Rallied by its smash mouth defense, Morgan State University carried a three-point lead into halftime on Thursday night against No. 10-ranked North Carolina Central University at Hughes Stadium. The Bears, playing under the lights on a nationally televised stage, appeared ready to do something they haven’t done since the first game of the season–they upset 17-ranked Richmond in the season-opener.
But the Bears couldn’t hold on, couldn’t pull off the upset and couldn’t hold the Eagles back from a 16-10 victory before an announced home crowd of 4,678 that returned to the stands after a campus shooting forced a cancellation of its Homecoming game on Oct. 7.
The last time the Bears (1-5 overall, 0-1 MEAC) played, they were blown out by Yale 45-3 in Connecticut.
This time, live on ESPNU, they were up against the N.C. Central (6-1, 1-0) football team averaging 35.3 points per game this season.
The Bears put together an impressive first offensive possession on the opening drive of the game on Thursday. Kicker Beckett Leary converted a 32-yard field goal to cap a 14-play, 60-yard drive in that series.
The Bears went ahead 3-0.
This matchup, however, between the two MEAC conference rivals was a defensive battle.
Morgan orchestrated a defensive plan that befuddled the Eagles for much of the game. Defensive linemen swarmed, linebackers pounced and defensive backs covered. At every turn, the Bears were defensively impactful, holding the Eagles to 4 of 16 third-down conversions.
Then, things changed on a series of plays in the third quarter.
With Morgan ahead 3-0, Bears quarterback Dominique Anthony completed a 19-yard pass to receiver Anthony James Jr. Momentum shifted in favor of the Bears as they drove the ball down to the Eagles’ 24-yard line.
But then everything unraveled. Anthony’s pass was intercepted by Eagles defensive back Jason Chambers – the first turnover of the game – who rumbled 44 yards downfield.
The Eagles capitalized on the interception by marching down the field, completing a fourth down conversion, and scoring the game’s first touchdown to place them ahead 10-3. A five-yard touchdown pass from Davius Richard to Tynez Warner capped an 11-play, 35-yard drive over five minutes.
The Eagles slowly built on that lead, despite being pounded by Morgan’s defense. The Bears held their opponents to 79 rushing yards on 33 attempts.
Bears Head Coach Damon Wilson acknowledged the momentum change after the game.
“We were in position to score the ball,” he said. “Worst case scenario you get a field goal out of that. We thought it was a safe play. We ended up throwing the ball and they took advantage of it.”
The Eagles doubled down on Morgan’s mistakes when Chambers made another big play, forcing a fumble on Morgan wide receiver Kwincy Hall early in the fourth quarter.
After playing a clean first half with zero turnovers, the Bears turned the ball over twice in the second half. Penalties also hurt the Bears’ drives down the stretch of the game. They had eight penalties that destroyed promising drives. Anthony said that it was the small things that aided in the team’s loss.
“Protecting the ball and scoring [is what we should’ve done],” he said. “Not settling for three points. Taking care of the smaller things is number one.”
The defense played stout throughout the game, holding the Eagles to zero points going into halftime. The last time the Eagles were shut out at halftime was during their game against UCLA on Sept. 16 earlier this season.
Despite not forcing any turnovers, the defense stopped the Eagles’ run game, holding them to 79 total rushing yards and forcing five punts.
Linebacker Erick Hunter and defensive back Jordan Toles lead the defense in tackles, having 17 combined tackles on the night. Toles said this game told him much about the team.
“It tells me that we should be the best in the MEAC,” Toles said. “It tells me that the rest of the MEAC should be on notice that [Morgan State’s football team has evolved].”
Toles added that the team has “a lot of good ball players” and that they must continue to “exploit the weaknesses” of their opponents.
Morgan State will continue conference play next week as they prepare to go on the road to play against Norfolk State University next Saturday for their Homecoming on Oct. 28. The Bears seek revenge on the Spartans, who defeated them last year during their Homecoming.
