The Morgan State Bears travel to the Bowl on Saturday for a showdown versus the Bulldogs. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPN+. Weather could play a factor once again with a 45% chance of precipitation at noon with winds of 13 mph.
Morgan State is a public historically black university located in Baltimore, MD. The Bears enter the contest with a record of 1-3 as they have battled through a brutal early season schedule. In Week 1, Morgan State defeated a solid Richmond squad and nearly knocked off an FBS opponent in the University of Akron in Week 2. Towson has been the only squad that distanced itself from Morgan State defeating the Bears by 10 points in Week 3. Last week, Morgan State lost in double overtime to the University of Albany, another talented squad that crushed Fordham and kept contests versus Marshall and Hawaii close.
Sophomore QB Dominique Anthony (6’1″, 213 lbs.) has seen the most snaps for the Bears’ offense completing 47.6% of his passes for 276 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Senior QB Carson Baker (6’3″, 205 lbs.) was a prior starter at San Diego State and started 7 contests last season for Morgan State yet did not start the past two contests. Junior QB Duce Taylor (6’1″, 180 lbs.) started in the Towson game but was sidelined in favor of Anthony last week. All three QBs have struggled as they have combined for under a 50% completion rate and have thrown 6 interceptions to only 4 touchdowns this season. Junior RB JJ Davis (5’9″, 172 lbs.) is an explosive back who began his career at Cincinnati before transferring to Norfolk State and Morgan State. At Norfolk State, Davis was a 1st Team All-MEAC selection and led the nation in yards per carry with 7.2. Senior RB Jabriel Johnson (5’9″, 205 lbs.) offers a bit more power than Davis and is the only running back to score a rushing touchdown in four contests. Morgan State’s favorite target has been senior WR Treveyon Scott (6’2″, 195 lbs.) who is averaging an astounding 13.3 yards per reception. The offensive line for the Bears is not as experienced as the lines we faced from Holy Cross and Cornell returning two starters from a year ago in senior Dexter Carr Jr. (6’3″, 315 lbs.) and junior Treyvon Branch (6’3″, 290 lbs.). The Bears average 293.0 lbs. across the front and paved the way for just 2.3 yards per carry while allowing 10 sacks. Sophomore TE Matt Lowe (6’5″, 255 lbs.) is a large target with an FCS pedigree transferring from Fresno State after the 2020 season. The Bears will pose challenges for the Bulldogs this week particularly with their talented skill positions, but Yale will need to find solutions for their defensive woes before heading into the do-or-die Ivy schedule.
Morgan State’s defense has performed very well limiting all opponents to under 24 points per game. Opponents have struggled on 3rd downs converting on just 33.9% of attempts and the Bears are stingy in the redzone as teams have scored touchdowns on only 5 of 11 drives inside of the 20-yard line. Running the ball versus the Bears could be a challenge as they have limited rushers to 2.7 yards per carry. Morgan State’s pass defense has allowed completions on 63.1% of throws for an average of 6.1 yards per attempt. Junior LB Erick Hunter (6’4″, 210 lbs.) has been the most productive defender with 35 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Hunter’s fellow LB, senior Lawrence Richardson (6’1″, 215 lbs.), led the team in tackles a year ago and was named 1st Team All-MEAC in various preseason publications. Senior S Jordan Toles (6’1″, 209 lbs.) played at LSU for the first two years of his collegiate career and is a ballhawk that Grooms will have to take notice of as he has racked up 3 interceptions on the season. Senior CB Jae’Veyon Morton (5’9″, 180 lbs.) is a polished defensive back who garnered 1st Team All-MEAC recognition a year ago, originally transferring from Iowa State. Junior DL Elijah Williams (6’3″, 270 lbs.) is the leader of the defensive line and has performed well with 17 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks in four contests. Former Wilber Cross athlete and New Haven local, senior OLB/DE Noah Washington (6’5″, 275 lbs.), transferred from Central Connecticut and has posted 13 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries and a pass breakup. Overall, Morgan State’s defensive line and linebackers are on par with the units we faced last week versus Cornell, however, they do feature more talent in the secondary than the Big Red.
Freshman P Shane Messenger (6’0″, 200 lbs.) has averaged below 40.0 yards per punt for 3 weeks straight including a poor 27.6 yards per punt average a week ago. Junior Beckett Leary (6’3″, 215 lbs.) is 3 for 4 on field goal attempts with a long of 38 yards.
Go Bulldogs! Beat the Bears!