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GAME TIME 
Morgan State will face the Virginia University of Lynchburg, members of the National Christian College Athletic Association conference, on Saturday, September  12. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The game will be broadcast live on the MEAC Network. The game will also air on WEAA, 88.9FM. The contest will serve as Bear Family/Youth Day, providing a special opportunity for Morgan State to welcome families and young fans to Hughes Stadium.

GAME COVERAGE
MEAC Network (online) Click Here | Phil Schoener will call the play-by-play with color analyst Gene Clemmons.

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
• Morgan leads the series 5-0.
• Virginia Lynchburg was treated as a non-countable opponent in 2015-17.
• The Bears defeated the Dragons 61-0 on Sept. 19, 2015, at Hughes Stadium under head coach Lee Hull. On Nov. 16, 2019, Morgan handed VUL a 59-26 loss under head coach Tyrone Wheatley. Under current head coach Damon Wilson, the Bears posted a 44-10 win on Oct. 1, 2022, followed by a 56-7 victory in 2024, and last year wn 44-6 on Oct. 11, 2025.

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.

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.

• Tim Newman enters his third season as head coach/athletics director/offensive coordinator of Virginia-Lynchburg football. He also had head coaching jobs at Barber-Scotia College and Louisburg College.

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; earned five NCAA playoff berths; and received 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.

• Edge directed the Bears' offense in his second career start for Morgan State in the Big 12 against opponent Arizona State, completing 6-of-19 passes for 54 yards and was sacked twice.

• Jordan Barnett (5-11, 235), the Bears' transfer RB from Shepherd University, scored his second touchdown of the season when he scored on a 2-yard run at Arizona State.

• Justin Perry led Morgan with three receptions for 21 yards in Tempe, Arizona. The Bears finished with 11 completions distributed among 12 different receivers.

• 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).

SCOUTING THE DRAGONS
• Virginia-Lynchburg finished the 2025 season with an overall mark of 3-9. The Dragons' 2025 campaign featured a handful of high-scoring games, highlighted by a tight 43-42 victory over Bluefield College. The remainder of their wins came against Barber-Scotia College and South Carolina Central Christian College.

• VUL, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, is a private, faith-based HBCU in Lynchburg, Virginia.

• Head coach Tim Newman's football journey took off as an electrifying athlete at Olympic High School. The multi-sport athlete is from Charlotte, North Carolina. He was a dominant RB at Johnson C. Smith University, where he secured three consecutive selections for the CIAA All-Conference recognition and unanimously claimed the offensive MVP title for three consecutive years with the Golden Bulls.

• VUL enters Saturday's contest riding a two-game losing streak, coming off losses at Hampton (45-0), followed by a 37-7 loss at Roanoke last Saturday.

• The Dragons have relied on a quarterback committee. Christian Banks is coming off a solid performance at Roanoke, where he completed 12 of 19 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Max Zalava, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound signal-caller, will also see time, along with Thomas Adamsky and Tremel Echols.

• Israel Rhodes (5-10, 200) leads the Dragons' ground attack. Rhodes carried the ball 16 times for 55 yards in the Dragons' matchup at Roanoke.

• Dustin Placide leads the Dragons' receiving corps with eight receptions for 96 yards. Omarion Hairston also provides a threat on the outside after recording five receptions for 38 yards at Roanoke.

KNOW THY OPPONENT
• Notable alumni: Kevin Scott '94 - Microsoft CTO; Setsuko Thurlow '55 - Accepted Nobel Peace Prize for nuclear disarmament movement; Joan Foster - Eight-year mayor of Lynchburg, Virginia; Jim Bibby '77 - former MLB pitcher; Bob Duff - Connecticut Senate Majority Leader; Emily Brown '02 - USA Today director of platform storytelling.

A LOOK AHEAD
Morgan State will face the Towson Tigers in the 'Battle for Greater Baltimore" on Saturday, Sept. 19. Kickoff will be at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Maryland.

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
 Instagram: /MorganStateBears
 
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.

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
 Instagram: /MorganStateBears
 
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.