Game 27
Game Dates: Monday, March 4, 2013
Opponent: Delaware State Hornets
Site: Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Record:  MSU 12-14 (8-6); DSU 13-15 (8-6)
Series Record: MSU leads 50-39
Last MSU Win: 73-72 (A) Feb. 27, 2012
Last DSU Win: 52-50 (A) (Feb. 18, 2013)
MSU Coach: Todd Bozeman (122-99 – 7th yr)
Websites: MorganStateBears.com/DSUHornets.com

The Morgan State Bears have won six of its last seven games and cannot afford to have a let down during the final two games of the season. The Bears dropped UMES 58-45 on Saturday and will put its three-game winning streak on the line when they take on a tough Delaware State squad on Monday night. The Hornets improved to 13-15 and 8-6 in the conference after a 56-53 win at Howard. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Hill Field House.

FOLLOW ALONG WITH LIVE STATS
Live stats are available for all home games and most MSU road games by its opponents.

IT’S OK TO BE A FOLLOWER
MSU men’s basketball fans can follow their favorite team, or any of the other MSU athletics programs on Twitter through the handle @MorganStBears.

BEAR BITS:
• Coach Todd Bozeman has directed the Bears to the most regular-season conference wins with 103.

• Morgan State defeated High Point in large part as a result of collecting16 offensive rebounds that led to 24 second chance points.

• Senior forward DeWayne Jackson eclipsed the 500 rebound mark – he currently ranks No. 8 in school history with 533 career rebounds.

• After opening the season with a 71 point effort in a win against UTSA, the Bears have gone 12-14 while averaging 67 points and 44 percent shooting.

• Morgan State, who shot 67.6 percent from the line last season, continues to have hard times from the stripe … through the first 26 games the Bears are ranked last in the conference by shooting 59 percent (347-588 FT).

• The Bears, who held UMES to 4 of 22 from 3-point range, have allowed an average of 67 points and opponents are shooting 30 percent from 3-point territory.

• Morgan State shot a season-high 59.7 percent against Md.-Eastern Shore, including a season best 63.6 percent from 3-point territory, with 12 steals and nine blocked shots.

• Justin Black has scored 361 points in 26 games and ranks among the MEAC’s scoring leaders ranked No. 6 (13.9 ppg).

• Justin Black was just shy of posting a triple-double at Liberty. The junior guard finished with a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with nine points and nine assists … he is currently leads the team in scoring.

• DeWayne Jackson is ranked among the top theft artists in school history. Jackson has collected 164 steals with the Bears and currently ranks No. 3 (No. 4 in the MEAC). The school record for career steals is held by Terrence Wright (1992-96) with 186 career steals … Jackson is 23 steals away from becoming the school’s new leader.

• Shaquille Duncan leads the Bears in blocked shots. The sophomore ranks T-No. 5 (47) in the MEAC by averaging 2.1 blocks per game.

• The combination of DeWayne Jackson, Anthony Hubbard and Justin Black have provided almost 60 percent of the scoring for the Bears so far this season.

• The Bears’ first 10 games of the 2012-13 season were on the road where they finished 3-7.

• The Bears used eight different lineups this season, but Coach Bozeman has used a lineup 12 times this season that puts DeWayne Jackson at forward with Justin Black, Blake Bozeman, Anthony Hubbard and Ian Chiles.

• Redshirt junior Ian Chiles, who stands at 7-foot-2, 270-pounds, enters Saturday’s contest with 505 career points and 92 blocked shots … he’s currently averaging 9.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 1.7 bpg.

LAST TIME VS. DSU
February, 18, 2013 — The Morgan State Bears came out early with blazing hot shooting and led by as many as 16-points before Delaware State came from behind to hand MSU a 52-50 loss in Dover. After shooting 12 of 24 from the field in the first half, the Bears were a less than impressive 25 percent (6-24) from the floor. The Hornets also got back in the ballgame by scoring 17 points off of MSU turnovers.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
The Hornets welcome back nine veterans, including four starters, from a squad that posted a 15-14 overall record, finished 3rd in the MEAC with a 12-4 ledger. Tahj Tate leads the Hornets in scoring and assists by averaging 12.7 points and 2.3 assists per game. Marques Oliver (8.6 ppg) leads DSU on the glass averaging 6.7 rpg. While the Hornets absolutely struggles on the offensive end (59.9 ppg) with just one player who’s barely averaging double-figures, they have one of the best defenses in MEAC – limiting opponents to 63 points per game.
Head coach Gregory Jackson (St. Paul’s ’80) enters his 13th season as the Hornets’ head coach and he currently holds a 192-197 (.494) record.

