After watching Morgan State suffer a 25-17 loss to Delaware State, Coach Donald Hill-Eley emphasized how officials make mistakes because they are human. But he was quick to point out, so too are the 18, 19 and 20-year old young men on his football team.
“I have to find a way to pull these guys together,” said Hill-Eley, who prohibited players from speaking to the media after the game. “They?ll get over it, they are a good group of young men.”
Morgan State will now have to prove it. The Bears will show if they are resilient when Morgan State hosts Florida A&M in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game on Saturday afternoon at 4 at Hughes Stadium.
Morgan State (4-4, 3-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) is no longer playing for its first conference title since 1979, but they can take another step toward posting their first winning season since 2003 by defeating the Rattlers (2-5, 1-4).
But it won?t be easy. The Rattlers average more than 20 points and 156 yards rushing per game, and should be a stiff test to the league?s top-ranked defense. However, Hill-Eley said Morgan State should be bolstered by the return of its top tackler, linebacker Jerrell Guyton, and leading rusher, running back Chad Simpson, who on nursing injuries that limited their play against Delaware State.
Morgan State has struggled with teams it should dominate this season, as the team lost to Winston-Salem State, 19-17. But the Bears will have a chance to show their character a week after their goal of earning a berth in the 16-team Football Championship Subdivision tournament were dashed.
Leading 17-16 midway through the fourth-quarter at Delaware State, the Bears appeared to add to their lead when running back Courtney Anderson dove into the end zone from one-yard out. However, he lost control of the ball during the play, and safety Akeem Green scooped the fumble and raced more than 100 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
After the controversial fumble, which could not bereviewed since the conference does not use instant replay, Morgan State could only muster two first downs the rest of the game.
“I told the guys ?let?s keep fighting, you can?t take it off the board,?” Hill-Eley said. “But you are dealing with 18, 19 and 20-year old kids who didn?t understand why.”
The erratic play of the quarterback position continues to be an issue for Morgan State. In last week?s 36-33 overtime win against Howard, senior Byron Selby played better than junior Mario Melton. But on Saturday, Melton played a little bit better. He led the team to 10 points in the first half before struggling in the second, as he finished with 93 yards and two interceptions, but rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Selby completed 7-of-13 passes for 113 yards.
“It?s time for one of these guys to step up,” Hill-Eley said. “Until then we are going to keep rotating them.”
