GAME TIME 
Morgan State (5-2) kicks off conference play this Saturday, Oct. 24, hosting rival Howard (3-4) for the annual Hall of Fame Game at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore; kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET with live streaming on ESPN+ and radio coverage on WEAA 88.9 FM.

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

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

THE SERIES
• Saturday's matchup marks the 79th meeting between the two schools.

• Morgan leads the overall series 44-33-1 since 1931.

• In their last matchup, Howard prevailed in a hard-fought 33-27 overtime victory at Greene Stadium on Oct. 25, 2025.

• Morgan's last win against the Bison was a 35-21 victory at Hughes Stadium on Nov. 23, 2024.

THE COACHES
• Damon Wilson enters his 5th 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.

• Ted White enters his first season as head coach of the Howard Bison. In 2025, he was an offensive assistant at the University of Maryland and quarterbacks coach at UCLA during the 2024 campaign. White's playing career at Howard remains one of the most accomplished in MEAC history and set the conference career records for passing yards (9,808), passing touchdowns (92), and completions.

THE 2026 SCHEDULE
Morgan State will open the 2026 regular season with back-to-back road contests, beginning with a CAA matchup at North Carolina A&T on Aug. 29, followed by an FBS showdown at Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., on Sept. 5. The Bears return home for their home opener against Virginia University of Lynchburg on Sept. 12, before welcoming Robert Morris for Homecoming on Oct. 10. Morgan State will then open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play at home against longtime rival Howard.

QUICK HITS
• The 2026 Morgan State Bears are under the leadership of fifth-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 won 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.

• Cameron Edge (6-2, 230) was named the starting quarterback for Morgan State, head coach Damon Wilson announced at the conclusion of preseason camp. The competition behind Edge remains ongoing, with Ade Olanegan (6-1, 210) currently listed as the No. 2 quarterback. Tahj Smith (6-1, 200), Raeden Oliver (6-3, 195), Howard Kennedy III (6-1, 204) and Timothy Cole II (5-10, 185) also remain in the mix as the Bears continue to develop depth at the position.

• The Bears have already passed their 2025 win total, after finishing 4-8 overall and 1-4 in MEAC play last year.

• As a result of last Saturday's 25-16 loss at Tennessee State, Morgan State saw its four-game winning streak snapped, suffered its first FCS loss of the season, and fell to 5-2 overall.

• Edge directed the Bears' offense in his seventh career start for Morgan State against TSU, completing 16 of 30 passes for 162 yards and a TD...he also had two interceptions and was sacked three times.

• RB Keith Jenkins Jr. led the Bears with a game-high 116 yards on 11 carries, including a 28-yard TD versus TSU.. 

• Justin Perry leads the MEAC with 468 yards on 26 receptions, including three TDs...Joseph Towler ranks No. 4 with 17 catches for 383 yards and leads the league with 5 TD catches.

• Jenkins Jr. had a 95-yard touchdown return against Towson and finished the night by accounting for 213 all-purpose yards. He currently leads the MEAC averaging 25.1 yards on 17 kick returns.

• Through the

SCOUTING THE BISON
• Howard is coming off a 2025 campaign that ended in a 5-7 overall record and went 2-3 in the MEAC, including a 0-6 road record. 

•  Howard placed five student-athletes on the Preseason All-MEAC Team...Four Bison made Preseason All-MEAC First Team: graduates Kedrick Green (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and Eden James (Indianapolis), junior Matt Conord (Lithia, Fla.) and sophomore Liam Allen IV (Sanford, Fla.). Graduate quarterback Ja'Shawn Scroggins (Las Vegas) earned a spot on the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team. 

•  Howard was projected to place sixth overall in the Preseason Predicted Order of Finish.
•  QB Ja'Shawn Scroggins, a 6-3, 205-pound Las Vegas native, has completed 50% of his passes, totaling 1040 yards and 6 TDs through seven games. Scroggins is averaging 148.6 passing yards per game and has thrown just five interceptions. He enters the Morgan State matchup following a 17-of-27, 128-yard performance in a win against Morehouse during Howard's homecoming.