MORGAN STATE TABBED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
Morgan State was picked to finish third in the 2012-13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s basketball preseason poll behind Savannah State and Delaware State.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

EXCEPTIONALLY EFFICIENT
Ian Chiles is another Bear that possesses a top-10 MEAC ranking as the redshirt-junior center is No. 9 in the conference with his .526 field-goal percentage and is No. 9 in blocks averaging 1.7 per game.

THE SETUP ARTIST
Justin Black ranks No. 9 in assists at 3.0 per game and No. 6 with his 1.0 assist-to-turnover ratio amongst all MEAC players.

RECOVERING THE SWAG
The Bears will look to rebound from last year’s dismal season in which the Bears recorded a 9-20 finish. It marked Todd Bozeman‘s worst season as a head coach, and it was Morgan State’s worst season since going 4-26 in 2005-06.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

JACKSON CLIMBING THE MSU RECORD BOOK
DeWayne Jackson (1,514, 533 rebs., 172 asts) needs 19 points to surpass Robert Gordon (1,532 points – 1963-67) to become the school’s No. 6 all-time leading scorer. Jackson is one of three Bears on MSU’s all-time scoring list who have been coached by Todd Bozeman. Kevin Thompson(2009-12) ranks No. 9 (1,487 points) and Reggie Holmes (2007-10) is the school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,051 points.

HOME GROWN
Morgan State has eight players from the Metropolitan-D.C. area, including one from Baltimore. Senior DeWayne Jackson (Bowie High) and sophomore Blake Bozeman (Solebury Prep) are both from Bowie. Transfer guard Daryl Traynham is from Melwood (Wise High), walk-on Daon Riley is from Severn (Old Mill High), and Cedric Blossom is from Columbia (Montrose Christian). Anthony Hubbard is a product of Woodbridge (Va.), while junior Justin Black attended DeMatha High, Willis Turnipseed played at City High, and Donte Pretlow was a standout at Dunbar High in Baltimore.

BOZEMAN WIN PERCENTAGE AT MSU
Todd Bozeman, now in his seventh season as head coach of the Bears, has an overall win percentage of .552 (122-99) after 221 games at Morgan State. That winning mean is the second highest among 15 head coaches in the history of the Morgan State men’s basketball program. Nathaniel Frazier’s winning percentage of .578 (166-121) is the highest percentage in Morgan State history.

ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS UNDER BOZEMAN
During his tenure in Baltimore, Todd Bozeman has coached seven (7) different players to All-Conference honors, including four Players of the Year selections: Ron Timus (2007 2nd Team), Boubacar Coly (2008 Defensive POTY, 1st Team), Jamar Smith (2008 Offensive POTY, 1st Team), Marquise Kately (2008 & 2009 2nd Team), Reggie Holmes (2007 All-Rookie, 2008 2nd Team, 2009 Offensive POTY, 2009 & 2010 1st Team), Kevin Thompson (2009 All-Rookie, 2010 Defensive POTY, 2010 1st Team, 2011 2nd Team), DeWayne Jackson (Rookie of the Year, 2011 1st Team).

THREE IN DOUBLE FIGURES
In the first 26 games of the season, three Bears average more than 12 points a game Justin Black leads with by averaging 13.9 ppg, DeWayne Jackson averages 13.8 points per game, while Anthony Hubbard is averaging 11.5 points and 6.8 rebounds on the boards.

JACKSON DOING A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING 
Senior DeWayne Jackson is filling the stat sheet this season, averaging 13.8 points (ranked No. 7), 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals (ranked No. 4) per game. Jackson has also registered 23 blocks. He has recorded 23 double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 32-point effort at Virginia (Dec. 19

HIGH CLASS ON THE GLASS
Morgan State ranks No. 1 in the MEAC averaging 14.2 offensive rebounds per game and has recorded double-digit offensive boards in 21 of 26 games. MSU averaged 12.1 offensive rebounds.

