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GAME TIME
Morgan State (3-5, 0-1 MEAC) will aim to secure its first conference win of the season when it visits South Carolina State (5-3, 1-0 MEAC) on Saturday, Nov. 1, in Orangeburg, S.C. The Bears are coming off a hard-fought 33-27 overtime loss at Howard, while the Bulldogs enter the matchup following a decisive 51-20 victory over Norfolk State. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, with live coverage on ESPN+, WEAA 88.9 FM, and HSRN.com.

GAME COVERAGE
ESPN+ (online) Click Here | 

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 SiriusXM 386 and 988 on the SiriusXMmobile app. 

LIVE STATS: www.scsuathletics.com - here

THE COACHES
• Damon Wilson enters his 4th 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.

• Chennis Berry was named head football coach at South Carolina State University on December 16th, 2023. The former Benedict College (Columbia, SC) head coach succeeded the iconic Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough, the winningest coach in Bulldog football history, who retired as head football coach at the end of the 2023 season after 22 seasons at the helm and 151 wins. Berry led the Bulldogs to their 19th MEAC Championship title in school history.

THE SERIES
• Saturday will mark the 45th meeting between the two schools.

• SCSU leads the series against Morgan with an overall record of 35-8-1 since 1971.

• SCSU has won 14 of the last 17 meetings (2003-2024) against the Bears.

• In their last meeting on Nov. 11, 2024, the Bulldogs rolled to a 54-7 win against the Bears at Hughes Stadium.

QUICK HITS
• The 2025 Morgan State Bears are under the leadership of fourth-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.

• Redshirt freshman quarterback Raymond Moore III made a strong impression in his first start of the season, leading Morgan to a Homecoming victory. The Baltimore native completed 13-of-22 passes for 173 yards, throwing for a touchdown and an interception against Virginia–Lynchburg. He also showcased his dual-threat ability, rushing for 52 yards and a score on seven carries. Through five games, Moore has totaled 414 passing yards (35-of-69) with two touchdowns and 252 rushing yards (8.1 avg) with three more scores...including an 81-yard touchdown run versus Howard (Oct. 25). A two-time MEAC Rookie of the Week honoree this season, Runway Ray appears ready for liftoff as the Bears dive deeper into conference play. 

• RB Jason Collins Jr. was named the MEAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Collins Jr. made an immediate impact in his debut season, rushing for 634 yards and eight touchdowns on 114 carries to earn 2024 MEAC Rookie of the Year honors. His breakout performance came against Delaware State, where he totaled 152 rushing yards on 24 carries. He leads the Bears with 381 yards on 95 carries and has scored 6 TDs so far this season.

• Returning as the Bears' leading receiver for the 2025 season is Malique Leatherbury, a promising talent looking to build upon his previous year's experience. In 2024, he appeared in 12 games and had a stat line of 29 receptions for 250 yards. He was also one of the premier return specialists in FCS football. He earned him a spot on the All-MEAC Second Team, largely fueled by his remarkable 17.9-yard average per punt return, which ranked second-best in the entire FCS. He currently leads the team with 19 receptions for 189 yards, including two touchdowns.

• Morgan has several offensive linemen as they enter the 2025 season ... The Bears have 19 OL listed on the roster and will be led by veteran center Preseason All-MEAC Second Team Daniel Casillas Jr. (6-3, 315).

• LB Erick Hunter is on the official watch list for the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List.  Despite missing most of the 2024 season, he made a strong comeback in the final two games, ending the year with a standout performance against Howard that included seven tackles and one sack. Hunter, who currently ranks fourth on Morgan State's all-time tackles list with 256, has already proven himself as one of the top defenders in the FCS. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• South Carolina State finished the 2024 season with a 9-3 overall record and posted a 5-0 mark in MEAC play and won the 2024 MEAC Championship.

