MEAC/SWAC SPORTS MAIN STREET™

GAME TIME
Morgan State will face Holy Cross in the season opener on Saturday (Sept. 3) at Hughes Stadium. The Bears open the 2016 season under the leadership of interim head coach Fred T. Farrier. Holy Cross completed the 2015 season with a 6-5 overall mark and were 3-3 in Patriot League play. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Hughes Stadium and will be broadcast by WEAA, 88.9FM. The game will be "Youth, Family & Faculty Game" for the Bears.

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 Kelvin Bridgers in the booth. The game will be broadcast live on 88.9 FM and streamed on WEAA.org.

THE SERIES
• Saturday marks the 2nd meeting in the series that began with a 29-26 Holy Cross win on Sept. 6, 2014 at Fitton Field. The Crusaders hold an 1-0 advantage in the series vs. MSU.
• Herb Walker Jr., who was inserted into the starting lineup as a result of a season-ending injury to Lamont Brown III, absolutely ripped the Crusaders on the ground and set a new school record with 271 yards on 29 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns.

QUICK HITS
• Graduate student transfer QB Chris Andrews made 10 starts in three seasons at Wagner College and won the Bears' starting job during preseason camp.

• MSU senior RB Orlando Johnson led the Bears in rushing last season with 583 yards (4.1 avg) and six TDs in 10 games. The running game will also be bolstered by the return of Herb Walker Jr. and Lamont Brown III.

• NT Jai Franklin finished the 2015 season with 38 stops, 8.5 TFL and three sacks.

• LB Damare' Whitaker led the Bears in 2015 with 66 stops, 6 TFL and 2.5 sacks.

• Fred T. Farrier will be playing against his alma mater (Holy Cross) for his first game back as a head football coach.

A GLANCE AT THE CRUSADERS

• Holy Cross finished the 2015 season with an overall mark of 6-5 and a 3-3 conference record. They capped the season with a 45-7 home win against Georgetown.

• They returned 47 letterwinners and 16 starters from a team that won four of its last five games a season ago.

• The Crusaders return quarterback Peter Pujals who passed for 3,195 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 INTs a season ago. Also back are receivers Jake Wieczorek and Brendan Flaherty, who combined for 137 receptions totaling 1,497 yards and 16 TDs. Also back is TE Lucas Nikolaisen who caught eight passes for 85 yards and a pair of TDs. Tailback Gabe Guild returns from a season in which he finished with 415 yards on 31 carries and scored four TDs.

• Defensively, the Crusaders return three defensive linemen. Defensive ends Dewayne Cameron and Dean Doe combined for 68 tackles and eight sacks, while tackle Jack Kutschke had 26 tackles and a sack. Also back are linebackers Kyle Young (76 stops, 8 TFL, 2FF) and Nick McBeath (59 tackles, 4 TFL, 2FF).

• Tom Gilmore (Pennsylvania, '86) enters his 13th season at the helm of the Crusaders.

LAST TIME OUT vs. HOLY CROSS
WORCESTER, Mass. (Sept. 6, 2014) – Shane Smith scored on a 1-yard run on the final play of the game to lift Holy Cross to a 29-26 win over Morgan State in front of a crowd of 6,172 fans at Fitton Field. MSU running back Herb Walker Jr. was inserted into the starting lineup as a result of a season-ending injury to Lamont Brown III. Walker was not only up to the task, but he had a sensational performance. The 5-foot-8, sophomore absolutely ripped the Crusaders on the ground and set a new school record with 271 yards on 29 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. Morgan State finished with 413 yards overall, 356 rushing. The Crusaders totaled 379 yards with Pete Pujalis completing 16 of 29 passes for 193 yards.

PRESEASON PICKED LAST
Morgan State, who finished T-4th place a season ago, was picked to finish seventh (7th) to co-defending MEAC champions and Preseason #1 North Carolina A&T, #2 Bethune-Cookman and #3 N.C. Central.

PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
Five (5) Morgan State football players were named to the 2016 MEAC preseason team, which was voted on by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Redshirt senior cornerback Delonta Hall was named first-team All-MEAC, while senior running back Orlando Johnson was a second-team selection. Redshirt senior tight end Willie Gillus, junior offensive lineman Joshua Miles and junior defensive lineman Jai Franklin were third-team picks.

BEARS OPEN 118th SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 118th season of football, and the first under interim head coach Fred T. Farrier.

RETURN MEN
The 2016 Morgan State Bears return 66 letterwinners, including 15 starters - 9 on offense, 8 on defense and 1 on special teams.

CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS
The Bears enter the 2016 season looking to post their first winning season since going 7-6 in 2014.

NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Bears will open the 2016 campaign against two of its first three non-conference matchups. MSU opens the season at home against Holy Cross (Sept. 3), followed by a road game at Marshall (Sept. 10). The Bears round out non-conference in a season-finale matchup at Army (Nov.19).

BEARS NAME TEAM CAPTAINS
The MSU Bears wrapped up the preseason by naming the team captains for the 2016 season. The leadership group is comprised of four seniors and a junior ... offense - Thomas Martin (Naples, Fla.), Dominique Woods (Skyline, Texas) - defense - Greg Gibson (Houston, Texas), Ayodeji Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) and special teams - Willie Gillus III (Suffolk, Va.).

BEARS OPEN 40th SEASON IN MEAC
The Bears will open its 40th season in the MEAC when they host the Howard Bison on Sept. 24.

• The Bears opened the 2015 MEAC schedule with a 21-13 victory against Howard at the 18th Annual Chicago Football Classic at Soldier Field.

• The Bears kicked off its first season in the MEAC in 1971. Morgan State withdrew from the conference at the end of the 1979-80 fiscal year, before returning to the MEAC in 1984.

MSU IN THE CIAA
Morgan State was a power as a former member of the 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.

HOME AT THE CAVE
Morgan State opens its 2016 season with a home-opener against Holy Cross on Sept. 3 before traveling to take on Marshall on Sept. 10. The Bears 2016 schedule features five home games in Hughes Stadium, including a meeting with MEAC co-champion Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 5 in Baltimore.

UNDER THE LIGHTS
Morgan State will not only have its first home night game since 2010, but it will also mark the Bears' first home matchup against the Howard Bison in seven years. The Bears will open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play when they host their Beltway rival on Sept. 24 at Hughes Stadium. The actual kickoff time is set for 7 p.m.

THE STABLE IS FULL
The Bears are expected to have a potent backfield heading into the 2016 season. • The ground production will be led by three experienced veterans in Orlando Johnson (143 att., 583 yds, 6 TDs), Lamont Brown III (46 att., 230 yds) and Herb Walker Jr. (1,408 yds, 15 TDs - 2014) and will be bolstered behind what could be the best O-Line in the MEAC.

PDF Icon