UP NEXT
MSU will conclude the MEAC regular season when they host the Rattlers of Florida A&M on Thursday, March 7^th. The game will also mark “Senior Night” for the Bears.

Game Dates: Monday, Feb. 18 2013
Opponent: Delaware State Hornets
Site: Memorial Hall, Dover, Del.
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Record:  MSU 9-13 (6-5); DSU 11-13 (6-4)
Series Record: MSU leads 49-39
MSU Coach: Todd Bozeman (119-98 – 7th yr)

Morgan State will head to Dover (Del.) to face Delaware State on Monday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Memorial Hall. The Bears extended to a three-game winning streak following an 87-55 drubbing of the Md.-Eastern Shore Hawks Saturday night at the Hytche Athletic Center. Justin Black led MSU with with 18 points and DeWayne Jackson added 17. Delaware State defeated Coppin State 57-43 at Memorial Hall on Saturday. Tahj Tate paced the Hornets with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. The meeting with Delaware State  will be the 89th all-time between the schools, with the Bears leading the head-to-head series, 49-39.

Bear Bits:

• Coach Todd Bozeman has directed the Bears to the most regular-season conference wins with 101.

• Senior forward DeWayne Jackson eclipsed the 500 rebound mark – he recorded seven boards at UMES and currently has 506 career rebounds.

• After opening the season with a 71 point effort in a win against UTSA, the Bears have gone 9-13 while averaging 67 points and 44 percent shooting.

• Morgan State, who shot 67.6 percent from the line last season, continues to have hard times from the stripe … through the first 22 games the Bears are ranked last in the conference by shooting 58 percent (295-508 FT).

• The Bears, who held UMES to 4 of 22 from 3-point range, have allowed an average of 68 points and opponents are shooting 30 percent from 3-point territory.

• Morgan State shot a season-high 59.7 percent against Md.-Eastern Shore, including a season best 63.6 percent from 3-point territory, with 12 steals and nine blocked shots.

• DeWayne Jackson has scored 312 points in 22 games and ranks among the MEAC’s scoring leaders ranked No. 4 (14.2 ppg).

• Justin Black was just shy of posting a triple-double at Liberty. The junior guard finished with a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with nine points and nine assists … he has been the Bears leading scorer in 9 of the last 14 games scoring at 14.0 ppg.

• DeWayne Jackson is ranked among the top theft artists in school history. Jackson has collected 160 steals with the Bears and currently ranks No. 3 (No. 2 in the MEAC). The school record for career steals is held by Terrence Wright (1992-96) with 186 career steals … Jackson is 27 steals away from becoming the school’s new leader.

• Shaquille Duncan leads the Bears in blocked shots. The sophomore ranks T-No. 5 (39) in the MEAC by averaging 2.2 blocks per game.

• The combination of DeWayne Jackson, Anthony Hubbard and Justin Black have provided almost 60 percent of the scoring for the Bears so far this season.

• The Bears’ first 10 games of the 2012-13 season were on the road where they finished 3-7.

• The Bears used seven different lineups this season, but Coach Bozeman has used a lineup 10 times this season that puts DeWayne Jackson at forward with Justin Black, Blake Bozeman, Anthony Hubbard and Ian Chiles.

• Redshirt junior Ian Chiles, who stands at 7-foot-2, 270-pounds, enters Saturday’s contest with 478 career points and 87 blocked shots … he’s currently averaging 11.1 ppg and 6.6 rpg.

LAST TIME OUT VS. DELAWARE STATE
February, 28, 2012 – Ian Chiles broke a 70-70 tie from the free throw line where he made 1 of 2 with 21 seconds left to go. But on the ensuing inbounds, Hornets point guard Jay Threat raced the length of the court, missed a contested layup, only to have it followed up by a dunk by Tahj Tate as fans and his teammates ran on to the court in jubilation. However, 1.1 seconds remained on the clock and in the confusion the officials huddled and decided to access a technical against Delaware State for delay of game. Aric Brooks, Morgan State’s best free throw shooter (.787 pct.), toed the line and hit both free throws as fans stood questioning what had just occurred. The Bears left Memorial Hall with a 73-72 victory.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
The Hornets welcome back nine veterans, including four starters, from a squad that posted a 15-14 overall record, finished 3rd in the MEAC with a 12-4 ledger. Tahj Tate leads the Hornets in scoring and assists by averaging 13.2 points and 2.3 assists per game. Marques Oliver (8.3 ppg) leads DSU on the glass averaging 6.5 rpg. Head coach Gregory Jackson (St. Paul’s ’80) enters his 13th season as the Hornets’ head coach and he currently holds a 191-195 (.494) record.

