GAME TIME
Morgan State (4–7, 1–3) will close out its season on Saturday, Nov. 22, when it hosts North Carolina Central (7–4, 2–2) at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore. The Bears come in with momentum after an exciting 35–28 road win at Norfolk State, while the Eagles arrive looking to rebound from a tight 34–27 loss to South Carolina State. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m., with live coverage on ESPNU, WEAA 88.9 FM, and HSRN.com.

Fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+, or listen via WEAA 88.9 FM and HSRN.com.

GAME COVERAGE
ESPN+ (online) will air the game live. Phil Schoener will call the play-by-play with color analyst Gene Clemons. 

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.morganstatebears.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.

• Trei Oliver has led the Eagles to a 37-21 record in five seasons at the helm. They won a share of the 2022 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title before defeating No. 5 Jackson State in the Cricket Celebration Bowl for the HBCU national championship, and NCCU has gone 4-1 in MEAC play in each of the last four seasons. NCCU finished the 2022 season ranked No. 17 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, the program's highest national ranking at the FCS level. 

THE SERIES
• Saturday will mark the 47th meeting between the schools. 
• Morgan State leads the series against NCCU with an overall record of 24-20-2.
•  The Eagles have won the last 6 meetings since 2015.
• In their last meeting on Oct. 26, 2024, Morgan State faced off against North Carolina Central during the Eagles' highly anticipated Homecoming. Despite a determined effort from the Bears, who fought valiantly to challenge the #20 Eagles, it was NCCU that emerged victorious with a hard-fought 16-7 win.

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 eight games, the Baltimore native has totaled 938 passing yards (78 of 145) with eight touchdowns and 361 rushing yards (5.1 avg) with five 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 30 receptions for 310 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 with 287, has already proven himself as one of the top defenders in the FCS. 

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
• North Carolina Central finished the 2024 season with a 8-3 overall record and were 4-1 in MEAC play.

•  NCCU was picked to finish No. 2 in the MEAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Nine (9) Eagles earned recognition on the 2025 Preseason All-MEAC Football Team.

• Redshirt senior QB Walker Harris is one of the top QBs in the conference. He has completed 211-of-341 passes for 2,950 yards, including a league-high 22 TDs.

•  WR Chauncey Spikes and Chance Peterson rank No. 2 and No. 3 in the MEAC in receiving, respectively. Spikes leads the way with 46 catches for 641 yards and a league-high 8 TDs, while Peterson has 680 yards on 45 receptions, including a TD. 

• LBs Max U'Ren and Isaiah Lawson are two of the top defenders in the conference. U'Ren ranks No. 2 in tackles (64), with 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Lawson has 59 stops (36 solo)  and ranks No. 9 in the league. He also has 4.0 TFL and a sack.

• NCCU leads the league in several statistical categories: No. 1 in scoring offense (33.8), No. 1 in scoring efficiency (147.0), No. 1 in sacks against (20), No. 1 in sacks by (39), No. 1 in interceptions (11; 3 TDs), and No. 1 in forced fumbles (13).

• On Oct. 26, 2024, in an exciting clash on Saturday, Morgan State faced off against North Carolina Central during the Eagles' highly anticipated Homecoming. Despite a determined effort from the Bears, who fought valiantly to challenge the #20 Eagles, it was NCCU that emerged victorious with a hard-fought 16-7 win. Morgan's defense played a pivotal role in shifting the momentum during the game when Arturo Mattocks executed a crucial interception of Walker Harris. The interception set the stage for the Bears' offense to capitalize on the sudden opportunity, as Mattocks returned the ball to the Eagles' 34-yard line. Ultimately, it was Jason Collins who punctuated the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to put the Bears on the scoreboard. This score not only narrowed the gap to 10-7 but also reinvigorated the Bears' sideline and Morgan fanbase. The Eagles broke the game open when J'Mari Taylor exploded for a 50-yard touchdown run. The extra point attempt sailed wide left, but the Eagles increased their lead to 16-7.

A LOOK AHEAD
Morgan will travel to face the Howard Bison in their conference opener on Saturday, Oct. 25. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Greene Stadium in the Nation's Capital.

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 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official website 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.