9-09-2024 12:33pm

TU WINS BATTLE

9 Morgan St. 1-1 , 0-0

14 Winner Towson 1-1 , 0-0

Score By Quarters

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	F
Morgan St.	3	0	6	0	9
Towson	7	7	0	0	14

Towson Football Victorious Over Morgan State in the Battle for Greater Baltimore

Next Game:

at Villanova

9/14/2024 | 3:30 p.m.

TOWSON, Md. – The Battle for Greater Baltimore trophy is staying with Towson University football as the Tigers defeated Morgan State 14-9 in the 2024 home opener before a crowd of 8,374 at Johnny Unitas® Stadium on Saturday night.

Chris Watkins scored a six-yard rushing touchdown with 33 seconds left to put Towson (1-1) up by 11 at the half vs. Morgan State (1-1). The Bears scored a touchdown a minute into the second half, then the Tigers held Morgan State off the scoreboard the rest of the way for the victory.

Key Stats:

Towson finished with 346 offensive yards, almost a hundred over Morgan State's tally of 249.
The Towson defense notched five sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Will Middleton led Towson with seven tackles including a sack and two quarterback hurries. Rion Roseborough blocked two kicks on special teams, one an extra point attempt and another a 39-yard field goal attempt. CJ McClendon earned three tackles for loss, including a sack, on four tackles.
On offense, Carlos Davis was 21-for-28 with 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He found Jaceon Doss for three catches and 67 yards. On the ground, Devin Matthews averaged 8.6 yards per carry, going 95 yards on 11 carries. Matthews added 18 receiving yards and 27 kick return yards for 140 all-purpose yards.
For Morgan State, Tahj Smith went 13-for-20 in the air for 163 yards and a touchdown, including a 74-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Kennerly. Elijah Williams tallied up eight tackles and two sacks.

How it Happened

After turning the ball over on their first offensive play, the Tigers fell behind by 3-0 when Beckett Leary kicked a 40-yard field goal for Morgan State.
The Tigers grabbed the lead Sam Reynolds caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Carlos Davis with 7:06 left in the first quarter. The touchdown pass came two plays after Davis threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Jaceon Doss.
The two sides exchanged drives, with neither able to make much head way. Into the second quarter, Morgan State attempted to go for it on fourth and two from the Towson 34, with CJ McClendon sacking the quarterback to end the drive.
Towson pinned Morgan in its own four, where the Bears rushed near midfield then punted. On a final drive by Towson, with 33 seconds left in the half, Christopher Watkins scored on a six-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 14-3 lead at intermission.
On the second play of the third quarter, quarterback Tahj Smith threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Kennerly. The conversion kick was blocked by Rion Roseborough and the Tigers led 14-9.
Devin Matthews broke away for a 44-yard gain on Towson's next drive, but a fumble on the following play gave the ball back to Morgan State. The Bears got to the red zone, where Roseborough blocked another ball to prevent a scoring chance.
Towson led a long drive on rushing from Davis and Tyrell Greene Jr. into the fourth quarter on the Morgan State red zone. Penalties backed up Towson, and a 42-yard field goal attempt was missed.
Following an exchange of drives, Morgan State looked to drive with 6:08 left. The Bears got into Towson territory, where Will Middleton and Rodney Roane Jr. forced pressure for incomplete passes, ending the opponent's drive. Towson ran out the clock and won 14-9.

Inside the Numbers

Towson wins its seventh game in a row vs. Morgan State. The teams have met 29 times and the Tigers own a 23-6 series lead. Towson's defense has held Morgan State to 10 points or fewer in five of the last six meetings.
Rion Roseborough is the first Tiger to block an extra point attempt since Alfonso Augustine blocked an extra point vs. North Carolina Central on Sept. 20, 2014. He is also the first to block a field goal attempt since Antonio Howard at New Hampshire on Sept. 30, 2023.
Devin Matthews surpassed the career 1,500-yard rushing mark, currently standing with 1,570 rushing yards with Towson.
Jaceon Doss has led Towson in receiving each of the first two games, combining for 154 yards in the two contests.
10 different Tigers caught at least one pass in this game.

Next Game

Towson plays its first Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) game of the year on Saturday, Sept. 14, challenging league co-champion and No. 5 Villanova at 2:30 p.m. in Philadelphia.