MORGAN STATE TABBED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
Morgan State was picked to finish third in the 2012-13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s basketball preseason poll behind Savannah State and Delaware State.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

UNFAMILIAR FOES
Morgan State will face six teams this season that the program has never met in its basketball history. The first time opponents are: UTSA, Old Dominion, Holy Cross, South Carolina, Illinois State and San Diego. The Bears do not see a familiar foe until the Nov. 29 matchup at Liberty (MSU leads, 1-0), their fifth game of the season. The other five opponents MSU previously has played are University of Virginia (trails, 0-1), Loyola Marymount (leads, 2-0), and Saint Joseph’s (trails, 0-1).

JACKSON SET TO LEAD
DeWayne Jackson is the lone returning senior who saw action for Morgan State last year. There are seven (7) juniors, four (4) sophomores and two (2) freshmen on the Bears roster.

RECOVERING THE SWAG
The Bears will look to rebound from last year’s dismal season in which the Bears recorded a 9-20 finish. It marked Todd Bozeman‘s worst season as a head coach, and it was Morgan State’s worst season since going 4-26 in 2005-06.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

JACKSON CLIMBING THE MSU RECORD BOOK
DeWayne Jackson (1,468, 506 rebs., 161 asts) needs 33 points to surpass Harry Johnson (1,500 points – 1958-62) to become the school’s No. 8 all-time leading scorer. Jackson is one of three Bears on MSU’s all-time scoring list who have been coached by Todd Bozeman. Kevin Thompson(2009-12) ranks No. 9 (1,487 points) and Reggie Holmes (2007-10) is the school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,051 points.

HOME GROWN
Morgan State has eight players from the Metropolitan-D.C. area, including one from Baltimore. Senior DeWayne Jackson (Bowie High) and sophomore Blake Bozeman (Solebury Prep) are both from Bowie. Transfer guard Daryl Traynham is from Melwood (Wise High), walk-on Daon Riley is from Severn (Old Mill High), and Cedric Blossom is from Columbia (Montrose Christian). Anthony Hubbard is a product of Woodbridge (Va.), while junior Justin Black attended DeMatha High, Willis Turnipseed played at City High, and Donte Pretlow was a standout at Dunbar High in Baltimore.

BOZEMAN WIN PERCENTAGE AT MSU
Todd Bozeman, now in his seventh season as head coach of the Bears, has an overall win percentage of .548 (119-98) after 217 games at Morgan State. That winning mean is the second highest among 15 head coaches in the history of the Morgan State men’s basketball program. Nathaniel Frazier’s winning percentage of .578 (166-121) is the highest percentage in Morgan State history.

ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS UNDER BOZEMAN
During his tenure in Baltimore, Todd Bozeman has coached seven (7) different players to All-Conference honors, including four Players of the Year selections: Ron Timus (2007 2nd Team), Boubacar Coly (2008 Defensive POTY, 1st Team), Jamar Smith (2008 Offensive POTY, 1st Team), Marquise Kately (2008 & 2009 2nd Team), Reggie Holmes (2007 All-Rookie, 2008 2nd Team, 2009 Offensive POTY, 2009 & 2010 1st Team), Kevin Thompson (2009 All-Rookie, 2010 Defensive POTY, 2010 1st Team, 2011 2nd Team), DeWayne Jackson (Rookie of the Year, 2011 1st Team).

THREE IN DOUBLE FIGURES
In the first 22 games of the season, three Bears average more than 12 points a game DeWayne Jackson leads with 14.2 points per game, while Justin Black is averaging 14.0 ppg. Anthony Hubbard is averaging 12.0 points and 6.8 rebounds on the boards.

