Game to be played at Johnny Unitas Stadium; will be broadcast live on SPORTSfever Television
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@MorganStBearsGAME TIME
Morgan State will face Towson in the season opener on Saturday (Sept. 2) at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The Bears open the 2017 season under the leadership of Fred T. Farrier who had the interim tag removed and assumed the full-time position as MSU's head football coach. Towson completed the 2016 season with a 4-7 overall mark and were 3-5 in Colonial Athletic Association play. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast by SPORTSfever Television Network (STN) and WEAA, 88.9FM. The game will mark the first of the "Battle for Greater Baltimore" series between the teams.
TELEVISION
SPORTSfever Television Network (STN) will be broadcasting the game live … Phil Schoener will handle the play-by-play duties with color analyst Emory Hunt. Amanda Kuhl will be handling the sideline reporting. Click here for where to watch.
RADIO
WEAA, 88.9 FM is the flagship station for the Morgan State Bears ... Lamont Germany will call the play-by-play with Austin Wardin the booth. The game will be broadcast live on 88.9 FM and streamed on WEAA.org.
THE SERIES
•Saturday marks the 24th meeting in the series that began with a 34-7 Morgan Sate win on Sept. 1, 1979 at Towson.
• The Tigers hold a 17-6 advantage in the series vs. MSU.
• SPORTSfever's broadcast of Saturday's game will mark the fourth time the Towson-Morgan game has been televised in the Baltimore area. In 1998, WMAR-TV aired the Tigers' 15-10 win and again carried the 1999 contest. In 2011, ComCast SportsNet telecast the Tigers' 42-3 victory.
QUICK HITS
• Mid-year transfer QB Elijah Staley (6-7, 245) makes his first start as the Bears' starting quarterback. Staley was previously at Tyler Junior College (Texas) where he completed 21 of 36 passes for 373 yards, including 5 TDs during the 2016 season … and prior to that he was at Mississippi State.
• MSU senior RB Eric Harrell ranked second for the Bears in rushing last season with 350 yards (3.4 avg) with a team-high three TDs in 11 games. The running game will also be bolstered by the return of Herb Walker Jr., Nadir Muhammad and Brandon Womack.
• LB Damare' Whitaker was the team's second leading tackler in 2016 with 59 stops, in addition to an interception and forced fumble.
• NT Jai Franklin was named to the 2016 All-MEAC Second Team as a junior. Franklin was a force on the Bears' defensive line where he finished the 2016 season with 50 stops, 13.0 TFL and four sacks.
• DB Carl Garnes was a standout for the Bears secondary a season ago. The Columbus, N.J. native was named to the 2016 All-MEAC Third Team and garnered 35 tackles and a pair of INTs in 10 games played.
• Fred T. Farrier's Bears are predicted to finish 8th in the MEAC's 2017 Preseason Order of Finish.
A GLANCE AT THE TIGERS
• Towson finished the 2016 season with an overall mark of 4-7 and a 3-5 conference record. They capped the season with a 32-31 road win against Rhode Island, and finished the season on a 3-game winning streak.
• Towson returned 14 starters (five on offense and nine on defense) from a team that won ended the 2016 season on a 3-game winning streak.
• The Tigers ranked No. 5 in the CAA in total offense (368.7/g), No. 7 in scoring offene (22.1 avg), and led the league in kickoff returns (25.6 avg). Towson ranked T-No. 4 in sacks allowed (14) and finished No. 8 in sacks (20).
• RB Shane Simpson (5-9,200) was named the CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year, ECAC Offensive Rookie of the Year and All-CAA First Team KR after he topped the CAA and ranked sixth in FCS with 166.8 all-purpose yards per game. He led the Tigers on the ground with 784 yards and three touchdowns.
• Sophomore Monty Fenner (6-3,270) leads the Tigers secondary from his S position where he racked up 63 stops with 2 TFLs, 8 pass defenses and an INT.
• PK Aidan O'Neill returns after earning All-CAA Third Team honors as a freshman a season ago. He ranked No. 2 in the league by connecting on 18-of-22 field goals and was perfect in PATs (25-25).
MORGAN STATE vs. TOWSON IN OPENERS
Saturday's game marks the 10th time the Tigers and Bears will meet in the season opener. Towson holds a 5-4 advantage, including a 42-3 victory in the 2011 season opener.
LAST TIME OUT vs. TOWSON
Sept. 3, 2011 -- Grant Enders completed 15-of-19 passes for 197 yards and threw three touchdowns Saturday – two of them to fullback Tyler Wharton – to lead Towson to a 42-3 victory in front of 9,759 fans.
