Postgame Notes
GREENSBORO, N.C. (Aug. 29, 2026) — Morgan State overcame an early deficit and leaned on a resilient defensive effort and timely offensive plays to rally for a 17-7 victory over North Carolina A&T on Saturday night at Truist Stadium in the 2026 season opener.
The Bears have won 5 of the last 7 meetings since 2012, including the last three meetings (2018, 2019, 2026).
"Really resilient group," said Morgan State head coach
Damon Wilson. "Last year, we found a way to lose these games, and then today we found a way to win the game. We talked about playing four quarters. Outside of the first quarter, defensively, we pretty much shut them down for the most part of the game."
N.C. A&T (0-1), a member of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), struck first, scoring a touchdown on its opening possession. Aggie quarterback Braxton Thomas capped a 17-play, 70-yard drive with a 2-yard keeper, completing a possession that consumed 9:33 and included four first downs.
Despite the Aggies' advantage in time of possession, the Morgan State defense repeatedly came up with big plays to keep the Bears within striking distance.
After Morgan State quarterback
Cameron Edge appeared to connect with
Joseph Towler on a deep pass down the sideline, the play resulted in an interception by N.C. A&T's Kamari Blakumsee near midfield. The Aggies' ensuing drive stalled, however, as Morgan State defensive backs broke up two of Thomas' passes in the end zone. N.C. A&T then missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt that sailed wide right.
The Bears began to find their rhythm late in the second quarter, with newcomer
Jordan Barnett providing a spark.
The Shepherd transfer took a handoff and broke through several tackles before racing down the sideline for a 42-yard gain to the Aggie 7-yard line. Morgan State was unable to find the end zone after a bobbled snap and penalty stalled the drive, but
Alex Amaya converted a 25-yard field goal with 5:54 remaining in the half to cut the deficit to 7-3.
"We had a couple of goal-line stops. We had a blocked field goal, which was good. That gave us the opportunity offensively to go down and score the ball. It was a total team effort. We've got a lot to learn from this game," Wilson said.
N.C. A&T took the 7-3 advantage into halftime.
The Aggies threatened again late in the third quarter after Thomas connected with Anthony Rucker on a short pass. Rucker shook off a tackle and raced down the sideline for a 46-yard gain to the Morgan State 2-yard line.
Once again, the Bears' defense answered.
N.C. A&T settled for a 22-yard field-goal attempt, but Morgan State senior
Dantonio Hackworth Jr. came off the edge and blocked the kick, preserving the Aggies' 7-3 lead.
The Bears immediately turned the momentum into points.
On Morgan State's next possession, Edge found redshirt junior wideout
Joseph Towler streaking wide open down the seam. Towler hauled in the deep pass and raced untouched into the end zone for a 79-yard touchdown, giving the Bears their first lead of the night at 10-7.
Morgan State (1-0) needed just three plays to cover 80 yards, with the scoring drive taking only 53 seconds.
The Aggies had one final opportunity to regain the lead, taking possession at their own 40-yard line. Thomas attempted a deep pass intended for Jayvonne Dillard, but the pass fell incomplete. N.C. A&T then faced a crucial fourth-and-3, and Morgan State's defense came through once again, as senior Kris Boyd brought down Thomas for a sack to force a turnover on downs.
With 2:32 remaining, Morgan State faced a fourth-and-1 and called a timeout to set up the critical play. Barnett took the handoff and powered through the Aggie defense for a 2-yard gain and a first down, allowing the Bears to keep possession and run valuable time off the clock.
"That's really what it's about," Wilson said. "We practiced that, and these guys saw that today. It's important to make sure we practice at a good tempo and understand the situation of football. I think we did a good job."
The Bears then turned to Barnett once again to put the game away. The hard-running back broke free for a 22-yard touchdown run, capping the late-game surge and giving Morgan State a commanding lead. Barnett's physical running in the final minutes helped the Bears salt away the victory and pull away for the win.
Morgan State's defense and rushing attack combined to close out the hard-fought season-opening victory.
Morgan State's offense was led by running back
Jordan Barnett, who rushed for a game-high 114 yards, capping his night with a late fourth-quarter score. In the passing game,
Justin Perry hauled in a team-high five receptions for 56 yards, while quarterback
Cameron Edge completed 13 of 19 attempts for 167 yards and a touchdown in his first start at Morgan State.
N.C. A&T finished with 328 yards of total offense, while Morgan State tallied 276. The Aggies posted 240 passing yards and 19 first downs. In comparison, the Bears had 167 passing yards and 12 first downs.
Defensively, the Bears were led by linebacker
Darius Jones, who recorded 6 tackles and a tackle for a loss. Defensive linemen
Anthony Chuman and
DeMarion McCoy each contributed five stops.
Donovan Moyer registered four tackles and two sacks.
A&T quarterback Braxton Thomas threw for 240 yards on an efficient 20-of-32 passing. J.T. Thomas paced the ground attack with 51 yards on 19 carries. Elijah Kenedy led the receiving corps with five catches for 35 yards.
Morgan State will turn its attention west when it continues the road part of the schedule next Saturday, visiting Arizona State for its season and home opener at newly renovated Mountain America Stadium with a 10 p.m. EST start on ESPN+.
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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.
