By Ken Murray, Baltimore Sun
A local rivalry known for bizarre plays and crazy finishes played to its reputation yesterday. Towson University, which usually wins these affairs, beat Morgan State again, but barely.
The Tigers waded through high-snap misadventures, a two-interception game from quarterback Sean Schaefer, and a depleting run of cramps before escaping Hughes Stadium with a 28-21 victory.
Just when Morgan State had seemingly wrestled control of the game away from the Tigers with a dazzling 56-yard touchdown run by Chad Simpson and a gift safety, the Tigers took it right back.
Photo: Morgan State University RB Chad Simpson Towson safety Kenny Scott stepped in front of Morgan's Roderick Wolfe to make the play of the game, a fourth-quarter interception he returned 68 yards to the Bears' 2.
On the next play, Schaefer waited in the pocket for tight end John Godlasky - Towson almost never throws to its tight ends - to clear in the back of the end zone and lobbed a 2-yard touchdown pass that broke Morgan's back.
"They ran a lot of pick routes, and I had to do a good job of fighting over the picks and make the play," Scott, a team co-captain, said of his game-changing play. "Coach was saying all week long we've got to make a play when we get the chance."
After getting shredded for 245 rushing yards, 195 by Simpson, coach Gordy Combs reached for a bottom line that has Towson off to a 2-0 start.
"We stopped them when we had to," Combs said. "That's the big thing. I'm not going to get overly concerned about how much yardage we gave up."
The Tigers were resilient on defense and methodical on offense. Schaefer more than offset his two interceptions with four touchdown passes to four different receivers.
But when Austin Weibley sent a shotgun snap over Schaefer's head into the end zone for a safety less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Morgan had come back from a 14-3 deficit to tie the game at 21.
When quarterback Mario Melton sprung Simpson for a 16-yard gain on Morgan's ensuing possession with a knockdown block, the Bears (1-1) looked like they would take over the game.
They chewed up 36 more yards on the ground before Melton, on second-and-one, tossed an option pitch high and behind Devan James, who was filling in for a cramping Simpson.
James took a 6-yard loss on the play. On third-and-seven, Melton threw his costly interception.
"The play call was an inside slant because we knew they were coming with a blitz off the edge," Morgan coach Donald Hill-Eley said. "But rather than the quarterback throwing to his hot read, which was the slant that was wide open, he decided to throw the ball outside to Wolfe. ... It ended up costing us.
"But that one play doesn't make the game. We left about 24 points on the field."
The stadium's new FieldTurf was littered with squandered opportunities for Morgan.
Bears kicker Johnathan Skeete had two blocked field goals. Wolfe, who later made a sensational 44-yard catch, had a touchdown pass knocked from his hands in the end zone by Ollie Thomas. And a long pass to wide-out Edwin Baptiste was ruled incomplete in the end zone because he did not have control.
Simpson powered Morgan's second-half comeback with 110 yards on just 10 carries before going off with cramps. "I was cramping up the whole game," he said.
Towson's depth was a factor as Combs went deep into his bench.
"We were able to play 15, 16, 17 defensive players, 10 offensive linemen, all three tailbacks, a host of receivers and all three tight ends," he said.
When starting center Nick Bradway broke his right hand, he was replaced by Weibley and the Tigers were forced to pull back on offense. Without Rasheed McClaude (cramps), tailback Nick Williams pounded for 91 yards.
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