BALTIMORE, MD --Delaware State fell 24-17 to Morgan State on the road Saturday afternoon.
The Bears improved to 3-5 on the year and 2-1 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play, while the Hornets fell to 1-8 overall and 0-3 in conference matchups.
Marquis Gillis paced the Hornets rushing attack by accumulating 81 yards and one touchdown over the course of the game, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Jaden Sutton also added 24 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Rahkeem Smith hauled in five catches for 86 yards. The Delaware State offense did a good job keeping drives alive, converting on 46.2 percent of third-down attempts.
Delaware State's defense held up against Morgan State's offense, allowing 274 total yards. The Hornets kept Morgan State under 150 yards on both the ground and through the air, allowing 131 passing and 143 rushing yards.
How It Happened
After Morgan State opened up a 17-0 lead, Delaware State put points on the scoreboard with 6:54 left in the third quarter to narrow the margin to 17-7.Another Hornets score then cut the deficit to 17-14. Morgan State scored to increase their lead to 24-14 before Delaware State answered with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter and closed the gap to 24-17. Neither team scored again in the game. Delaware State outgained Morgan State 317-274, including a 192-131 advantage through the air. Delaware State tallied 14 points in the third quarter, accounting for 82.4% of their total score. Delaware State converted 6 of 13 third downs while Morgan State was successful on 6 of 13. Maurio Goings led the Hornets with eight tackles. Delaware State gave up only 3.25 yards per punt return on four attempts.The Hornets collected eight tackles for loss. Delaware State won the time of possession battle 33:09 to 26:51. Marqui Adams completed 78.6% of his passes on the day, going 22-for-28 while averaging 6.9 yards per attempt. Tahj Smith led the Bears passing attack, completing six of his 17 attempts for 131 yards and two touchdowns. J.J. Davis led the Morgan State rushing attack with 75 yards and one touchdown.
The Hornets will continue MEAC play when they host Norfolk State University on Saturday, November 11. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET.
