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GAME TIME
Morgan State (3-7, 0-3) looks to break through for its first conference win when it heads to Norfolk State (1-9, 0-3) on Saturday, Nov. 15, at William "Dick" Price Stadium in Norfolk, Va. The Bears enter the matchup after a tight 14-12 loss to Delaware State, while the Spartans are coming off a close 31-28 defeat to North Carolina Central. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m., with live coverage on ESPNU, WEAA 88.9 FM, and HSRN.com.

GAME COVERAGE
ESPN+ will air the game live. 

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.nsuspartans.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.

• Michael Vick enters his first season as Norfolk State University's head football coach in 2025. He was hired on Dec. 20, 2024. A four-time Pro Bowl selection and former No. 1 overall NFL draft pick, Vick was named NSU's 19th head football coach. Vick spent 13 seasons in the NFL. The Newport News, Va. native played six years for the Atlanta Falcons and five years for the Philadelphia Eagles before final stints with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.

THE SERIES
• Saturday will mark the 47th meeting between the two schools. 

• Norfolk State leads the series against Morgan State with an overall record of 23-13 since 1965.

•  The Bears have won 2 of the last 3 meetings since 2022, including a current string of 2-straight (2023-2024).

• In their last meeting on Nov. 2, 2024, the Morgan State defense and special teams unit overcame early issues with the offense and fought back from an early three touchdown deficit to overwhelm Norfolk State 38-37 in overtime to win their first MEAC game of the season.

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. Through seven games, the Baltimore native has totaled 755 passing yards (62 of 123) with six touchdowns and 354 rushing yards (5.8 avg) with four more scores...including an 81-yard touchdown run versus Howard (Oct. 25).  Having earned MEAC Rookie of the Week honors four times this season, Runway Ray continues to impress as the Bears advance through 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 currently has 430 yards on 108 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 24 receptions for 250 yards, including 2 TDs...he's also averaging 23.8 yards on kick returns.

• 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 third on Morgan State's all-time tackles list, has already proven himself as one of the top defenders in the FCS. 

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
• Norfolk State finished the 2024 season with a 4-8 overall record and posted a 2-3 mark in MEAC play.

• Norfolk State was selected to finish fourth on the MEAC preseason order of finish heading into the 2025 football season. Seven Hornets earned recognition on the 2025 Preseason All-MEAC Team. The First Team honorees were RB Kevon King, WR Kam'Ryn Thomas, OL Vincent Byrd Jr., RS Jaylen White, and LB Daylan Long. Five Spartans were selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team: DL Keshawn Lynch, LB Terique Miles, DB Jayden Smith, DB Kahleef Jimmison, and P Noah Tracey.

• Sophomore dual-threat QB Vinson Berry is expected to be behind center as a result of Otto Kuhn's injury on Saturday. The Atlanta native has completed 4 of 11 passes for 42 yards, including tossing a pair of TDs vs. N.C. Central. 

• Last time out -The Norfolk State football team came up just short in a tightly contested matchup on Saturday, falling 31-28 to North Carolina Central at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. QB  Otto Kuhns completed 18 of 26 passes for 197 yards and one touchdown before exiting the game due to injury. The Spartans found success on the ground, led by Kevon King, who rushed for 149 yards. X'Zavion Evans added 28 yards on eight carries, including a seven-yard touchdown. Kam'Ryn Thomas paced the receiving corps with six receptions for 96 yards and two touchdowns

• Senior RB Marquis Gillis (5-11, 200) leads  No. 9 in the MEAC in rushing with 449 yards on 65 carries, including three TDs. Senior RB X'Zavion Evans is also one to watch for the Spartans as he's averaging 4.1 yards per carry (438 yds; 5 TDs).

• Graduate student LB Terique Miles and redshirt sophomore DE David Ojegbe are among the Spartans' top defenders. Miles ranks No. 2 in the league with 66 tackles and 5 tackles for loss, including 3 pass breakups. DOjegbe has 31 stops, 7.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. 

• NSU ranks as the league leader in several statistical categories: No. 3 in passing (226.2), No. 3 in 4th down conversions (55.6), No. 3 in opponent 4th down conversions (50.0),  and No. 4 in total offense (356.1).

A LOOK AHEAD
Morgan State will host North Carolina Central on Saturday, Nov. 22, in the regular season finale. Kickoff is set for 12 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.


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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.