JACKSON DOING A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING 
Senior DeWayne Jackson is filling the stat sheet this season, averaging 14.2 points (ranked No. 5), 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals (ranked No. 2) per game. Jackson has also registered 16 blocks. He has recorded 20 double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 32-point effort at Virginia (Dec. 19).

HIGH CLASS ON THE GLASS
Morgan State ranks No. 1 in the MEAC averaging 15 offensive rebounds per game and has recorded double-digit offensive boards in 19 of 22 games. MSU averaged 12.1 offensive rebounds per game last season.

UP NEXT
The Bears will take a break from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule when they travel to the Tar Heel state on Feb. 23^rd for an ESPNU Bracketbusters game at High Point.

GAME TIME
Morgan State (3-4, 2-2 MEAC) continues the 2012 season play in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference matchup against Delaware State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hughes Stadium.  The Hornets enter the 2012 season under the leadership of second-year head coach Kermit Blount. The Hornets (4-2, 3-1) are coming off a 24-0 shutout win at North Carolina A&T.  The Bears fell short in the final moments at Howard 21-20 in Greene Stadium.  This week’s game will be broadcast to a national audience by ESPNU.

THE BEARS-HORNETS MATCHUP 
• The Bears and Bison will meet for the 55th time since 1945. Morgan leads the series 31-23.

• Morgan State did what they had to do on a dreary, windy and rain-soaked day for the Hornet’s Homecoming. They protected a slim lead, played solid defense and ran the ball. Tracy Martin ran for a game-high 154 yards on 38 carries and scored the only points of the game, helping the Bears grind out a 12-0 victory over Delaware State. The Bears played smash-mouth football throughout most of the ballgame and simply dominated the time of possession  (39:53 – 20:07) — recording their first shutout since October 7, 2006.

• The last time the Hornets were in Hughes Stadium was on Oct. 23, 2010 … Redshirt freshman QB Delonte Williams led Morgan State on a comeback drive with under a minute remaining in the game. Williams had three interceptions – two of them returned for touchdowns – and was sacked three times. But he also led the Bears on an 8-play, 85 yard drive and threw a 34 yard touchdown pass to Tyrone Hendrix with 20 seconds on the clock. Sheldon Jacques added a two yard fumble return for a touchdown as the Bears came away with a climatic 34-24 win over the Hornets on Saturday at Hughes Stadium before an announced Homecoming crowd of 14,312 fans.

• The last time Morgan State lost to the Hornets was on Oct. 24, 2009 at Alumni Stadium … Delaware State posted 35 points against MSU, who entered the game as the No. 1 scoring defense in the MEAC, limiting teams to an average of 14 points per game. Anthony Glaud threw two touchdown passes in his return to the lineup and the Hornets intercepted three passes, one returned for a touchdown in a 35-22 victory on Saturday afternoon during DSU’s Homecoming. The loss snapped the Bears’ 5-game winning streak, the school’s longest in 30 years.

• MSU head coach Donald Hill-Eley holds a 6-4 record against Delaware State since 2002.

QUICK HITS
• Travis Davidson currently leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in rushing with 723 yards (103.3 avg/g). He also ranks No. 1 the MEAC in scoring (72 Pts).

•  QB Robert Council came off the bench against Howard and completed 11-of-20 passes for 131 yards and broke a  35-yard touchdown run.

•  Cornerback Joe Rankin registered his 9th interception of his career, picking off Savannah State quarterback Antonio Bostic in the 1st quarter…He currently leads the MEAC in INTs with four in six games…he currently ranks No. 5 in the FCS in passes defended (6 breakups and 4 INTs).

• The MSU defense has collected 10 interceptions (No. 2 in the MEAC) through the first seven games of 2012.

•  The Bears continue to be among the top scoring offenses in the league, entering Saturday’s contest as the MEAC’s No. 4 ranked scoring offense (25.1 avg/g).

•  True freshman LB Elandon Roberts currently ranks No. 6 in the MEAC in tackles by posting 60 tackles so far this season … he recorded a season-high 14 tackles against N.C A&T and was named Rookie of the Week.

