SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Morgan State's backs were against the wall as they looked to avoid an 0-2 start to the conference season and bounce back from a tough loss last week at home to South Carolina State. Senior running back William King stepped up and senior quarterback D'Andre Harris did just enough in the passing game to put away the Savannah State Tigers by a final score of 18-11.
Saturday's fumble recovery in the endzone by wideout Corey Holmes helped to give the Bears its first conference victory since 2017, the year the Bears posted a 48-28 victory over none other than Savannah State.
Postgame Stats (PDF) | Postgame Notes (PDF)A crowd of 2,655 fans at T.A. Wright Stadium watched what will probably be the last time these two teams will meet as the Bears wrapped the series with a perfect 11-0 record since 2000.
King finished with a game-high 88 yards on 25 carries and Harris was 11-of-16 passing for 159 yards and a score. Harris, who added 10 carries for 40 yards, had a 29-yard run to the 20 that set up senior Alex Raya's 24-yard field goal that opened the scoring midway through the first quarter.
Harris connected with freshman wideout Xavier Gravette down the seam of the defense for a 48-yd TD pass. The Bears converted on a 2-point attempt when D.J. Golatt tossed a pass to Adeola Sulaiman to extend to an 11-0 lead with 2:57 remaining in the first half.
Giovanni Lugo hit a 38-yard field to cap a 10-play, 59 yard drive by the Tigers and trailed 11-3 with 36 seconds left in the half.
On the ensuing kickoff, Antonio Spooney recovered a pooched kick to give the Tigers 1st & 10 from the Bears 33. However, Savannah State could not seal the deal to close out the half, as Lugo missed on a 25-yard field goal attempt to end first half action.
The Tigers (1-5, 0-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) took the second-half kickoff and went 75 yards on nine plays culminated by D'Vonn Gibbons' 9-yard scoring run. He then hit Czar Beneby for the 2-point conversion that made it 11-all.
On the ensuing Morgan State (2-4, 1-1) possession, a pass interference against Savannah State on third-and-8 gave the Bears a fresh set of downs before Harris hit Holmes for 16 yards and, a few plays later, connected on another third-and-8 with Deontaye White for a 15-yard pass to the 1. King took the handoff but Mulik Simmons forced a fumble that Holmes recovered and Raya's PAT kick capped the scoring.
Gibbons was 15-of-27 passing for 219 yards with one interception and had 20 carries for 57 yards and a score for Savannah State.
The Tigers outgained the Bears in total yards by a 348-298 margin.
Junior linebacker Ian McBorrough led the Bears defense with seven tackles, two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Senior Chris Fatogoma added 2.5 of the Bears' game-high six total sacks.
Morgan State is back in action at home Oct. 20 vs. Howard (2-3, 2-1). The MEAC contest is slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff and will be televised by ESPN3.
MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
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