Morgan State Bears Lose to Akron, 41-7

AKRON, Ohio – Sophomore quarterback Kato Nelson, threw for 232 yards and three TDs to lead Akron (1-0) to a 41-0 win over visiting Morgan State Saturday at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field. The win was the first of the season for the Zips, whose game last week against Nebraska was cancelled as a result of severe weather.

With the win, the Zips improved its series record against Morgan State to 3-0, once again beating the Bears by a sizeable margin. MSU lost 41-0 in the first meeting between the teams in 2009, followed by a 66-6 loss suffered in 2012.

Van Edwards complimented Nelson's efforts with a game-high 109 rushing yards to go with two scores. Jonah Morris (4 rec, 94 yds) and Andre Williams(4 rec, 46 yds) both added receiving touchdowns in the game.

Nelson, who completed 16 of 26 pass attempts in the game, excited the ballgame after the Zips extended to a 41-0 lead at the end of the third quarter. Redshirt freshman Alex Ramart subbed in to close out the ballgame. 

BOX SCORE


The Zips totaled 437 yards of total offense with a balanced 237 yards through the air and 200 on the ground. 

Morgan State (0-2) got off to a rocky start in the early going as they were limited to just 6 total yards and one first down in the entire first quarter.

The Bears' quarterbacks had a rough day in the office as well. Junior DeAndre Harris threw for 73 yards and completed 7-of-14 passes, while DJ Golatt Jr. didn't have it any easier. The redshirt-freshman was held to 5 yards passing (1 of 8). Both quarterbacks tossed an interception apiece.

One bright spot for the Bears was in the running game. Morgan State gained 114 yards on the ground and was led by juniorJordan Riggins who had 16 carries for 55 yards (3.4 avg). Joshua Chase added 33 yards (3.3 avg).

On 3rdand 8 from the 10, Harris attempted to connect with Mannaseh Bailey, who drew a pass interference call to give  the Bears 1stand goal from the 2.  Two plays later, Harris plowed into the endzone for a score with 11 seconds remaining to avoid the shutout. It was the first touchdown of the season for the Bears offense.

Morgan State is back in action at home Sept. 15 vs. UAlbany. The non-conference contest is slated for a 7 p.m. Kickoff and will be televised on ESPN+.

NOTES:
LB Damare' Whitaker led the Bears with 11 tackles, while LB Ian McBorrough added 10 stops.

CB Dominick Trigg and S Darius Johnson each recorded interceptions

DL Colby Warrior was ejected from the game for targeting in the third quarter.
 
R-Freshman Demerius Goodwin [Cleveland, Ohio | Ginn Academy] saw his first bit of collegiate action ... finished with 6 carries for 15 yards.

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY BEARS ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS