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GAME TIME
Morgan (1-2) will host the Virginia Lynchburg Dragons (0-3) in a non-conference matchup on Saturday, Sept. 21. The game will mark the Bears' home-opener and Bear Family Day. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Earl C. Banks Field at Hughes Stadium. The game 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 Gene "Coach" Clemons. Cayla Sweazie will be the sideline reporter.
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
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THE SERIES
... give Damon Wilson his 10th win as MSU's head coach.
... mark the Bears' second win of the season.
... mark the Bears' 4th win against VUL.
...mark the Morgan' first home-opener win since a 24-9 win against Sacred Heart on Sept. 17, 2022.
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 championships.
•
Tim Newman enters his first season as head coach/athletics director/offensive coordinator of Virginia Lynchburg football. He also had head coaching jobs at Barber-Scotia College and Louisburg College.
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.
NOTABLE NATIONAL NOTES
Here are a few 2024 FCS national statistics of note on offense, defense and special teams that pertained to the Bears:
• The Bears lead the nation (FCS) in turnover margin (2.33), rank T-No. 1 in 4th down conversion pct. defense (0.000), T-No. 3 in turnovers gained (8), No. 22 in time of possession (32.40), T-No. 25 in scoring defense (21.0), No. 30 in red zone defense (.778), No. 33 in total defense (340.3), and No. 43 (136.3) in rushing defense.
A GLANCE AT THE DRAGONS
• Virginia Lynchburg finished the 2023 season with an overall mark of 2-9 with wins against Fort Lauderdale (W, 42-19) and at Lane (W, 45-40). They finished the season on a 3-game losing streak.
• VUL, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, is a private, faith-based HBCU in Lynchburg, Virginia.
• Head coach Tim Newman's football journey took off as an electrifying athlete at Olympic High School. The multisport athlete is a Charlotte, North Carolina. He was a dominant RB at Johnson C. Smith University where he secured three consecutive selections for the CIAA All-Conference recognition and unanimously claimed the offensive MVP title for three consecutive years with the Golden Bulls.
• Virginia Lynchburg enters Saturday's contest coming off a 52-0 loss against the Presbyterian Blue Hose in Clinton (SC) and fell to 0-3 for the season.
• The Dragons' offense is led by quarterback Matthew Jenks. The 5-10, 217-pound signal-caller has completed 14-of-35 passes for 81 yards at Presbyterian.
• RB Jacob Newman had nine carries for 30 yards against the Blue Hose.
KNOW THY OPPONENT
• Notable alumni: Kevin Scott '94 - Microsoft CTO; Setsuko Thurlow '55 - Accepted Nobel Peace Prize for nuclear disarmament movement; Joan Foster - Eight Year mayor of Lynchburg, Virginia; Jim Bibby '77 - former MLB pitcher; Bob Duff - Connecticut Senate Majority Leader; Emily Brown '02 - USA Today director of platform storytelling.
A LOOK AHEAD
Morgan will travel to face the Stony Brook Seawolves on Saturday, Sept. 28. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at LaValle Stadium. The game will air on ESPN+.
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
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.
