4th Quarter Surge Lifts NSU Over Morgan State, 45-32

BALTIMORE, Maryland – Baltimore native Aaron Savage ran for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 11-yard score in the fourth quarter, and Isaiah Winstead's 24-yard TD reception later in the period sealed Norfolk State's 45-32 win over Morgan State in the season finale for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Hughes Stadium.

One week after the Spartans (4-7, 4-4 MEAC) saw a fourth-quarter lead slip away in a last-second loss at Howard, the Spartans surged in the final period Saturday, outscoring the Bears (1-10, 1-7) 15-0 in the final 15 minutes.

Savage's 11-yard TD run with 9:55 left to play and the ensuing two-point conversion pass from Juwan Carter to George Wahee gave NSU a 38-32 lead. The Bears answered by driving to the NSU 23 on the next possession, but NSU forced a turnover on downs to get the ball back midway through the period.

NSU then marched 77 yards in 10 plays for another score. Carter connected with his classmate and former high school teammate Winstead on the back-breaking 24-yard TD play on a 3rd-and-14 play with 2:02 remaining in the game. Winstead caught the pass near the Bears 10-yard line, spun away from a defender and picked up a block downfield en route to his third touchdown reception of the year.

Cornerback J.T. Wahee's interception in the end zone ended the Bears' final drive and allowed NSU to run out the final minute of the game.

The first half saw the Bears control the time of possession and total yardage, yet the Spartans led 21-20 thanks to touchdowns by their offense, defense and special teams units. MSU led 8-0 after its second possession ended with a 12-yard TD pass from DeAndre Harris to Daylin Baldwin and Harris' two-point conversion pass to Amonta Poteat.

The Spartans answered less than three minutes later. Poteat fielded a punt by NSU's Taylor Goettie at his own 31, and after running backwards, was stripped by reserve linebacker Tim Flood. Chuma Awanna scooped up the fumble and returned it 20 yards for the score to bring NSU within 8-7 with 4:27 left to play in the opening quarter.

Herb Walker's 8-yard TD run at the 11:13 mark of the second quarter pushed the Bears' lead to 14-7. But the Spartans scored two touchdowns in an 11-second span midway through the quarter to regain the lead. Freshman C.J. Jones scored on a 4-yard run with 7:27 left before halftime to tie the score. On the first play from scrimmage on the Bears' next possession, NSU cornerback Aaron Chandler scored on a 30-yard interception return for a 21-14 NSU lead at the 7:16 mark.

The teams continued trading points in furious fashion. DuShon David caught a 7-yard TD pass just before the half to bring the Bears within 21-20 going into the locker room. NSU took its first possession of the second half and drove 65 yards in eight plays, with Savage scoring from 1 yard out to push the lead to 28-20.

But the Bears scored touchdowns on both of their third-quarter drives. Manassah Bailey caught a 34-yard TD pass from Harris to slice NSU's lead to 28-26. But on the two-point conversion try, J.T. Wahee intercepted a pass by Harris and returned it nearly 100 yards for a defensive two-point conversion, pushing NSU's advantage to 30-26.

The Bears kept coming. Harris finished off a 10-play, 64-yard Morgan drive with a 2-yard TD run to give MSU a 32-30 lead with 54 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

But the Spartans executed on offense and defense to near perfection in the final period. Savage churned out 42 of his 76 rushing yards and Carter went 5-of-6 for 64 yards and also ran for 31 more yards as the Spartans cashed in their first two possessions of the final period. The NSU defense, meanwhile, forced two turnovers, one on downs, to finish off the Spartans' 11th straight win on the field over MSU.

MSU held a 438-276 edge in total offense. Savage ran 15 times for 76 yards and notched his first collegiate two-touchdown game. He scored all three of his touchdowns this year in the final two games. Jones, meanwhile, rushed eight times for 40 yards and Carter rushed for 30.

Carter also completed 14 of 22 passes for 139 yards, with Winstead leading the Spartans with four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown.

Walker rushed for 139 yards and a score for the Bears. Harris passed for 187 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 79 and another score for MSU. But he was intercepted twice and fumbled once, part of a four-takeaway day by the Spartans.

J.T. Wahee and Nigel Chavis both had 11 tackles to lead the Spartans. Wahee and Chris Lee both had two tackles for loss, with Lee also notching a sack in his final game as a Spartan. Linebackers Anthony Smith (nine) and Kyle Archie (six), two more NSU seniors, combined for 15 stops and three pass breakups in the win.

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