msuscsu
30
Morgan St. MSU 3-6 , 0-2
36
Winner South Carolina St. SCS 6-3 , 2-0
Morgan St. MSU
3-6 , 0-2
30
Final
36
South Carolina St. SCS
6-3 , 2-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
MSU Morgan St. 0 10 0 20 30
SCS South Carolina St. 7 21 5 3 36

Game Recap: Football | | MSU Athletics Communications

Bears' Late Surge Falls Short at South Carolina State

Postgame Notes

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Nov. 1, 2025) – Morgan State battled the defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion South Carolina State Bulldogs down to the wire, but a second-quarter surge proved to be the difference as the Bears' furious late comeback came up just short in a 36-30 setback at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

The win lifted South Carolina State to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in the MEAC—remaining unbeaten in conference play since last season—while Morgan State dropped to 3-6 and 0-2 in league action.

The Bulldogs outgained the Bears 496-394 in total offense, though Morgan State managed 165 yards on the ground and mounted an impressive fourth-quarter rally.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Raymond Moore, the reigning MEAC Rookie of the Week, continued his strong play by completing 17 of 30 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 76 rushing yards and another score. Freshman wideout Justin Perry led the Bears with four receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Erick Hunter and Jianni Woodson-Brooks paced Morgan State with nine tackles apiece. Hunter added two tackles for loss and an interception, while Woodson-Brooks notched two sacks. Jadon Carter and Hiroshi Carr chipped in with five tackles each.

South Carolina State quarterback William Atkins IV led the Bulldogs' offense, throwing for 363 yards and a touchdown while adding another score on the ground. Tyler Smith rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, and Jordan Smith caught four passes for 107 yards.

South Carolina State struck first on its opening possession when Atkins connected with Jordan Smith for a 60-yard pass to set up the Bulldogs inside the red zone. One play later, Tyler Smith punched it in from four yards out, and Nico Cavanillas Alti's extra point gave SCSU a 7-0 lead with 11:43 left in the first quarter.

On Morgan's next drive, a deflected pass from Moore was intercepted by Jordan Franklin at the Bears' 8-yard line. However, the defense held firm as Alti's 21-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left—shifting momentum back to the Bears.

The Bears capitalized moments later when Erick Hunter intercepted Atkins' pass near midfield. That takeaway set up a 28-yard field goal by Alex Amaya early in the second quarter, cutting the lead to 7-3.

The Bulldogs answered quickly. A 55-yard burst from Tyler Smith set up his second touchdown of the game, extending SCSU's lead to 14-3 at the 9:22 mark.

Morgan State responded just as fast. Malique Leatherbury's 46-yard kickoff return sparked the offense, and two plays later Moore found Perry on a 38-yard strike to pull within 14-10 with 8:38 left before halftime.

But South Carolina State closed the half with back-to-back scoring drives. Facing 3rd-and-14, Atkins found Johnny Jones for 15 yards, then hit Darius Thompson for a 69-yard touchdown to make it 21-10. After forcing a three-and-out, the Bulldogs marched 67 yards in 11 plays, capping the drive with a 3-yard quarterback draw from Atkins just before halftime to push the lead to 28-10.

Morgan's offense struggled to finish drives in the third quarter. A promising 13-play march ended on a fourth-and-goal interception in the end zone by SCSU's Shamari Reed. The Bulldogs added a 23-yard field goal by Alti to go up 31-10, and a sack by Kwantre Harry in the end zone resulted in a safety to make it 33-10 heading into the fourth.

Alti tacked on a 36-yard field goal early in the final period for a 36-10 cushion, but the Bears refused to fold.
 
A 44-yard run by Randall Nauden and an 18-yard scramble by Moore keyed a quick drive that ended with Moore finding Dorian Harris for a 14-yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to 36-17 with 8:29 remaining.

After forcing a punt, the Bears struck again when Moore hit Rahmise Jones for 44 yards and then connected with Joseph Kennerly Jr. for a 25-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, but Morgan pulled within 36-23 with just over four minutes left.

Amaya's ensuing onside kick was recovered by Keith Joseph-Clark, giving the Bears another chance near midfield.

Moore guided the Bears downfield once more, completing a 17-yard pass to Perry on 3rd-and-4 before capping the drive with a 4-yard rushing touchdown. Amaya's PAT made it 36-30 with 1:19 remaining.

Morgan attempted a second onside kick, but it traveled only nine yards and was touched prematurely, resulting in an illegal touching penalty. SCSU's Atkins then kneeled out the clock to secure the win.


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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.

 
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