Morgan State needed a win to avenge last week?s tough loss to local rival Towson. But that win didn?t come Saturday afternoon.
Winston-Salem State kicker Matt Mitchell buried a game-winning 24-yard field goal with .4 seconds left, lifting the Rams (2-1) to a 19-17 victory over the Bears (1-2) in front of 8,953 fans at Hughes Stadium.
Morgan State was in a position to pickup the win with 1:13 left when kicker James Meade made a 43-yard field goal to give the Bears a 17-16 lead. But the Rams drove 49 yards ? highlighted by a 42-yard run-and-catch by receiver Bryant Bayne ? to set up the game-winning kick.
“We played sloppy, lots of penalties, we played bad and never go going,” coach Donald Hill-Eley said. “We just didn?t get up and were flat the whole game.”
Winston-Salem State, a team two seasons removed from Division II status and eligible for full member status in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2009, capitalized on two first-half turnovers. Scoring on running back Brandon McCrae?s 3-yard touchdown run, the Rams extended their lead to 10-0 in the second quarter on a Matt Mitchell 38-yard field goal.
But the Bears answered late in the second quarter as quarterback Mario Melton ran in from 6-yards out with 1:25 before left before halftime to make the score 10-7. Melton completed 10-of-22 passes on the day for 105 yards with an interception, while rushing for 32 more and a touchdown.
“Right now between this week and last week we started out slowly and that?s not where we want to be,” Melton said. “For us to start slow its my fault because I have to job to get [our offense] prepared.”
In the third quarter Morgan State running back Chad Simpson bounced a run outside for a 33-yard touchdown run to give the Bears a 14-10 lead, but fumbled three possessions later at his own 2-yard line.
The Rams capitalized on the turnover and one play later running back Roderi Fluellen scored to give Winston-Salem State a 16-14 lead with 9:56 left in the game.
Despite a pair of fumbles, including the one deep in his own territory, Simpson was the offensive catalyst for the Bears, rushing for 221 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries.
Hill-Eley was disappointed in his team after the game, citing 15 penalties for 145 yards and three turnovers as areas that need improvement going into Thursday night?s game against defending MEAC champion Hampton.
“I guess the biggest thing we have to do is we are our own worst enemy,” Hill-Eley said. “Fumbles, turnovers, interceptions, it was a very ugly game from our end.”
