MEAC football recap - week 6

Morgan State holds off N.C. A&T at Homecoming

Morgan State 7, North Carolina A&T 6

BALTIMORE, Md. -- The Morgan State Bears got away with a lot today against the North Carolina A&T Aggies during homecoming at Hughes Stadium. The Bears survived four turnovers, an Aggie kickoff returned 104 yards for a touchdown that was called back for a block in the back, five Aggie possessions starting inside Bear territory and three FGs missed in a 7-6 victory over the Aggies.

The defense and special teams of Morgan State saved the game for them this afternoon. Morgan State stopped the Aggies on fourth down five times in the game. Two of those times occurred on missed field goals of 32 and 38 yards by Aggie kicker Patrick Courtney.

The only scoring for Morgan State occurred with 24 seconds left in the first quarter when running back Devan James scampered seven yards into the end zone. The drive lasted five plays for 80 yards and was really the only positive thing on offense for Morgan State (4-1, 2-0 MEAC). James said about that play, "It was all on the offensive line and I just hit it."

Morgan State was held to only six first downs the whole game compared to 16 for North Carolina A&T (3-3, 1-2 MEAC). Aggie quarterback Carlton Fears was a handful early on for MSU; however, the Bears made some adjustments late and contained Fears late in the game.

Rattlers Valiant in 48-16 Loss to #11 Miami

Florida A&M 16, Miami 48

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - The Florida A&M University Rattlers held their own Saturday evening, going toe-to-toe with the #11-ranked University of Miami Hurricanes before yielding a 48-16 decision on a warm and steamy evening at Land Shark Stadium.

A crowd of over 47,000 fans watched as the Rattlers (4-1) took the opening kickoff and drove close enough for a Trevor Scott 32-yard field goal to give them an early 3-0 lead.

Despite the final margin, there were a number of bright spots for FAMU, led by senior quarterback Curtis Pulley, who rushed for a team-high 81 yards and the Rattlers' only touchdown, tallying on a 26-yard run late in the third period.

Pulley finished the night with 225 total yards, passing for 144 yards on 10 completions (25 attempts, 1 INT), to go with the 81 yards rushing yards on 17 carries. Junior Philip Sylvester finished with 24 yards rushing on 12 carries, with a 29-yard run that set up a Scott field goal.

Kevin Elliott (3 for 57 yards) and Adrian Smith (3 for 55 yards) led FAMU in receiving, while team co-leader Isaac West was held without a catch for the first time this season.

Wildcats Sting Hornets to Earn First

Delaware State 7, Bethune-Cookman 9

DOVER, Del. - Freshman Kory Kowalski kicked a 40-yard field goal with 2:12 left to play to lift Bethune-Cookman to its first win of the season, 9-7, over Delaware State in the 2009 home opener for the Hornets at Alumni Stadium.

The Wildcats improved to 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the MEAC, while the Hornets fell to 1-3 and 1-2. Bethune-Cookman also snapped a four-game losing streak against the Hornets, and won at Alumni Stadium for the first time since 2003.

Bethune-Cookman drove 29 yards on seven plays to set up Kowalski's game-winning kick. The key play in the drive was a 13-yard pass from Matthew Johnson to Jevaughn Reams to the Delaware State 23. The field goal was just the second of the season for Kowalski, who missed two attempts earlier in the game, including a 37-yarder with 7:22 left in the fourth quarter.

Bethune-Cookman dominated the Hornets in nearly every statistical category.

The Wildcats outgained the Hornets 350-to-166, and held a 22-minute advantage in time of possession (41:11-18:49). Bethune-Cookman passed for 218 yards, compared to 71 for the Hornets. BCU also won the rushing battle, 132-to-95.

DSU's Jerome Strums led all players with a career-high 12 tackles, including seven solo stops. Francis Adjei had nine tackles and his fourth career interception (27-yard return) in the contest.

Hampton Blanks Howard

Hampton 37, Howard 0

HAMPTON, Va. - Hampton erupted for 23 second quarter points and went on to cruise to an easy 37-0 win over Howard in a MEAC game at Armstrong Stadium. The win extended the Pirates streak to 13 straight against the Bison and it snapped Howard's two-game win streak.

Neither team was able to generate much offense early until Hampton (3-2, 2-1 in the MEAC) put together an 11-play, 76 yard drive that was culminated on a Herbert Bynes 25-yard strike to Loren Patterson on fourth down. That score came just before the end of the first quarter and set the tone for what was to come.

The Pirates used that as momentum to break the game open, taking advantage of Howard miscues and scoring the 23 points in a dizzying six-minute span.

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