• Howard graduate defensive back Kedrick Green (Winston-Salem, N.C.) is on the fifth annual Aeneas Williams Award Preseason Watch List. A year ago, Green had a breakout season with 60 total tackles (44 solos), including 3.5 tackles for loss, two INTs and a blocked kick. This season, Green has 19 tackles, a tackle for loss, and two pass breakups.

• Graduate running back Eden James (5-9, 195) leads the team with an average of 6.7 yards per carry. He has 45 carries for 317 yards, including three TDs. Last season, he was limited to only two games due to injury.

• Defensively, graduate safety Kaleb Gallop (Portsmouth, Va.), and sophomore linebacker Aiden Foster (Washington, D.C.) lead the Bison. Gallop has 38 tackles and a sack, and Foster has 32 stops, a three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three QB hurries and a forced fumble. Graduate linebacker Rodney Roane Jr. (Richmond, Va.) paces the Bison with 3.5 sacks and has 26 total tackles.

• Passing Offense: HU ranks last in the league in passing (151.6 yds/g) and rushing (117 yds/g).

• 4th-Down Conversions: The Bison rank No. 1 in the MEAC, converting 69.2% of their attempts (9-of-13).

opening seven games, Donovan Moyer leads the Bears with six sacks, ranking No. 2 in the MEAC in sacks and third in the conference with 9.0 tackles for loss.

• Morgan has several offensive linemen as they enter the 2026 season ... The Bears have 21 OL listed on the roster and will be led by veterans  Adorain Favors (6-7, 300), Alec Washington (6-4, 325), and Daniel Casillas Jr. (6-2, 315).

PRESEASON PICKED FOURTH 
Morgan State was picked to finish fourth (4th) 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 2026. North Carolina Central was tabbed to place 2nd.

PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
The Bears placed nine student-athletes on the 2026 Preseason All-MEAC Team, as selected by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. 

• Leading the way were three first-team selections: tight end Alex Simmons, linebacker Arturo Mattocks, and defensive back Aki Harvey.

• The Bears also had five second-team honorees, including running back Keith Jenkins Jr., wide receiver Justin Perry, defensive lineman Justin Dutton, defensive lineman Kristopher Boyd, punter Shane Messenger, and return specialist Malique Leatherbury.

BEARS OPEN 51st SEASON IN MEAC
The Bears will open their 51st season in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) when they host Howard for the conference opener on Oct. 24.

• The Bears opened the 2025 MEAC schedule with a 33-27 loss at Howard (Oct. 25) at Greene 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.

MSU IN THE CIAA
Morgan State was a power as a former member of the CIAA. The Bears posted 173 wins between 1929 and 1959 when Edward P. Hurt was the head coach, and the Bears won 14 CIAA championships. Earl Banks added to the championship collection by winning four titles during the 1960s.

MSU LEGEND EARL 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.

BEARS OPEN 127th SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 127th season of football and will open the 2026 campaign under five-year head coach Damon Wilson.

RETURN MEN 
The 2026 Morgan State Bears return 15 starters - 4 on offense, 6 on defense, and 5 on special teams.

CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS 
The Bears enter the 2026 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 2026 campaign with seven non-conference contests, including four road games. Morgan State begins the season at North Carolina A&T on Aug. 29 before traveling to Arizona State on Sept. 5. The Bears return to Hughes Stadium for their home opener against Virginia University of Lynchburg on Sept. 12, then head back on the road to face Towson on Sept. 19 and Villanova on Oct. 3. Morgan State returns home for Homecoming against Robert Morris on Oct. 10 before wrapping up its non-conference slate against Tennessee State at Nissan Stadium on Oct. 17.

FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
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• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official website of Bear 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 more than 150 baccalaureate, master's degree, doctorate, and certificate programs. 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.