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GAME TIME
Morgan State will face the Hampton Pirates in the 2024 season opener on Saturday, August  31. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Armstrong Stadium in Hampton, Va. The game will broadcast live on FloFootball. Additionally, the game will also be aired by WEAA, 88.9FM. This highly anticipated clash marks the first meeting between Morgan State and Hampton since 2016.

GAME COVERAGE
FloSports (online) Click Here | Nathan Epstein will call the play-by-play.

THE COACHES
* Damon Wilson enters his 3rd 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.
* Trent Boykin enters his first season as Hampton's interim head coach. A veteran of nearly 30 years in the coaching profession, Boykin served as running backs coach for the Pirates since 2020. The Kent, Ohio native, came to Hampton after working as an assistant coach at Akron from 2012-18.

A WIN WOULD ... 
... give Damon Wilson his ninth win as MSU's head coach.
... mark the Bears' second straight season-opener win.
... improve the Bears' record to 39-26-2 against Hampton since 1930.
... mark the Bears first win against Hampton since a 38-35 win at Armstrong Stadium on Nov. 1, 2014.
... mark the Bears' first non-conference victory since defeating the Richmond Spiders on Sept. 2, 2013.

QUICK HITS
• The 2024 Morgan State Bears will be under the leadership of third year head coach Damon Wilson. Wilson, the 24th 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.

• Sophomore quarterback  Tahj Smith enters the season as the Bears' starter. Smith's emergence comes after a freshman season in which he appeared in five games and started in the last four games of the season. He completed 29-of-71 passes (40.8 pct) for 426 yards and three touchdowns. He was also also the team's third leading rusher, accumulating 159 yards on 4.1 average carries and scoring two touchdowns.

• RS Keith Jenkins Jr. enters the Fall as a Preseason All-MEAC First Team selection and will certainly be one to watch. Appearing in 10 games throughout the season, Jenkins showcased his versatility as both a running back, a receiver, and most notably as a dangerous return specialist. He averaged an impressive average of 23.2 yards per kick return, ranking him fourth in the MEAC.

• Last season, J.J. Davis emerged as Morgan's clear-cut starting running back, playing nearly two times as many snaps as any other Bear at the position and finished with 116 carries, 584 yd, 2 TDs in 10 games played.

• Anthony James Jr. (20 rec., 189 yds, TD) and Demier Shipley (14 rec., 146 yds, TD) return as the Bears' leading wideouts this fall.

• 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 Preseason All-MEAC First Team T Treyvon Branch.  (6-3, 290).

• LB Erick Hunter, is on the official watch list for the 2024 Black College Football Player of the Year Watch List, led the MEAC with 75 tackles and ranked No. 6 in tackles for loss (9.5). In addition to his elite tackling ability, Hunter also showcased his versatility and playmaking skills. He registered 7 quarterback hurries, 3.0 sacks (No. 11), two forced fumbles, two interceptions and a pass breakup. Hunter is poised to continue his impressive trajectory and lead Morgan to even greater success in the 2024 season.

• DL Elijah Williams, is on the official watch list for the 2024 Black College Football Player of the Year Watch List, was a defensive standout in the trenches for the Bears in 2023. The New Jersey product registered 50 total tackles, including 31 solo tackles. His ability to penetrate the offensive line and disrupt plays was unmatched, as evidenced by his league-leading 11.0 tackles for loss.

A GLANCE AT THE PIRATES
• Hampton finished the 2023 season with a 5-6 overall record and were 3-5 in Coastal Athletic Association  conference play.

• The Pirates  projected to finish 12th overall in the CAA Preseason Poll and placed running back Elijah Burris on the preseason All-CAA  team, according to a vote of the league's coaches. A native of Gastonia, N.C., Burris was limited to seven games due to injury but rushed for 814 yards, an average of 8.3 yards per carry, with six touchdowns in 2023. Burris was second in the conference in rushing yards per game, averaging 114.7 per contest. For his career, Burris has rushed for 1,774 yards with 14 touchdowns.

• RB Elijah Burris, who is on the Black College Football Player of the Year Watch List, is ranked among the top returning FCS running backs in the nation. Hero Sports (herosports.com) lists the top returning FCS players by position group. Burris is ranked the 14th best running back returning in 2024. 

• Hampton led the CAA in rushing in 2023 with 214.6 yards per contest. In addition to Burris, running back Darran Butts (122 carries with 670 yards and four scores) and quarterback Chris Zellous (120 totes for 559 yards and nine touchdowns) were among the conference leaders in rushing.

• QB Chris Zellous returns under center for the Pirates this season... he has completed 127-of-233 passes for 1,497 yards and 13 touchdowns, including 14 interceptions in 2023.

• DB Darren Burton II is one of 18 HBCU football players on the Aeneas Williams Award Preseason Watch List. The sophomore from Newark, N.J., played in all 11 games for the Pirates as a freshman, registering 24 total tackles with 15 solo and nine assists. He also had 1.5 tackles-for-loss, intercepted a pass, and broke up three passes.

• LB Ahmad Ross registered 20 tackles and had a sack last season, while DL Rodrick Dorsey added 21 stops and a sack in 2023..

• Hampton ranked among the league leaders in a number of statistical categories: No. 1 in rushing offense (216.4); No. 2 field goals  (7-8 - .875); No. 1 in sacks against (15); No. 4 in opponent 4th down conversions (43.8).

A LOOK AHEAD
Morgan travel to face the Towson Tigers in the Battle for Greater Baltimore matchup. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Johnny Unitas Stadium.

PRESEASON PICKED THIRD 
Morgan State was picked to finish third (3rd) in the MEAC standings, according to the poll of the conference head coaches and sports information directors.
North Carolina Central has been picked win the MEAC Football Championship as the Eagles topped the league's annual preseason poll for 2024. Returning MEAC champion Howard was picked to place 2nd.

PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
Eight (8) Bears were named to the MEAC preseason team at the 2024 MEAC Football Press Luncheon in Norfolk, Va. Senior OL Treyvon Branch, senior DL Elijah Williams, senior LB Erick Hunter, junior RS Keith Jenkins Jr. were first-team selections. Sophomore QB Tahj Smith, senior DL Nana Asante, senior DB Carlvainsky Decius, and sophomore DB Ja'son Prevard were second-team picks.

BEARS OPEN 49th SEASON IN MEAC
The Bears will open its 49th season in the MEAC when they travel to face North Carolina Central for the conference opener on Oct. 26.
• The Bears opened the 2023 MEAC schedule with a 16-10 loss against North Carolina Central (Oct. 19) 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.

BEARS OPEN 125th SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 125th season of football and will open the 2024 campaign under third year head coach Damon Wilson.

RETURN MEN 
The 2024 Morgan State Bears return 18 starters - 7 on offense, 8 on defense and 3 on special teams.

CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS 
The Bears enter the 2024 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 2024 campaign with three of its first seven non-conference matchups coming on the road. MSU opens the season at Hampton (Aug. 31), followed by a game at Towson (Sept. 6) and Ohio (Sept.14). The Bears will host Virginia Lynchburg (Sept. 21), before traveling to face Stony Brook (Sept. 28). The Bears round out non-conference play when they host Lincoln (Pa.) (Oct. 5) and Merrimack (Oct. 12). 

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
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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.