Morgan State Bears Fall 51-10 to South Carolina State

Morgan State’s rushing offense gained minus-12 yards in a 51-10 loss to South Carolina State on Thursday night at Hughes Stadium. The result drops the Bears to 5-4 overall and 0-2 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. It marks the third consecutive defeat for a team that began the season with a 5-1 record.

South Carolina State improved to 7-2 and 2-0 in league play. The Bulldogs scored 30 unanswered points after halftime, according to Morgan State Athletics. They took a 14-0 lead after the first quarter on a one-yard run by Josh Shaw and a five-yard touchdown pass from Keely Watson to Martavious Collins.

The Bears’ defense provided their only scoring highlight. Safety Raquane Matthews recovered a fumble and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter. Alex Amaya kicked a 30-yard field goal to finish a 13-play, 62-yard drive, narrowing the gap to 14-10 with 5:10 remaining in the half.

The game turned on the final play before halftime. Watson threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Troy Hillman as time expired. South Carolina State added a field goal and another Watson touchdown in the third quarter. They scored three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to close the game.

Watson completed 27 of 36 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. Sports Illustrated’s HBCU coverage and the official box score confirm these statistics. Morgan State finished with 150 total yards. South Carolina State piled up 509 total yards.

Quarterback Cameron Edge completed 17 of 28 passes for 144 yards. Ade Olanegan added four completions for 18 yards in relief. Sophomore receiver Justin Perry led the Bears with five catches for 72 yards. No offensive player scored a touchdown.

Defensively, linebacker Darius Jones recorded a game-high 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a forced fumble. Jordan Jeudy added six tackles and 1.5 sacks. Mike Hastie forced a fumble.

Head coach Damon Wilson pointed to the late first-half touchdown and the lack of offensive production. He noted that the Bears are playing without some players. Wilson said, “Offensively, we didn’t score the ball at all. The only touchdown we got came from the defense.” He added that “the next man has to step up and make plays.” The school did not specify which players are out.

The Bears were one of Baltimore’s better college football stories in September and early October. They beat Towson in the local rivalry game and edged Villanova and Robert Morris by a combined four points. The past three weeks have gone the other way.

Morgan State faces a difficult path to the MEAC title. The conference has six football-playing members, so each team plays five league games. Morgan State has already lost to Howard and South Carolina State. The best the Bears can finish is 3-2 in the conference. To have a chance at a share of the title, Morgan State would likely need to win all three remaining league games and have South Carolina State and Howard each lose more than once. The MEAC champion traditionally earns a trip to the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta in December to face the SWAC champion.

Even without a title, three more wins would give Morgan State an 8-4 record. The Bears play at Delaware State in Dover, Delaware, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7. They host Norfolk State at Hughes Stadium at noon on Saturday, Nov. 14. That game marks Senior Day and a military and first responder appreciation event. It is also Morgan State’s final home date of 2026. They finish the season at North Carolina Central in Durham, North Carolina, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21. All games air locally on WEAA 88.9 FM.