The Morgan State Bears (2-1) dominated the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons (0-4) with a 44-10 win on Saturday at Hughes Memorial Stadium.

This win was huge for Morgan because it put the Bears at .500 with their second win in a row. The Bears have not been over .500 since 2015. 

The Bears’ dominance, rushing game, and defense led them to victory Saturday afternoon.

Review the top five takeaways from Morgan’s second win of the season.

The Bears’ rushing game

Morgan produced heavy yards on the ground game with running back Alfonzo Graham as the leading rusher. Graham had eight carries for 70 yards. 

He had a huge run that set the tone of the game, with 55 yards in the first quarter. Later that same drive, he scored on a 9-yard run at 1:40 seconds. 

The Bears had a total of 115 rushing yards and the Dragons had 63 rushing yards.

The passing game efficiency

Quarterback Carson Baker led the offense and threw three touchdowns. 

Baker had his best game of the season and threw 10 completions for 160 yards, with no interceptions. 

Baker threw a 14-yard touchdown to Tyler Wilkins on 4th and 14. He also threw a 49-yard touchdown to Bruce Mattox and a 10-yard touchdown to Draymond Hamler. 

Quarterback Duce Taylor got in the game and threw a 12-yard touchdown to Draymond Hamler. 

Sophomore Malcolm Brown also threw a 6-yard completion. 

Bears’ defensive method

Defensively, Morgan State shut down Virginia-Lynchburg. The Dragons did not score until 3:40 of the second half. 

Junior Lawrence Richardson led the defense with seven solo tackles. Morgan scored 2 points from a safety at 1:05 in the first quarter. 

The Dragons could not do anything offensively against the Bears.

Failed communication results in a big play 

The Bears had miscommunication in the secondary as Virginia-Lynchburg scored a touchdown.

Dragons quarterback Shonny Nelson threw a 59-yard touchdown to Ronnie Faison as Morgan’s secondary allowed a touchdown. 

Few mismanaged opportunities

Penalties and turnovers impacted both teams. Both teams turned the ball over two times. Morgan had 17 penalties for 244 yards and the Dragons had seven penalties for 63 yards. 

Next: Morgan State vs. Norfolk State

The Bears are now 2-2 as they look ahead for next week’s homecoming game against the Norfolk State Spartans (0-5) at 1 p.m. at Hughes Memorial Stadium.

The Norfolk State Spartans have not won a game yet this season and will try to put up a fight against the Bears. 

The Spartans recently lost to the Sacred Heart Pioneers 31-14, while Morgan beat the Pioneers 24-9 this season.