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GAME TIME 
Morgan (0-1) will welcome the Towson Tigers (1-0) to Hughes Stadium in a non-conference matchup on Saturday, Sept. 16, in the 'Battle for Greater Baltimore'. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The game will air on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast by WEAA, 88.9FM.

GAME COVERAGE
ESPN+ (online) Click Here | Phil Schoener will call the play-by-play with color analyst Emory "The Czar of the Playbook" Hunt. 

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 SERIES
• Saturday will mark the 30th meeting in the series that began with a 34-7 Morgan Sate win at Towson on Sept. 1, 1979.

• The Tigers hold a 23-6 advantage in the series vs. MSU.

• The Tigers have won 11 of the last 12 meetings against Morgan State since 2005, including the last six matchups.

• Towson handed the Bears a 14-9 loss at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Sept. 7, 2024.

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.

• Pete Shinnick was announced as the new head coach of Towson football on Dec. 11, 2022. He became the fifth coach in program history. Shinnick joined Towson after starting the program at West Florida, leading the Argonauts to the 2019 NCAA DII national title and the 2017 NCAA DII title game. 

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.

• QB Kobe Muasau emerged from fall camp, beating out four other quarterbacks to earn the Bears' starting signal-caller role for the season. Muasau, from Honolulu, Hawaii, spent most of last season on the sidelines before making his lone appearance in the 2024 finale. He earned the start against Beltway rival Howard on November 23 at Hughes Stadium, guiding the Bears to a 35–21 victory. Muasau completed 14 of 22 passes for 156 yards in the season opener at South Alabama.

• 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 exploded for a 75-yard touchdown and totaled 152 rushing yards on 24 carries. He led the Bears with 83 yards and scored 2 TDs last Saturday at South Alabama.

• 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.

• 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 seventh on Morgan State's all-time tackles list with 206, has already proven himself as one of the top defenders in the FCS.  

• Morgan State's entire kicking game returns in sophomore placekicker Sahr Gbundema, junior Shane Messenger (6-0, 200), and junior long snapper Griffin Dorman (5-11, 225).  The Bears have also added a newcomer kicker Alex Amaya.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
• Towson closed the 2024 season with three straight victories to finish with a 7-5 overall record and finished tied for fourth in the league with a 5-3 conference record, including a home victory over then top-15 opponent William & Mary.

• The Tigers are projected to finish 6th overall in the CAA Preseason Poll and two players were named to the 2025 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team: Defensive backs Myles Brodie and Xavier Terry were selected. In addition, WR John Dunmore and LB Rodney Roane Jr. were selected as CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Honorable Mention. 

• Offensively, Towson welcomes back a deep and experienced group of receivers led by John Dunmore (42 rec, 619 yds, 5 TD's) and Jaceon Doss (29 rec, 450 yds, 3 TD's). The Tigers have several regulars back on the offensive line, including three-year starter Dan Volpe.

• True freshman QB Andrew Indorf was under center for the Tigers during their season opener against Norfolk State last Thursday night in Norfolk... In his first game ever with the Tigers, Indorf completed 14-of-26 for 187 yards and three touchdowns, including 17 yards on the ground...The Miami, Fla. native had a stellar prep career at football power St. Thomas Aquinas.

• Towson has a pair of talented RBs in Kemmarrion Battles and Al Wooten II. Battles, a 5-10 speedster from Sawdust, Fla., had 16 carries for 79 yards in Week 1 vs. Norfolk State, while Wooten, a transfer from Duke, finished with 13 carries for 48 yards.

• Defensively, especially in the secondary with the return of preseason All-CAA selections Myles Brodie (44 tackles, 2 int, 9 PBU) and Xavier Terry (82 tackles, 1 int, 5 PBU). Linebacker Rodney Roane Jr. contributed 58 tackles and 4.0 sacks in 2024.

• Andrew Indorf led the Tigers to a 27-7 victory at Norfolk State, the program's first season opener victory since 2022. With Towson (1-0) up 13-7 and facing a third and long with 11:06 to play and Norfolk State (0-1) having scored on the previous drive, Indorf found Zay Perkins for the 36-yard touchdown catch, effectively sealing the game for the Tigers.

• Towson is currently ranked among the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA)leaders in several statistical categories in 2025: No. 1 rush defense (36.0), No. 2 in 3rd down conversions, No. 3 in scoring offense (27.0), No. 5 in sacks (3), No. 6 in total offense (323.0), No. 6 in rushing offense (136.0), No. 6 in passing offense (187.0.) and No. 6 in time of possession (31:05).

A LOOK AHEAD
Morgan will travel to face the Toledo Rockets. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at the Glass Bowl.

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, 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 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.

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.