Winston-Salem State 19, Morgan State 17
Morgan State went from bad to worse, from losing to a crosstown rival a week ago to losing to the newest entry in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference yesterday.
A 42-yard pass play and a 24-yard field goal by Winston-Salem State in the final minute sent the Bears reeling to a 19-17 loss before an announced 8,953 at Hughes Stadium.
"Just a gloomy day all around," Morgan coach Donald Hill-Eley said.
Morgan (1-2) learned earlier that it would have to play without star wide receiver Roderick Wolfe, who was taken to Central Booking on a warrant for failing to appear in court last summer for traffic violations, and cornerback Darren McKahn, who was benched for missing team meetings last week.
The Bears proceeded to play like a team that had lost its spark. They piled up 15 penalties for 145 yards, lost three turnovers and gave Winston-Salem (2-1) a gift touchdown in the fourth quarter when tailback Chad Simpson fumbled at the Morgan 3-yard line.
Photo: Morgan State running back Chad Simpson ran for a career-high 221 yards but also fumbled, leading to aWinston-Salem State touchdown.It spoiled an otherwise spectacular game for Simpson, who rushed for a career-high 221 yards on 41 carries.
Hill-Eley even changed kickers during the game after Johnathan Skeete missed a 33-yard field-goal attempt in the third quarter. Two of Skeete's kicks were blocked by Towson last week.
When his replacement, James Meade, connected on a 43-yard field goal with 1:13 left in the game, the Bears took a 17-16 lead and appeared to get a reprieve for all their miscues.
It was not to be.
Winston-Salem's Monte Purvis completed a 42-yard pass to Bryant Bayne against Morgan's prevent defense to put the Rams in field-goal position at the Bears' 9-yard line. The Rams ran one play, let the clock run to 4.6 seconds, and sent freshman Matt Mitchell onto the field for a game-winning 24-yard kick.
Purvis, who has had more success running than throwing this season, passed for 141 yards in the game and was sacked four times. With four receivers running deep, he hit Bayne on a slant across the middle.
"We had enough time, so we wanted to hit the underneath guy," Rams coach Kermit Blount said.
Hill-Eley said Bayne came open on a botched coverage.
"We were in quarters, a prevent defense," Hill-Eley said of the game's big pass play. "When [Bayne] ran across the field, the back-side safety ran with the front-side vertical [receiver]. It left a big hole in there. We have to play better in the secondary."
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