BALTIMORE, Md. – The Morgan State Bears came into Hughes Stadium looking for win number one of the season. They made an immeasurable impact on every side of the ball. It showed in Morgan State’s 34-3 demolition of the Delaware State Hornets this afternoon.
“It’s been five to six hard weeks coming,” said Morgan State head coach Tyrone Wheatley after his first win as coach. “We finally put it together. You have to be proud of the guys for the work that they put in. Our guys stayed true to themselves and the system and came out schematically OK.”
The Bears started immediately on their first drive when senior running back Joshua Chase rumbled 33-yards into the end zone for the opening score of the game. Nicholas O’Shea kicked home the extra point to give the Bears a 7-0 lead with 12:23 left in the first quarter.
The Hornets were driving into the red zone on their next possession when Jose Romo-Martinez’s field goal attempt from 35 yards out was blocked by Merinio Dendoe with 2:58 left in the first quarter.
Chase got it going again in the second quarter with a 9-yard touchdown run. O’Shea’s extra point extended the Bears’ lead to 14-0 with 10:29 left in the first half.
Chase finished with 116 yards on the afternoon along with his two touchdowns.
“I was just feeling it,” said Chase. “I was reading my keys. The O-line did their thing. They opened up a lot of gaps for me. Without them, I wouldn’t be who I am. So — big shoutout to the offensive line.”
The Morgan State (1-5, 1-2 MEAC) defense made a goal-line stand and stopped the Hornets on a fourth and goal at the 5-yard line with 3:07 left, turning the ball over on downs. On that next Morgan State possession, DeAndre Harris hooked up with Manasseh Bailey for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds left in the second quarter. O’Shea’s extra point made it 21-0 in the Bears’ favor.
Delaware State (1-5, 0-4 MEAC) got on the board on the very first drive of the second half on a 37-yard field goal by Romo-Martinez with 10:45 left. That cut Morgan State’s lead to 21-3.
O’Shea returned the favor on the following drive with a 24-yard field goal with 3:28 remaining in the third quarter to build the Morgan State lead to 24-3.
Kennan Black fumbled the punt return and it was recovered by Maurice Lewis Jr. at the Delaware State 27 with 8:47 left in the game. One play later, Harris threw the ball to Jordan Cofield for a 27-yard touchdown hook up. O’Shea’s extra point makes it 31-3 Morgan State with 8:38 left.
Devan Hebron intercepted Delaware State quarterback Tylik Bethea on the Hornets drive with 6:54 left and returned it for a touchdown. However, it was taken back after a blindside block penalty was called on the Bears. That led to an O’Shea 38-yard field goal with 1:41 left in the game to extend the lead again to 34-3.
Wheatley was elated with the special teams play this afternoon.
“We always say we have to play three balls. You can’t just play offense and defense,” said Wheatley. “You have to bring special teams in. We got the return on the muff right there. We let them crease us a couple of times on some kickoff returns. But all in all, we came out with the win. Special teams played wonderful.”
Morgan State hits the road next week as they head to Orangeburg, South Carolina to take on the South Carolina State Bulldogs. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m.
Courtesy: MSU Athletics
