MSU Opens MEAC Play Against Bison in Chicago Football Classic

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TV: ESPN3/ESPNU
Shawn Kenney (Play-by-Play)
Jay Walker (Analyst)

Radio: WEAA, 88.9 FM is the flagship station for the Morgan State Bears .... Lamont Germany will call the play-by-play with former Bear coach Lex Taylor in the booth. The game will be broadcast live on 88.9 FM and streamed on WEAA.org. The game will also be broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 204.

GAME TIME
Morgan State (0-2) opens Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on Saturday when the Bears travel to face the Howard Bison (0-3, 0-1) in the 18th Annual Chicago Football Classic. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:32 p.m. (ET) at Soldier Field Stadium and will be telecast live on ESPN3 and tape delayed at 10 p.m. (ET) on ESPNU. The game will also be audio streamed on WEAA.org and on SiriusXM Channel 204.

THE SERIES
The Morgan State Bears lead the series against the Howard Bison with an overall record of 39-33-3. The Morgan State Bears have won 8 of the last 10 meetings against the Howard Bison since 2005, including a strecth of 7-straight from 2005 to 2011.

QUICK HITS
• Morgan State played against Alabama State in the 3rd Annual Benefit Football Classic held at Soldier Field on Sept. 15, 1973. The Bears posted a 32-0 victory.
• Junior RB Orlando Johnson had 39 yards (3.0 avg) on 13 carries at #4 Illinois State, while Lamont Brown III led the Bears ground attack with a season-high 58 yards (6.4 avg) on just nine carries.
• MSU had a conference-best 10 players selected to the 2015 All-MEAC preseason team, including four players who were named to the first team.
• Head Coach Lee Hull is 2-5 in his career in games played in Aug/Sept.
• Lee Hull's Bears were predicted to finish last in the MEAC's Preseason Order of Finish. However, MSU not only finished with its' first winning record since 2009...but they also captured its first MEAC Title in 35 years and its first Division I FCS Playoff berth.

SCOUTING THE HOWARD
• The Bison finished the 2014 season with an overall mark of 5-7 and a 3-5 MEAC record.
• They returned 40 letterwinners to go along with 15 nine starters from a team that won its last four games on the 2014 season.
• The Bison had eight (8) players selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Teams: TE Myles Williams; OL Toree Boyd; DL Damon Gresham-Chisholm; LB Devin Rollins; DB Kenneth Russ; DB John Fleck; WR Matthew Colvin; and OL Josh Smith.
• Howard is still in search of its first win of the 2015 season as a results of losses at Appalachian State (49-0), at Boston College (76-0) and most recently a 37-19 conference loss against Hampton at the AT&T Nation's Football Classic.
• The Bison have taken their lumps during the earlier going of the season. They've been outscored in their first three contests by a margin of 162-19.
• Jamie Cunningham, a 6-foot-4, 215 pound quarterback, will lead the Bison offense when they take on MSU. The redshirt junior from Greensboro (N.C.) has completed 20-of-36 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown, including three picks.
• Howard's ground game is led by standout RB Aquanius Freeman. The redshirt senior has 157 yards (4.6 avg) on 34 carries including a TD.
• The Bison defense has been led by Jacob Bennet, who has 30 tackles (22 solo) with a tackle or loss, while Travis Brown has added 19 stops.
• Gary "Flea" Harrell (Howard, '94) returns for his 4th year at Howard. The Bison stand 17-20 overall under Harrell's leadership. He led the Bison to a 7-4 record and a 6-2 mark in the MEAC in 2012. It was the first winning season for the Bison in a decade.
• Coach Harrell, offensive coordinator Ted White, special teams' coordinator Bobby Jones and tight ends coach Jimmie Johnson all played at Howard. Rayford Petty, the defensive coordinator, has twice been head coach for the Bison.
• Coach Harrell, William "B.T." Sherman, wide receivers coach, and Herbert Parham, defensive line coach, were all formerly members of the Morgan State football staff.

A WIN WOULD ...
... give Lee Hull his 8th career win as a head coach.

... would be the Bears' first win against a conference opponent since defeating Delaware State (69-7) on Nov. 22nd in the 2014 regular season finale.

... mark the Bears second straight victory against Howard.

... mark the Bears second in Chicago since defeating Alabama State (32-0) at the Chicago Urban League 3rd Annual Benefit Football Classic at Soldier Field on Sept. 15, 1973.

... mark the Bears first neutral site win since defeating Howard (38-35) at the Whitney Young Classic on Sept. 20, 2014 at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands.

FOOTBALL HERITAGE
Morgan State was a power as a former member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). The Bears posted 173 wins between 1929 and 1959 when Edward P. Hurt was the head coach and the Bears won 14 CIAA championships. Earl Banks added to the championship collection by winning four titles during the 1960s and a MEAC title in 1971. Clarence Thomas led the Bears to a MEAC title in 1979...and now - after a 35-year drought - head coach Lee Hull has added a MEAC title following a thrilling and historical 2014 season. Other MSU highlights:

• Four (4) Pro Football Hall of Famers (Len Ford, Leroy Kelly, Roosevelt Brown & Willie Lanier)
• 19 CIAA championships
• 4 MEAC championships
• 30 consecutive games won (8th in 1964 to the 5th in 1968)
• 57 longest non-losing streak (4th in 1931 to the 6th in 1938)
• 4 MEAC Coaches of the Year; 3 Offensive POTY; 4 Defensive POTY; and 1 Offensive POTY
• 84 All-MEAC First Team selections
• 38 All-CIAA First Team selections

CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS
The Bears enter the 2015 season looking to post their first back-to-back winning seasons (over .500) since going 7-5 in 2002 and 6-5 in 2003.

NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Bears will open the 2015 campaign with two of its first three non-conference matchups coming on the road. MSU opens the season at Air Force (Sept. 5), followed by a game at Illinois State (Sept. 12). The Bears round out non-conference play when they host Division II member VA-Lynchburg (Sept. 19) in the home-opener.

PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
Ten (10) Bears were named to the MEAC preseason team at the 2015 MEAC Football Press Luncheon in Norfolk, Va. Senior C Dominique Woods, junior RB Herb Walker Jr., redshirt junior DB Delonte Hall led the contingent with first-team nods, while OL Matthew Thompson, redshirt senior QB Moses Skillon and WR Andrew King and PK Chris Moller were voted to the second team. Junior DB Antonio Jefferson and redshirt junior Andrew Mitchell and redshirt sophomore Orlando Johnson were selected to the third-team.

BEARS NAME TEAM CAPTAINS
The MSU Bears wrapped up the preseason by naming the team captains for the 2015 season. The leadership group is comprised of a senior, two juniors and a sophomore ... offense - Andrew King (Columbia, Md.), defense - Andrew Mitchell (Memphis, Tenn.) and Greg Gibson (Houston, Texas) and special teams - Chris Moller (Newport News, Va.).

NEW BEAR IN THE CAVE
Jai Franklin joined the Bears as a transfer from Old Dominion and has three years of eligibility remaining. The 6-3, 280-pound defensive lineman brings FBS level experience to the Bears' young D-Line. "He's a smart player who plays with good pad level and he's hard to block," said Lee Hull. He recorded seven tackles in his season debut as the starting nose tackle against Air Force followed by a four stops at #4 Illinois State.

COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION