This Is Game Week: Morgan State vs. Akron

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 MEAC Teleconference Audio  |     GAMEDAYGuide   
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GAME TIME
Morgan State will face Akron on the road in a non-conference matchup on Saturday (Sept. 8) at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field. The Bears open the 2018 season under the leadership of interim head coach Ernest T. Jones. Akron completed the 2017 season with a 7-7 overall mark and were 6-2 in MAC play. The Zips' contest last Saturday against Nebraska was cancelled due to severe weather. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast on WEAA, 88.9 FM. 

GAME COVERAGE
TELEVISION: ESPN+ will be televising the game live ... Jonathan Yardley will handle the play-by-play duties with color analyst Tyoka Jackson. 

RADIO: WEAA, 88.9 FM is the flagship station for the Morgan State Bears ... Lamont Germany will call the play-by-play with Kelvin Bridgers in the booth. The game will be broadcast live on 88.9 FM and streamed on WEAA.org. 

LIVE STREAM: ESPN3

LIVE STATS: Click Here

SOCIAL NETWORKS
Fans can keep up-to-date with all MSU Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/MorganStBears and @MorganStateFootball. You can also become a fan of the Bears on Facebook at Facebook.com/MorganStateBears.

TICKETS
Season ticket plans—which include a ticket to all five home games, including homecoming start at only $95. Premium seats are now available for purchase by calling 443.885.1522 or visiting MSU Student Center Athletics Ticket Office during business hours (Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or visit  morganstatebears.com/tickets.
 
THE COACHES
•  Morgan State - Ernest T. Jones (Alcorn State, '95) joined the Bears as the Defensive Coordinator in 2016 and was previously a JUCO head coach at ASA Miami (2015 - 8-2 record); he has also worked at Connecticut, Notre Dame, Univ. of Buffalo, Cincinnati, Alcorn State, Central Michigan, Oberlin, Kentucky State and Concordia. CAREER RECORD (10-13, 2yrs)
•  Akron - Terry Bowden (West Virginia, '78), the Dean of all Mid-American Conference coaches with 171 career wins, enters his seventh season in 2018 at the helm of the UA program. CAREER RECORD (171-106-2, 24 yrs); RECORD AT AKRON (31-44, 7th yr). 



LAST TIME OUT vs. THE ZIPS
•  Sept. 15, 2012 -- Akron (1-2) scored touchdowns on its first two drives to build a 21-6 lead before halftime.
•  Jawon Chisholm ran 18 times for 129 yards and Dalton Williams hit 37 of 48 passes for 446 yards with 3 TDs as head coachTerry Bowden got win No. 1 as the Zips set or tied six team and two individual school records in a 66-6 win over Morgan State at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field.
•  Akron's 66 points and 753 yards of total offense broke a nine-year mark set on Sept. 20, 2003, against Howard (65 points, 692 yds).
•  The Zips also finished with a program-best 43 first downs, also in that contest against Howard. UA set a school record for completions as well with 44.
•  Akron also set the program and Mid-American Conference mark for passing yards (565) and posted the third-most offensive yards in league history with 753. Akron's 59 pass attempts tied the UA school mark.
• Deshaun Summer led the Bears with 11 tackles and had a tackle for loss and pass breakup. Nate Ayers (Safeties Coach) collected the 2nd interception of his career, while Travis Davidson accounted for 105 all purpose yards.
 
A WIN WOULD ... 
...give Ernest T. Jones his first win as MSU's head coach and his 11th career win.
... would mark the Bears' first  win against Akron in school history.
... mark MSU's first road non-conference win since defeating Bowie State (28-23) on Sept. 13, 2014.
... mark MSU's first non-conference road win since defeating Towson 12-9 on Sept. 26, 2009.
... mark the Bears  road win  since a 35-24  win on Nov. 19, 2016.
... .mark MSU's earliest season victory since recording a 28-3 home win against Illinois State on Sept. 12, 2015.
 
QUICK HITS
• Junior DeAndre Harris, a 6-4, 210-pound quarterback from Washington (Ga.) opened the season as the Bears starter. He completed 12-of-21 passes for 101 yards, with an interception. He also led the team with 31 yards on 12 carries.
• The Bears' starting RB in Week 1 was talented redshirt-freshman Josh Chase (6-1, 210, Severn, Md.). Chase ran for 28 yards on 13 carries vs. Towson.
• LB Rico Kennedy, the team's leading tackler in 2017 with 70 stops, in addition to 19.5 tackles for loss (No. 3 in the FCS), posted eight tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in the Bears' season opener vs. Towson.
• Senior LB Damare' Whitaker was a force in the Bears' home-opener against Towson, as the senior finished with a team-high nine solo tackles, including a sack.
• Senior DB Carl Garnes was a standout for the Bears secondary a season ago. The Columbus, N.J. native was named to the 2017 All-MEAC Third Team and garnered 35 tackles and a pair of INTs in 10 games played.
• The Bears drew first blood in last week's contest versus Towson. MSU took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter when Towson's Coby Tippett mishandled a punt on their own 5-yard line leaving freshman long-snapper Zach Castano to recover for the Bears first score.
• Ernest T. Jones' Bears are predicted to finish 9th in the MEAC's 2018 Preseason Order of Finish. 
 
A GLANCE AT THE ZIPS
•  Akron finished the 2017 season with an overall mark of 7-7 and captured the MAC East Title with a 6-2 conference record. They capped the season with a 50-3 loss against Florida Atlantic in the Boca Raton Bowl.
•  Terry Bowden (West Virginia, '78) leads the Zips in his 7th season at the helm.
•  Akron, the defending MAC East champion, were picked to finish fourth in the MAC East in the league's preseason poll.
•  Akron returns 58 letterwinners, including 15 starters, to its spread offense and 4-3 defense.
•  Akron returns senior RB Van Edwards (Cape Coral, Fla.) who rushed for 343 yards and two touchdowns on 94 carries in 2017.
•  Sophomore QB Kato Nelson (Hollywood, Fla.) went 70-of-140 for 989 yards and eight touchdowns last fall.
•  Senior WR Kwadarrius Smith (Orlando, Fla.) is the top returning receiver with 726 yards and seven TDs on 34 receptions.
• One of the defensive leaders for the Zips is two-time first-team All-MAC LB Ulysees Gilbert III (Ocala, Fla.) returns for his senior season after leading the Zips with 141 tackles, 9.5 TFL, five sacks, five hurries, four break-ups, three interceptions, and a fumble recovery in 2017.
• Senior CB Kyron Brown (Boynton Beach, Fla.) is a team captain for the Zips and last season finished with 49 tackles, 2.0 TFL, two interceptions for 108 yards, a team-best 11 break-ups, and a fumble recovery.  He was named to the 2018 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List and preseason second-team All-MAC by Athlon Sports.
• For the third consecutive year, Akron's senior Kyle Foster (Parkersburg, W.Va.) has been named a preseason candidate for the 2018 Peter Mortell Holder of the Year Award. Foster, who has played in every game of his collegiate career as the holder, was a semifinalist for the award in 2016 and 2017.
• Following a three-hour delay for lightning and thunderstorms, Akron's season opening, non-conference football game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers was cancelled.

MORGAN STATE/AKRON CONNECTIONS

• Akron has one player from the state of Maryland on its roster– junior OL Trevor Brown [Clinton, Md. | Wise HS].  Morgan State has two players from the state of Ohio– redshirt freshman RB Demerius Goodwin [Cleveland, Ohio | Glenville/Ginn Academy] and freshman TE Jack McCracken [Cincinnati, Ohio | Archbishop Moeller]. 
• MSU interim head coach Ernest T. Jones served as the associate head coach at MAC rival Buffalo (2010-11).
• The Bears' co-defensive coordinator Antonio James earned first-team All-Ohio accolades at Massillon Washington HS as a senior in 2005.

PRESEASON PICKED 9TH 
Morgan State was picked to finish ninth (9th) to MEAC defending champion and Preseason #1 North Carolina A&T and #2 Howard.
 
