MSU Gamenotes (PDF)
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2010 MORGANSTATE FOOTBALL
Season Opener
Saturday, September 4 - 6 p.m. (ET)
Morgan State (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) vs. Bowie State (0-1, 0-0 CIAA)
Baltimore, Md. – Hughes Stadium
Live Coverage
Radio: WEAA Radio (88.9 FM) in Baltimore, Md. (Rob Long (Play-by-Play) and Kelvin Bridgers (Color Analyst).
Click for Live Stats
BEAR FACTS
2009 Record: 6-5 (4-4 MEAC)
Head Coach: Donald Hill-Eley
Alma Mater/Year: Virginia Union/1991
Record at Bear/Year: 42-48/9th
Career Record/Years: Same
Football SID: Leonard L. Haynes IV
Office Phone: 443-885-3831
E-Mail: lhaynesiv@aol.com
Ticket Info: call 443-885-3830, or click Ticket
SERIES FACTS
Games Played: 9
Series Record: Tied, 4-4-1
First Meeting: MSU won 28-0, 1980
Last Meeting: MSU won 28-20, 2006
Current Streak: MSU 1
Hill vs. Bowie State: 2-1
Opening Kickoff
The Morgan State football team kicks off its 112th season of football on Saturday, Sept. 4th against the Bulldogs of Bowie State at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Md. Head coach Donald Hill-Eley has been a guiding light to a program that had previously not had a winning season in three decades. The 41-year old coach enters the 2010 season with a 42-48 record in seven seasons at the helm, which is good enough for third-best all-time record behind legendary coaches Edward P. Hurt and Earl. C. Banks.
The opening match-up will mark the 10th matchup with Bowie State since the series started in 1980.
MSU’s offensive lineup will feature quite a few changes as the squad’s top two offensive linemen (Robert Norris) and a top receiver (Edwin Baptiste) all departed due to graduation. In addition, the Bears are in the midst of a quarterback competition between sophomore Donovan Dickerson and redshirt-freshman Delonte Williams. Hill has named Dickerson the starter for Bowie State, but said that Williams may also play in the contest. Junior standouts Winfred Diggs and All-MEAC tight end Lamont Bryant will continue to be two of the MEAC’s top receiving threats.
Defensively, MSU will be without the services of 2009 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year George Howard, yet the Bears return six starters and should remain among the leading defensive units in the nation with Herbert Parham entering his second year as defensive coordinator. The Bears will take advantage of its talent and depth in the trenches. Seniors Bricen Tate, Sheldon Jacques, Kevin Myrie and junior Justin Young are the top DLs, while senior cornerback Nico Scott and redshirt freshman saftey Reshaude Miller are also defensive players to watch. Sophomore linebackers Chris Eugene and Brian Saunders will help the anchor of the Bears’ defensive unit.
Another top story line for MSU is junior newcomer Jourdan Brooks at tailback – Brooks, a 6-2, 245-pounder, who transferred from Rutgers and finished as Rutgers’ second-leading rusher with 531 yards and five touchdowns as a true freshman in 2008. He will certainly be a back to watch this season..
Following a theme of “Fueled for the Challenge,” the Bears have had a focused preseason camp and are counting on another strong season.
For Openers
In MSU’s football history, the Bears have posted a 48-33 record in season-openers since 1930. Donald Hill-Eley has recorded a 3-5 mark in lid-lifters. Eddie P. Hurt, who was far-and-away the most successful MSU coach in season-opening contests. During his tenure in Baltimore, Hurt posted a 23-6 mark in contests that christened the season (since 1930). Currently MSU is on a stretch of winning six of its last 16 opening games since 1989.
MSU-Bowie State Series
The Bears are tied in the all-time series, 4-4-1, in nine meetings dating to 1980, and have taken two of the last three. Bowie State’s last appearance at Hughes Stadium resulted in a 28-20 loss to the Bears, in 2006. Morgan State came away with a 28-0 shutout victory against the Bulldogs in 1980, marking the only shutout in the series. The last time Bowie State defeated the Bears was back on Sept. 10, 2005 when the Bulldogs won 35-21 in Highes Stadium.
Quick His
Saturday’s game will mark the 91st game coached by Donald Hill-Eley...Hill will celebrate his 100th game when the Bears host MEAC defending champion South Carolina State on November 11th in an ESPNU nationally televised contest.
Non-Conference Grade
The Bears are 12-14 (.461) overall in non-conference play during the last eight years under Donald Hill-Eley. The Bears open the 2010 campaign with three consecutive games against non-conference opponents, starting with Bowie State (9/4), followed by Maryland (9/11) and North Dakota State (9/18).
Home Numbers
Morgan State has been tough to beat in the friendly confines of renovated Hughes Stadium since the start of the 2001 season. The Bears have gone 21-18 (.538) at home over the last eight years.
Poll Positions
Last year, the Bears entered the season No. 6 in the MEAC preseason media poll. This year the Bears will enter the season ranked No. 5
New Faces
The Bears have two new coaches on staff. Deondri Clark is in his first year as the program’s second defensive line coach under head coach Donald Hill-Eley. Prior to arriving in Baltimore, Clark served as the head coach at Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C., where he played a significant role in reviving a football program in 2002 that had been discontinued in 1979. Chris Williams, a two-year member of the MSU defensive staff, is the Bears’ first-year defensive backs coach. Williams was an All-MEAC First Team safety for the Bears as a senior during the 2008 season.
Bear Tube
Morgan State has been selected to play on ESPNU when the Bears matchup against MEAC defending champion South Carolina State on November 11th. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Hughes Stadium. In Donald Hill-Eley’s ninth year at the helm of the Bears, this will mark the fourth football game ESPNU has televised and it will be the second time ESPNU has broadcast from Hughes Stadium. ESPNU televised Morgan State’s 14-7 win against Howard at Hughes Stadium on October 15, 2009.
Up Next
After Saturday’s contest the Bears will face the Maryland Terps for the first time in school history. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on September 11th at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium in College Park, Md.