BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 23, 2023) -- Despite charging back from a 10-0 deficit and forcing overtime, Morgan State ultimately fell short to UAlbany in double overtime 23-17 on a soggy and windy Saturday night at Hughes Stadium.
The Bears forced four turnovers but was still unable to prevail and fall to 1-3 for the season, while UAlbany improved to 2-2 in its nonconference finale.
Freshman running back Griffin Woodell scored both UAlbany touchdowns in overtime to helps the Great Danes survive in double overtime.
Woodell atoned for two mistakes in the first half. On UAlbany's opening drive, he fumbled at the 1 just as he was about to score untouched on what would have been a 25-yard touchdown pass from Reese Poffenbarger. Instead, the ball bounced out of the end zone for a touchback.
He also muffed a kickoff near the end of the first half that put the Great Danes at their own 3.
But in overtime, after Morgan's Anthony powered in for a score on a QB sneak, Woodell came up clutch with a 14-yard scoring catch from Poffenbarger that, followed by John Opalka's extra point, tied the score at 17-17.
UAlbany got the ball first in the second overtime and Woodell rushed to his left for a 7-yard touchdown and a 23-17 lead.
After Woodell's second touchdown, Poffenbarger's 2-point conversion pass to tight end Carter Moses was negated by penalty. Then UAlbany tried a trick play,but Poffenbarger was tackled at the 4 on a pass from wide receiver MarQeese Dietz.
That left the game up to Morgan's offense, but the Great Danes came trough by stopping the Bears on downs. On fourth-and-10 , defensive ends AJ Simon and Anton Juncaj pressured Morgan's quarterback
Dominique Anthony into a game-ending incompletion.
Anthony made his first career start for the Bears and finished by completing 18-of-39 passes for 147 yards, including a 7-yard TD pass to
Demier Shipley to trim the Great Danes lead to 10-7 at halftime.
Morgan senior wideout
Treveyon Pratt led all receivers with four catches for 65 yards.
It wasn't UAlbany's onluy big stop. With UAlbany leading 10-7, Morgan forced a fumble by Great Dane running back Faysal Aden that the Bears recovered and returned to the UAlbany 28 with 58 seconds remaining in regulation.
Morgan moved to the 1 and had first-and-goal. But UAlbany stopped Anthony short twice on quarterback sneaks. On third down, the Bears were penalized five yards for having 12 men on the field. After an Anthony incompletion, the Bears had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by
Beckett Leary with 25 seconds to play and head to overtime.
Poffensbarger finished 10-of-23 passing for 142 yards and one touchdown - a 31-yard strike to Julian Hicks in the first quarter - and was intercepted by Morgan senior safety
Jordan Toles.
Morgan's defense was led by junior defensive end
Elijah Williams who finished with 10 tackles and five tackles for loss and a sack. Junior linebacker
Erick Hunter added eight tackles and a sack, and Toles chipped in six stops.
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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.
