Courtesy of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference:
Morgan State 24, Sacred Heart 9
Delaware State 35, Virginia Lynchburg 19
Hampton 17, Norfolk State 7
Howard 31, Morehouse 0
North Carolina Central 45, New Hampshire 27
Morgan State 24, Sacred Heart 9
BALTIMORE, Md. — Morgan State was looking to avoid an 0-3 start to the season and bounce back from a tough loss last week at Towson.
Senior running back Alfonzo Graham stepped up and sophomore quarterback Duce Taylor did just enough to put away visiting Sacred Heart in the end on a sunny afternoon at Hughes Stadium.
Taylor, who came off the bench, threw for a touchdown, while the running game posted a pair of scores and the Bears defense kept the Pioneers out of the end zone for almost the entire contest. The result was a 24-9 win that sends the Bears into their bye week with not only their first win of the season, but also Damon Wilson’s first win as Morgan’s head coach.
The Bears avenged last season’s 27-7 loss at Sacred Heart and improve to 2-1 in the series between the teams. The win was also Morgan’s first home opener win since Oct. 10, 2015, when they dropped Savannah State 42-3.
The Bears have a bye week before they play host to non-conference opponent Virginia-Lynchburg on Oct. 1 at Hughes Stadium.
Delaware State 35, Virginia Lynchburg 19
DOVER, Del. — Delaware State shook off a slow start by scoring 21 unanswered first-half points to highlight a 35-19 victory over Virginia Lynchburg at Alumni Stadium on Saturday.
The Hornets won for the third time in three meetings against the Dragons to improve to 2-1 this season. Virginia Lynchburg fell to 0-3 this year.
Wide receiver Jerrish Halsey had seven catches for 134 yards (both career-highs) and two touchdowns while running back Wade Inge rushed for a career-best 106 yards to lead the Hornets’ 397-yard offensive attack.
The Hornets return to action next Saturday (Sep. 24) at home against Merrimack of the Northeast Conference. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.
Box Score | Recap
Hampton 17, Norfolk State 7
NORFOLK, Va. – In the teams’ first meeting in Norfolk since 2017, Hampton broke free from a halftime tie by scoring the only 10 points of the second half to top Norfolk State 17-7 in a defensive Battle of the Bay before 15,459 fans on Saturday at Dick Price Stadium.
With the score tied 7-7, Pirate receiver Romon Copeland scored on a 75-yard touchdown reception on the Pirates’ first drive of the second half. HU (3-0) added a 24-yard Axel Perez field goal in the fourth while keeping the Spartans (0-3) at bay in their home opener.
Otto Kuhns passed for 121 yards and Adams 40 for NSU. Collis Pride had a career-high four catches for 47 yards. Davis, Felton and Tremayne Talbert caught three passes apiece.
Marquis Hall led the NSU defense with nine tackles and an interception. Fellow linebacker Tyler Long had seven tackles, one sack and a pass breakup.
The Spartans are home again next Saturday, hosting St. Francis (Pa.) in another non-conference matchup at 2 p.m.
Box Score | Recap
Howard 31, Morehouse 0
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Howard University football team had its best performance of the season and the offense came alive in the second half, scoring 31 points to post a 31-0 shutout win over Morehouse College before 35,042 fans at MetLife Stadium in the HBCU/New York Classic.
It was the first win of the season for the Bison (1-3), who were playing their fourth straight game on the road.
Howard struggled early on offense and was not able to get anything going. Meanwhile, the Maroon Tigers (0-3) appeared to put an early scare into the Bison, limiting the Howard offense and moving the ball smartly on offense by using a balanced attack with its rushing attack and short passing game to effectively move the ball.
But the Bison defense, led by Jevin Jackson, refused to allow Morehouse to get in the end zone. Three times, Morehouse went on drives that ended up deep in the Bison territory. But Howard answered each time with stops, forcing long field goal attempts and turn over on downs.
The Bison are off this coming Saturday and resume play on Oct. 1 at Yale.
Box Score | Recap
North Carolina Central 45, New Hampshire 27
DURHAM, N.H. – North Carolina Central University junior quarterback Davius Richard ran for 140 yards and a touchdown, while throwing for 194 yards and two scores during NCCU’s 45-27 road victory over No. 25 New Hampshire on Saturday night inside Wildcat Stadium.
Richard’s ground attack represents the most rushing yards by an NCCU signal caller in 23 years, when Darrell Nesbitt ran for 156 yards against Benedict on Sept. 25, 1999.
The NCCU offense amassed 399 total yards and converted on 12-of-15 third downs, resulting in a time of possession of 35:19.
The NCCU defense held New Hampshire to just 65 rushing yards and registered two takeaways. Junior safety Khalil Baker collected his third interception of the season and returned it for a 33-yard touchdown to give the Eagles an early 14-0 lead less than six minutes into the contest. Senior defensive lineman Jessie Malit pounced on a loose ball to set up a 30-yard field goal by Adrian Olivo late in the third quarter.
NCCU improves to 3-0 on the season after defeating a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time since 2016.
Box Score | Recap