• Reigning MEAC champion South Carolina State has been selected as the preseason favorite heading into the 2025 football season. Three Bulldogs earned recognition on the 2025 Preseason All-MEAC Team. DB Jarod Washington was selected to the First Team, while OL Roger Smith and Josh Barker were Second Team selections.

• QB William Atkins IV ranks No. 3 in the league in passing (141.9 avg) and has completed 60% of his throws (88-145; No. 8 in FCS) for 1,135 yards, with 9 TDs and an interception.

• Last time out - The Bulldogs improved to 5-3 (1-0) in MEAC play after knocking off Norfolk State in dominant fashion on the road, 51-20, inside Dick Price Stadium. On the offensive side of the ball, William Atkins IV posted a season best passing for 24-of-36-1 for 428-yards, four touchdowns (4) with a long of 75-yards. Jordan Smith led the receiving corps with a career-best seven (7) catches for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Deyandre Ruffin added five receptions for 52 yards, along with Nigel Johnson's three for 48 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Franklin, last week's HBCU National Defensive Player of the Week, spearheaded the Bulldog defense with 10 tackles (5 solo) and 2.0 tackles for loss.

• Junior RB Tyler Smith ranks No. 7 in the MEAC in rushing with 334 yards on 72 carries, including three TDs ... he's currently averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

• Redshirt sophomore LB Jordan Franklin and graduate student DE Michael Lunz II are two of the Bulldogs' top defenders. Franklin has 43 stops and a sack, including 6.0 tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Lunz ranks No. 1 in the league in sacks (8) and tackles for loss (14), to go along with 30 tackles.

• SCSU ranks as the league leader in several statistical categories: No. 1 in rush defense (116.5), No. 1 in pass offense (279.5), No. 1 in 3rd down conversions (49.6), and No. 1 in opponents' 3rd down conversions (24.5).

• Chennis Berry was an offensive coordinator at Morgan State under head coach Donald Hill-Eley (2006-08).

A LOOK AHEAD
Morgan State will host the Delaware State Hornets on Friday, Nov. 7. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Md.

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. Returning MEAC champion South Carolina State has been picked to win the MEAC Football Championship as the Bulldogs topped the league's annual preseason poll for 2024. North Carolina Central was tabbed to place 2nd.

BEARS OPEN 50th SEASON IN MEAC
The Bears will open their 50th season in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC ) when they travel to face Howard for the conference opener on Oct. 25.
• The Bears opened the 2024 MEAC schedule with a 16-7 loss at North Carolina Central (Oct. 26) at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
• The Bears kicked off their 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.

PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
The Bears made a clean sweep of the conference's top individual honors, with standout LB Erick Hunter earning the prestigious title of Preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, and RB Jason Collins Jr. securing the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year nod at the 2025 MEAC Football Press Luncheon in Baltimore, Md. Eleven (11) Bears were named to the MEAC preseason team: DL Dashawn Fields, LB Erick Hunter, DB Jadon Carter, RS Malique Leatherbury, PK Sahr Gbundema, and P Shane Messenger were first-team selections. RB Jason Collins Jr., WR Malique Leatherbury, C Daniel Casillas Jr., OL Kahari Finley, OL Treyvon Branch, and LB Arturo Mattocks were second-team picks. 

BEARS OPEN 126th SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 126th season of football and will open the 2025 campaign under fourth-year head coach Damon Wilson.

RETURN MEN 
The 2025 Morgan State Bears return 20 starters - 9 on offense, 6 on defense, and 5 on special teams.

CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS 
The Bears enter the 2025 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 2025 campaign with four of their first seven non-conference matchups coming on the road. MSU opens the season at South Alabama (Aug. 30), host Towson (Sept. 6), followed by a game at Toledo (Sept. 13), before returning home to face Central State (Sept. 20). Morgan will face Miles College in the Circle City Classic (Sept. 27), and round out non-conference play at Georgetown (Oct. 4) and then homecoming versus Virginia Lynchburg (Oct. 11).

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 in 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 
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• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official website of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios, and more. 
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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.