Morgan State comes into season with lofty expectations, high hopes

Photo: Morgan State University Head Football Coach Donald Hill-Eley

Mike Peters, The Examiner

BALTIMORE - Led by a deep senior class and fueled by a perceived lack of respect, Morgan State’s football team is looking to do something it hasn’t done in 28 years: win a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship.

“It’s been a long haul,” Bears coach Donald Hill-Eley said. “But finally, we’re in a situation where I believe our talent is just as good as anyone in the country.”

Morgan State’s quest for the MEAC championship will begin when it hosts Savannah State on Aug. 30 at Hughes Stadium.

But many in the conference don’t believe the Bears are contenders. Morgan State was picked to finish sixth by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.

However, Morgan State, which returned 18 starters from last year’s team that finished 5-6, is not fazed by the predictions of others.

“There’s no doubt at all,” senior running back Chad Simpson said. “We’ve been the underdog for so long.”

Simpson, who transferred from the University of South Florida in 2005, ran for 795 yards and nine touchdowns last season. He’ll lead an offense along with quarterbacks Mario Melton and Byron Selby and senior wide receiver Roderick Wolfe. And with eight defensive starters returning — led by senior linebacker Kofi Nkrumah senior corner back Dakota Bracuy-the Bears’ locker room is filled with optimism.

“We’re really excited,” said Selby, a senior who entered training camp as the backup quarterback. “We’ve got a lot of guys back on offense and defense. We’re just coming into the season real excited. We’ve got one goal, and that’s to win a championship.”

Selby and Melton shared the quarterback duties last season, and Hill-Eley expects to use a two-quarterback system again this fall.

However, either quarterback will look for Wolfe, who posted 29 receptions for 498 yards and 6 touchdowns last season.

Hill-Eley took over the football program in 2002 and quickly made his mark, leading Morgan State to a 7-5 record — its first winning season since 1979. The Bears went 6-5 in 2003, marking its first consecutive winning seasons since 1970-71.

But last year, the team regressed. The Bears finished fifth in the conference with a 4-4 record, losing to Hampton, Delaware State, South Carolina State and Florida A&M, which all finished ahead of Morgan State in the standings.

The Bears will start league play when they travel to Hampton, Va., on Sept. 20 to take on the three-time defending MEAC champion Pirates.

“We’re pumped up,” Selby said. “We’ve know what we’ve got. We’re not worried about anybody else. We’re just trying to take care of the stuff in here. We’ve got a lot of talent, so it’s time to put it together.”

Photo: Morgan State University Cheerleaders
























Morgan State University 2007 Football Schedule

Date Opponent Conference

30 Aug 2007 Savannah St I-AA Independent
8 Sep 2007 Towson Atlantic 10 (Southern)
15 Sep 2007 Winston-Salem St Mid-Eastern
20 Sep 2007 @ Hampton Mid-Eastern
29 Sep 2007 @ Bethune-Cookman Mid-Eastern
6 Oct 2007 North Carolina A&T Mid-Eastern
13 Oct 2007 Howard Mid-Eastern
20 Oct 2007 @ Delaware St Mid-Eastern
27 Oct 2007 Florida A&M Mid-Eastern
3 Nov 2007 Norfolk St Mid-Eastern
10 Nov 2007 @ South Carolina St Mid-Eastern