Wilson. Wilson, the 23rd coach in school history, previously served 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.
• The Bears played three QBs in their tough home-opener loss against Towson. Duce Taylor got the start and completed 9 of 24 passes for 96 yards, including three picks. ODU transfer Dominique Anthony came in and threw for 58 yards and Carson Baker finished with 34 yards on 5 of 8 passing.
• Despite the loss of All-MEAC RB Alfonzo Graham, the Bears will look for Jabriel Johnson and Norfolk State transfer J.J. Davis and Myles Miree to carry the load this season. Davis leads the Bears with 39 carries for 150 yards (3.8 avg) and Johnson pounded out 78 yards on 18 carries, including the Bears go-head touchdown to seal the Week 1 win at Richmond. 
• The Bears return veteran wideouts Andre Crawley (22 rec., 336 yds, 2 TDs), Daymond "DJ" Hamler (25 rec., 256 yds) and Tyler Wilkins (12 rec., 139 yds, 2 TDs).
• Morgan has a number of offensive lineman as they enter the 2023 season ... The Bears have 19 OL listed on the roster and will be led by veteran All-MEAC G Marvin Atuatasi (6-1, 305) and T Dexter Carr Jr.  (6-3, 295).
• DL Elijah Williams, a Preseason All-American, emerged as a force on the defensive line for the Bears last season. The New Jersey product registered 60 total tackles (33 solo, 27 assisted) last season, including a league-high 19.0 tackles for loss (ranks No. 5 in FCS) and nine sacks (T-No. 13 in FCS).  He currently has 17 tackles,  4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
• DB Jae'Veyon Morton is on the official watch list for the 2023 Black College Football Player of the Year Watchlist, the Black College Football Hall of Fame ... The All-MEAC selection ranks No. 4 in the MEAC in passes defended (4) and has collected an INT in Week 2 at Akron and Week 3 vs. Towson.
• RS Keith Jenkins Jr. was one of the top return specialists in the nation as a freshman last year ... The speedster finished the season with two kickoff returns for touchdowns (T-No. 2 in the FCS) ... he is currently averaging 19.7 yards per kick return (No. 4 in MEAC).

A GLANCE AT THE GREAT DANES
•  UAlbany finished the 2022 season with an overall mark of 3-8 and went 2-6 in conference play. They capped the season with a 35-21 road loss against Rhode Island.
•  UAlbany was predicted to finish 11th in the CAA Preseason Poll with 64 points.  William & Mary is the preseason favorite with 195 points, including 13 first-place votes, followed by New Hampshire at second and Richmond in third.
• Three Tigers were recognized in the 2023 CAA preseason awards.  Reese Poffenbarger (QB), Anton Juncaj (DL), and Dylan Kelly (LB) have all been named Preseason All-Conference Honorable Mention.
•  Reese Poffenbarger, a QB from Middletown (Md.) completed nearly 62% of his passes in 11 games as a starter in 2022, throwing for 2,999 yards and 24 touchdowns against only four interceptions. He finished second in the 2022 Jerry Rice Award voting, given to the most outstanding freshman in the FCS. He was named the CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year, the ECAC Division I FCS Rookie of the Year, and was placed on the All-CAA Third Team Offense. 
•  Poffenbarger is on the 2023 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List, Stats Perform. The award is presented to the national offensive player of the year in football's Division I subdivision.
• LB Dylan Kelly was named to the All-CAA Third Team Defense last season. He finished as UAlbany's leading tackler in 2022, recording 97.0 tackles (61 solo) and one sack. He led all CAA defenders with 61 solo tackles and ranked tied for fourth in the league in total tackles.
• DL Anton Juncaj was named to the All-CAA Third Team Defense in 2022.  Juncaj was UAlbany's most disruptive defensive lineman last season, recording a team-high 12.0 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including 4.5 sacks. Juncaj recorded a total of 38.0 tackles
•  Albany went back and forth with the University of Hawai'i, an FBS opponent, on Sept. 10, but ultimately came up short. The defense forced three turnovers, all interceptions, including a pick-six from DB Larry Walker Jr.
• MSU's last game against UAlbany was on Nov. 13, 2021 at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium ... Jeff Undercuffler threw for 328 yards and two touchdowns and Karl Mofor ran for 90 yards and three scores as Albany rolled to a 41-14 victory over Morgan in a game that was delayed by lightning. The Great Danes took a 34-0 lead into halftime. Duce Taylor completed 10 of 17 passes for 85 yards for Morgan, which managed only 183 yards of offense. Romello Kimbrough had two carries for the Bears, but he made them count — scoring on a 17-yard run in the third quarter and a 4-yarder in the fourth.

NOTABLE NATIONAL NOTES
Here are a few 2023 FCS national statistics of note on offense, defense and special teams that pertained to the Bears:
• The Bears defense ranks No. 1 in turnovers gained (10), T-No. 4 in interceptions (5) and No. 15 in total defense (295.3), and No. T-15 in scoring defense (180).
• Graduate DB Jae'Veyon Morton ranks T-10 nationally in interceptions (2).
• Junior LB Erick Hunter ranks T-No. 24 in tackles for loss (4.5) and T-No. 41 nationally in total tackles (27).
• Junior DE Elijah Williams ranks T-No. 38 in tackles for loss (4.0).
• Keith Jenkins Jr. currently ranks in the FCS No. 40 in  kick returns (20.9 avg).

MSU's NEW YORK TIES 
The Bears' roster has a pair of players from the home state of New York.  This includes senior TE Abdou Diop (Harlem) and freshman LB Deandre Blagrove (Lakeview). 

A LOOK AHEAD 
• Saturday, Sept. 30 will mark the second meeting between the teams. 
• Yale shutout Morgan 41-0 in 1984.

BEARS OPEN 124th SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 124th season of football and will open the 2023 campaign under second year head coach Damon Wilson.

PRESEASON PICKED 4TH 
Morgan State was picked to finish fourth (4th) in the MEAC standings, according to the poll of the conference head coaches and sports information directors.
North Carolina Central has been picked to defend its MEAC Football Championship as the Eagles topped the league's annual preseason poll for 2023. 

PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
Six (6) Bears were named to the MEAC preseason team at the 2023 MEAC Football Press Luncheon in Norfolk, Va. Senior linebacker Lawrence Richardson, senior defensive back Jae'Veyon Morton,  junior defensive lineman Elijah Williams, and sophomore return specialist Keith Jenkins Jr. were first-team selections. Senior offensive lineman Marvin Atuatasi and junior linebacker Erick Hunter were second-team picks.

RETURN MEN 
The 2023 Morgan State Bears return 16 starters - 8 on offense, 8 on defense and 1 on special teams.

CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS 
The Bears enter the 2023 season looking to post their first winning season since going 6-5 in 2009. MSU's 7-6 record in 2014 was vacated. 
 
NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Bears will open the 2023 campaign with two of its first three non-conference matchups coming on the road. MSU opens the season at Richmond (Sept. 2), followed by a game at Akron (Sept. 9). The Bears will host Towson (Sept. 16) and Albany (Sept. 23), before traveling to face Yale (Sept. 30). The Bears round out non-conference play when they host Stony Brook (Oct. 7) for homecoming. 

BEARS OPEN 48th SEASON IN MEAC
The Bears will open its 48th 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 2022 MEAC schedule with a 24-21 loss against Norfolk State (Oct. 8) at Hughes Stadium.
• 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.