GAME TIME 
Morgan State (3-1) travels to take on the Villanova Wildcats (2-3, 1-2 Patriot League) in a non-conference matchup on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, PA. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with additional radio coverage provided by WEAA 88.9 FM.

GAME COVERAGE
ESPN+ (online) Click Here

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.villanova.com

THE SERIES
• Saturday will mark the 2nd meeting in the series that began with a 48-28 Villanova win at Villanova Stadium on Oct. 25, 2014.

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.

• Mark Ferrante enters his 10th season as head coach and his 40th overall with the Villanova football program. His four decades with the Wildcats include his time as head coach and 30 years as an assistant from 1987-2026. He has been part of 286 victories and all 17 of the program's FCS playoff appearances.

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.

• Morgan State made history on Sept. 19, defeating Towson, 41-26, at Johnny Unitas Stadium to snap a 17-year losing streak against the Tigers and capture the Battle for Greater Baltimore. The Bears improved to 3-1, marking the first time Morgan State has opened a season 3-1 since 2009.

• Edge directed the Bears' offense in his fourth career start for Morgan State against Towson, completing 14 of 23 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns...he was named the MEAC Offensive Player of the Week.

• Jordan Barnett (5-11, 235), the Bears' transfer RB from Shepherd University, scored his fourth touchdown of the season when he scored on a 3-yard run vs. Towson.

• Justin Perry leads the MEAC with 272 yards on 16 receptions, including three TDs. 

• Keith Jenkins Jr. had a 95-yard touchdown return against Towson and finished the night by accounting for 213 all-purpose yards. He leads the MEAC averaging 27.0 yards on nine kick returns.

• Through the opening four games, Donovan Moyer leads the Bears with five sacks, ranking second in the MEAC in sacks and fifth in the conference with 5.5 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).

• Morgan State has scored on 13 of its 13 trips to the red zone this season, which ranks fifth in the MEAC.  The Bears have scored 10 touchdowns in the red zone, including four rushing TDs, six passing TDs, along with three field goals. 

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
• Villanova is coming off a 2025 campaign that ended in the FCS semifinals after going 12-3 and winning seven straight conference games during the program's final season in the CAA. 

• Villanova was selected to finish atop the now-10-team Patriot League, earning 79 total points and seven of the first-place votes. VU is picked just ahead of Lehigh, whom the Wildcats toppled in the playoffs' second round last year, while former CAA rivals Richmond and William & Mary tied for third place.

• A quintet of Wildcats was selected to the Preseason All-Patriot League Football Team while Villanova was named the conference frontrunner for their first campaign as associate members of the league. Junior Ja'briel Mace was chosen as both an RB and RS, joined on the offense by junior OL Chris McCullers and sophomore WR Braden Reed. Sophomore LB Omari Bursey and senior DL Capri Martin. 

• Sophomore WRs Braden Reed and Brandon Binkowski have been reliable targets so far this season. The pair has combined for 42 catches thru the first five games. Reed has 24 catches for 288 yards, including three TDs, and Binkowski has 18 receptions for 259 yards and a TD. 

• RB/KR Ja'briel Mace, who was already selected as a Stats Perform First Team Preseason All-American as well as a Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List member. Last season Mace ranked fifth nationally with 1,882 all-purpose yards, leading VU in rushing at 946 yards and becoming the second player in Villanova history to average more than 30 yards on kickoff returns for a full season. He ranked second in the FCS in kickoff returns, becoming the first player in the country last year to return two kickoffs for touchdowns. 

• Sophomore LB Omari Bursey has emerged as one of the top defensive players in the FCS this season. He leads the Wildcats with 54 tackles (33 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. Junior LB Christian Caballero has added 30 stops and 3.5 tackles for loss.

A LOOK AHEAD
Morgan State will host the Robert Morris Colonials on Saturday, Oct. 10. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Hughes Stadium and will mark Morgan State Homecoming.

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 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official website of Bear athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios, and more. 
• Follow us on social media:
 Facebook: /MorganStateBears
 Twitter: @MorganStBears
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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.