•  Earvin Gonzalez currently ranks No. 1 in the MEAC and tied for No. 9 in the FCS by connecting on 10-of-15 field goals and is a perfect 20-of-20 on PATs and booted a career-high 47-yard field goal against N.C. Central.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK 
• The Bears posting its third straight victory against the Hornets.

• The Bears scoring 20 or more points against Delaware State for the fifth consecutive game.

• The Bears having a 300-yard passing game for the first time since October 8, 2011. In Week 6, Morgan State defeated Savannah State 44-17 and Seth Higgins, Nate Furrha and Robert Council combined for 16-of-26 passes for 318 yards and five TDs.

• Cornerback Joe Rankin registering an interception would mark his fifth of the season and the 10th of his career. He would need to collect six more to surpass Joe Fowlkes for the school record. Fowlkes posted 15 INTs during his career (1975-78).

• Running back Travis Davidson rushing for 100 yards or more for the eighth time in his career.

• The Bears recording their 11th interception.

• Wide receiver Andrew King registering the third touchdown of his career.

• QB Robert Council has not thrown an interception since a win versus Howard on Sept. 24, 2011 … He completed 12 of 18 passes and was picked off by DL Corey Berry. He’s thrown 110 passes without an interception.

JUICE UPDATE
As a result of his 104-yard performance at Howard, Travis Davidson currently has 1,455 yards and has moved past James Fields for the No. 11 spot on the school’s all-time rushing list. He needs 56 more yards to surpass TJ Stallings (1,510 yds) for the No. 10 spot.

MSU vs. DELAWARE STATE FLASHBACK
• Oct. 25, 2003 – Morgan State head coach Donald Hill-Eley and the Bears defeated the Delaware State 53-36 in a game played at Hughes Stadium. The Bears finished the season with a 6-5 record and won four of its last five games.

DELAWARE STATE THUMBNAILS 
• In 2011, Delaware State finished with a 2-8 overall record and were 1-7 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

•  Senior QB Nick Elko leads the Hornets on offense this season. The 6-2, 210-pounder from Odenton (Md.) is the league’s leading passer (ranks No. 22 in FCS). He has completed 146 of 239 for 1,548 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions. He has also ranks No. 5 in pass efficiency (122.6).

• Travis Tarpley and Justin Wilson are the primary threats in Delaware State’s aerial attack.  Tarpley, a 5-7 senior from Danville (Va.), currently leads the league with 48 receptions for 585 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile Wilson, a 6-1, 175 pound senior from Windsor (Conn.) also ranks among the league leaders with 32 receptions for 390 yards and three TDs.

• Through the first seven games, RB Dae-Hon Cheung (5-10, 165) has been the  leading rusher in the Hornets’ pass happy offense. The  freshman from Coatesville (Pa.) has recorded 52 carries for 251 yards (4.7 avg), including a pair of TDs.  He posted 43 yards on 16 carries against North Carolina A&T last Saturday.

• MSU’s offense will have to account for the Hornet’s defensive back Jermond Colston. Colston currently ranks among the league leaders with 64 tackles (ranks T-4th), 2.0 tackles for loss and two interceptions.

• The Bears’ defensive front will face a Hornets line that’s surrendered 3 sacks during its current 3-game winning streak. Nick Elko was sacked once in a 24-0 win over North Carolina A&T on Oct. 20, but the veteran quarterback threw for 245 yards and a TD. Delaware State ranks T-3^rd in the MEAC by limiting opponents to 13 sacks in seven games played.

• Through seven games, the Delaware State defense ranks 2nd in the MEAC in scoring defense by limiting opponents to 18.4 points per contest.

MARYLAND AND DELAWARE TIES
• Senior center Jerry Evans is the only Bear on the Morgan State roster who’s from Delaware. The 6-2, 300-pounder was raised in New Castle and was an All-State lineman at Hodgson Vocational Tech.

WICKED TIMES IN OCTOBER
The Bears are 26-19 in the month of October since the 2002 season and have won 4 of their last 6 October games. The Bears are 12-10 at home and 12-11 on the road during that time in October.

NEXT UP
After Thurday’s contest versus Delaware State, the Bears will play at home against the top-ranked Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. The matchup is set for Saturday, November 3. Kickoff at 1 p.m.