Morgan State football is back in action after their week eight bye week. The Bears are traveling to face the North Carolina Central Eagles in their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game of the season.
The Bears return to action against one of the better teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), as the Eagles rank 21st in the latest American Football Coaches Association(AFCA)-FCS Coaches poll.
“We’re playing against a really good football team, a top-25 [FCS] team for their homecoming,” Damon Wilson, Morgan’s head coach, said. “There will be some ebbs and flows throughout the game but we must weather the storm and execute at a high percentage when our number is called.”
This matchup pits the MEAC’s top offense vs. best defense, featuring the high-scoring Eagles offense that averages 39.4 points per game and the Bears stifling defense who only allows 17.7 points per game.
Redshirt junior running back J’Mari Taylor has been a vital part of the Eagle’s high-powered offense, leading the MEAC with 11 total touchdowns and second in the conference in rushing yards just six yards shy of 600.
Junior linebacker Arturo Mattocks, who leads the Bears with 44 tackles and is also ranked fourth in the MEAC in the same stat, spoke on the plan to limit the Eagles’ explosive offense.
“We just have to play our brand of football, avoid playing stagnant, and force them to play to our advantage,” said Mattocks.
Senior wide receiver Andre Crawley discussed the significance of a key conference win to begin MEAC play.
“It’s very important, we’re going on the road, it’s their homecoming, one of the top teams and a ranked opponent so it’s a big deal for us,” said Crawley.
Crawley, the team leader in multiple receiving categories, is second in receptions with 30 and is the MEAC’s fourth leading receiver with 341 yards.
After dealing with a multitude of injuries at a few key positions during the season, the Bears seem to be getting healthy at the right time fresh out of the bye week.
“We picked up a couple of guys that were down for the last couple of weeks, it’s good to get healthy going into North Carolina with a lot of our pieces back together,” said Wilson.
The Bears are looking to get back into the win column and play a complete game without any self inflicted errors. As in their last contest against Merrimack a kick returned for a touchdown, a blocked punt, and multiple other special teams issues were the catalyst in that loss.
“The key is to play sound football in all three phases. Offensively we must be able to establish the run, defensively stop the run and play sound special teams. And not give up unforced penalties and errors that should give us a chance to win the ballgame,” said Wilson.
