The Morgan State Bears lost a compelling game against the Akron Zips 24-21 at the University of Akron’s InfoCision Stadium on Saturday evening. 

The Bears have never defeated the Zips and now trail the series 4-0, but this loss might go down historically as one of the worst for the team. 

After an interception by Bears defensive back Jordan Toles with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter, the Bears (1-1) were in prime position to end the game ahead 21-17. The Zips, however, used all of their timeouts to slow the clock and keep hope alive. 

Then, the worst-case scenario happened.

The Bears called for a running play. Lined up on their 21-yard line on third down, quarterback Duce Taylor handed off to running back Jarin (J.J.) Davis, who started upfield on the left side when he was met by Zips defensive lineman CJ Nunnally IV who tackled him and forced a fumble at the Morgan 15-yard line. Things were starting to heat up.

Zips linebacker Bryan McCoy recovered the fumble and took it to the house for a touchdown with 52 seconds remaining to put Akron ahead for good. 

The Bears tried to rally but could only muster one first down before Taylor was sacked on fourth down to end the game. The team walked away dejected. 

It was certainly a different scene from just a week ago when the Bears upset 16-ranked Richmond in its season-opener. 

Many observers wondered why the Morgan coaching staff didn’t call for the quarterback to take a knee and run the clock down while the Bears were in such dangerous territory with little time remaining. That would be the usual strategy in that situation. 

It’s a question Damon Wilson, Morgan’s head football coach, will have to answer later. 

The Bears had multiple opportunities to put the game away, but their fate was sealed at the start of the first half with errors by the offense. 

They committed two costly errors, first as the offense was trying to convert on 4th and 15 on the Zips’ 33-yard line. The Zips proceeded to drive down the field to score a touchdown, led by backup quarterback Jeff Undercuffler, who orchestrated the 10-7 lead. 

The second error happened right after the Zips’ touchdown drive. Bears quarterback Dominique Anthony threw a pick-six to Zips cornerback Devonte Golden-Nelson to give them a 10-point lead. The Zips led 17-7 at halftime. 

The Bears adjusted, primarily with defensive changes in the second half, preventing the Zips’ offense from scoring for the final 30 minutes of the game. 

Defensive backs Jae’Veyon Morton and Toles tallied three total interceptions, two of which put the Bears’ offense in position to score their two touchdowns in the third quarter.

The Zips quarterbacks did not have an easy time passing the ball either. The defense sacked them a total of four times with linebacker Erick Hunter and Morton leading the defense with seven tackles each (14 combined). 

The Bears’ offense had trouble getting into a rhythm. They rotated three of their quarterbacks during the game. 

They began with quarterback Carson Baker in the first quarter and then moved to Anthony for the rest of the first half. At the beginning of the third quarter, Taylor was put in and played for the rest of the second half. 

Anthony and Taylor both had drives in the game where the Bears capitalized on getting into the endzone. Anthony finished 4 for 7 with 40 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception while Taylor finished 9 for 18 with 102 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

It seemed that Anthony had lit a spark for the Bears’ offense early on in the game, scoring their only touchdown drive in the first half–before his costly interception close to halftime.

Coach Wilson’s decision to put Taylor in for the remainder of the game worked in the team’s favor. He completed 50 percent of his passes and finished with over 100 yards passing, a first for the Bears this season.

It was a game the team had within their grasp, but errors led them to their first defeat of the season.

The Bears are currently preparing for their upcoming game next Saturday in their first home opener against the Towson Tigers at Hughes Stadium.