Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley said his team needed to focus on finishing plays after last week’s loss at Towson.
His players listened.
Morgan State scored on its first possession and never looked back as the Bears drilled North Carolina Central, 49-7, on Saturday night at Hughes Stadium in front of 5,632 fans for one of the largest victories in school history.
The Bears (1-1) yielded just 223 yards of offense and forced seven turnovers, including intercepting a school-record six passes and returning a record three for touchdowns against the Eagles (0-3). The 42-point margin of victory is Morgan State’s largest since a 52-10 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore in 1976.
“The players put it together and played as a team,” Hill-Eley said. “I was impressed with that tonight.”
The Bears opened the scoring when sophomore running back Devan James strolled into the end zone from six yards out with 12:30 left in the first half. Morgan State pushed its led to 14-0 just under six minutes into the second quarter when redshirt freshman running back Keith Lee scored his first career touchdown on a 23-yard run. The Bears then turned a fumble deep in Eagle territory into a 28-yard touchdown run from senior receiver Aaron Moore and sophomore receiver Edwin Baptiste followed with a 13-yard touchdown catch from junior quarterback Carlton Jackson to make it a four-touchdown advantage.
Sophomore defensive back Darren McKhan gave the Bears a 35-0 lead at intermission when he intercepted a pass from North Carolina Central quarterback Stadford Brown and returned it down the sideline for a 49-yard touchdown.
“I had my success because we have a great offensive line,” James, who finished with 114 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, said. “We set the tone, played fast and finished.”
Morgan State linebacker Jerrell Guyton put the score out of reach with 5:33 left in the third quarter when he intercepted Brown and weaved into the end zone for a 22-yard return and a 42-0 lead. The Eagles finally got on the scoreboard with 12:53 remaining when Brown threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to receiver Will Scott. Morgan State sophomore safety Rodney Etienne capped the scoring, returning an interception 60 yards
“We found out their weaknesses,” said McKhan, who finished with two interceptions, “and we attacked them.”
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