• Morgan State suffered its most lopsided loss to the Tigers since a 30-2 loss at Towson in 2006.
• Tyrone Hendrix returned the opening kickoff 85 yards to help give the Bears great field position. The Bears came away with a 33-yard field goal by Abraham Mercado with 13:10 left in the first quarter.
• Junior starting QB Donovan Dickerson, who left the game in the 3rd quarter due to injury, completed 6-of-10 passes for 40 yards, including an interception. Backup QB Robert Council threw for 72 yards on 4-of-10 completions.
• DT Justin Young and LB Allen Stephens led the Bears defense with 10 tackles apiece. CB Joe Rankin collected his first interception of the season.
PRESEASON PICKS
Morgan State was picked to finish eighth (8th) to MEAC defending champion and Preseason #1 North Carolina Central and #2 North Carolina A&T.
PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERSSaturday's game marks the 10th time the Tigers and Bears will meet in the season opener. Towson holds a 5-4 advantage, including a 42-3 victory in the 2011 season opener.
LAST TIME OUT vs. TOWSON
Sept. 3, 2011 -- Grant Enders completed 15-of-19 passes for 197 yards and threw three touchdowns Saturday – two of them to fullback Tyler Wharton – to lead Towson to a 42-3 victory in front of 9,759 fans.
• Morgan State suffered its most lopsided loss to the Tigers since a 30-2 loss at Towson in 2006.
• Tyrone Hendrix returned the opening kickoff 85 yards to help give the Bears great field position. The Bears came away with a 33-yard field goal by Abraham Mercado with 13:10 left in the first quarter.
• Junior starting QB Donovan Dickerson, who left the game in the 3rd quarter due to injury, completed 6-of-10 passes for 40 yards, including an interception. Backup QB Robert Council threw for 72 yards on 4-of-10 completions.
• DT Justin Young and LB Allen Stephens led the Bears defense with 10 tackles apiece. CB Joe Rankin collected his first interception of the season.
PRESEASON PICKS
Morgan State was picked to finish eighth (8th) to MEAC defending champion and Preseason #1 North Carolina Central and #2 North Carolina A&T.
Five (5) Morgan State football players were named today to the 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's preseason team, which was voted on by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Senior defensive lineman Jai Franklin and redshirt senior running back Herb Walker Jr. were second-team selections. Junior defensive backs Carl Garnes and Darius Johnson were third-team picks, along with junior return specialist William King. The five preseason All-MEAC performers are part of a group of 63 lettermen and 19 starters returning for the 2017 Morgan State football season.
BEARS OPEN 119th SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 119th season of football and will open the 2017 campaign under head coach Fred T. Farrier, set to enter his first year at the helm without the interim tag, and his fifth year at Morgan State.
RETURN MEN
The 2017 Morgan State Bears return 63 letterwinners, including 17 starters - 7 on offense, 9 on defense and 1 on special teams.
CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS
The Bears enter the 2017 season looking to post their first winning season since going 7-6 in 2014.
NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Bears will open the 2017 campaign against three non-conference opponents. MSU opens the season against Towson (Sept. 2) in the 'Battle for Greater Baltimore', followed by a home-opener versus Albany (Sept. 9). The Bears round out non-conference action at Rutgers (Sept. 16).
THE INAUGURAL 'BATTLE FOR GREATER BALTIMORE' WILL BE FEATURED ON STN
The 'Battle For Greater Baltimore' is a renewal of the sports rivalry between the Baltimore area's only two local universities with a college football program. The competition for local bragging rights begins on September 2, 2017, when the Bears take a short trip over to Johnny Unitas® Stadium to take on the Tigers.
• The teams are scheduled to play the home-and-home series in 2017 and 2018.
• "Both programs have a rich history of playing outstanding football and this rivalry is something that our students, fans, and alumni can look forward to each year," said Edward Scott, director of intercollegiate athletics for Morgan. "Our goal is to create an event that is more than just a football game; we see this as an opportunity to rally the Greater Baltimore community."
• The game will be televised live regionally by SPORTSfever Television Network (STN).
THE 3RD ANNUAL CELEBRATION BOWL
At stake once again for the MEAC Champion is a postseason berth to the 3rd annual Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, Ga. on Dec. 16 at the brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium. North Carolina Central fell to Grambling State 10-9 in 2016. The all-time bowl series featuring the MEAC and SWAC Champions stands at 1-1.
• The Celebration Bowl, which showcases the legacy, values and traditions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, will pit the conference champion from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference against the Southwestern Athletic Conference champion.
ABOUT MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is celebrating its 150th year of excellence in higher education. A Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution, Morgan offers more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
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