PRESEASON ALL-MEAC PLAYERS
Seven (7) Morgan State football players were named to the 2018 MEAC preseason team, which was voted on by the conference head coaches and sports information directors.  Senior defensive lineman Malachi Washington and junior linebacker Rico Kennedy were first-team selections. Senior offensive linemen Joshua Miles and Matthew Thompson were third-team picks, along with junior wideout Manasseh Bailey, junior linebacker Ian McBorrough, and senior defensive back Carl Garnes. The seven preseason All-MEAC performers are part of a group of 37 lettermen and 16 starters returning for the 2018 Morgan State football season.
 
BEARS OPEN 120th SEASON OF FOOTBALL SINCE 1898
MSU enters its 120th season of football and will open the 2018 campaign under interim head coach Ernest T. Jones, set to enter his first year at the helm and his third year at Morgan State.
 
RETURN MEN 
The 2018 Morgan State Bears return 37 letterwinners, including 16 starters - 7 on offense, 8 on defense and 1 on special teams.
 
CAMPAIGNING FOR SUCCESS 
The Bears enter the 2018 season looking to post their first winning season since going 6-5 in 2009. MSU's 7-6 record in 2014 was vacated. 
 
NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Bears will open the 2018 campaign against four non-conference opponents. MSU opens the season against Towson (Sept. 1) in the 'Battle for Greater Baltimore', followed by road trips versus  Akron (Sept. 9), Univ. at Albany (Sept. 15) and the N.C. A&T (Sept. 22) game will also be recorded as a non-conference contest. 
 
BEARS OPEN 41st SEASON IN MEAC
The Bears will open its 41st season in the MEAC when they host South Carolina State for Homecoming on Oct. 6.
• The Bears opened the 2017 MEAC schedule with a 49-17 loss against #15 N.C. A&T at Hughes Stadium. 
• 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.
 
EDWARD SCOTT NAMED TO FCS ADA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Division I Football Subdivision Athletics Directors Association announced that Morgan State's Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Edward Scott will serve on its Executive Committee. Scott represents the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

MAKING AN IMPACT IN THE CLASSROOM
The Morgan State football team has had great success in the classroom.
• Most recently, the Bears produced a 3.24 GPA during Summer 2018.
• The 2017-18 school year saw the Bears achieve their highest single-year GPA in program history.
• The program had 31 Athletic Director Honor Roll Members in the Fall of 2017, a 41% increase from the previous Fall. 

MSU LEGEND EDDIE P. HURT NAMED TO 2019 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME BALLOT
76 players and six coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 32 coaches from the divisional ranks make-up the 2019 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.  Morgan State head coach Eddie P. Hurt is among the list of nominees.
•  Hurt led Morgan's football teams to six Black College National Championships and won 14 CIAA titles. 
• Eleven of his squads executed undefeated seasons, including a non-losing string of games from 1932 to 1938. 
•  His 1943 team did not allow a score from a single opponent.

WBAL-TV TO TELEVISE MORGAN STATE HOME FOOTBALL GAMES ON MeTV BALTIMORE

WBAL-TV has announced that it is partnering with Morgan State University (MSU) to televise the school's 2018 regular season home football games on MeTV Baltimore, WBAL-TV's digital channel.  The announcement was made by Dan Joerres, President and General Manager of WBAL-TV.
• All five home games at Morgan State's Hughes Memorial Stadium can be seen on MeTV Baltimore beginning on Saturday, September 1, 2018.  The season opener will feature Morgan against Towson University at 7:00 PM, billed as "The Battle of Greater Baltimore."
• "Morgan State is a wonderful institution with a rich history that is a part of the fabric of Baltimore City.   We could not be more excited to air Morgan State Football on MeTV Baltimore this fall," said Joerres.
• "Morgan Athletics is proud to be a part of the WBAL and MeTV family.   Morgan has a special place in the Baltimore community and we believe partnering with WBAL is only going to strengthen that relationship with Greater Baltimore.

FOLLOW US IN CYBERSPACE 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
• Follow us on social media:
            Facebook: /MorganStateBears
            Twitter: @MorganStBears
            Instagram: /MorganStateBears

ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering 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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