Morgan State continued its impressive start to the season Saturday, rallying from an early two-touchdown deficit to defeat Robert Morris 28-27 in a dramatic homecoming victory.
The Bears entered the game riding a three-game winning streak, but found themselves trailing 14-0 early. Morgan State appeared poised to cut into the deficit just before halftime with a touchdown, but a holding penalty erased the score. The Bears settled for a field goal and went into the break trailing 14-3.
Morgan State's comeback gained momentum in the third quarter.
Trailing 14-6, quarterback Cameron Edge connected with Joseph Towler on a deep pass that Towler caught with one hand before racing into the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown, pulling the Bears within one point after the extra point.
Robert Morris responded with a touchdown of its own, but the Bears answered late in the third quarter.
Facing a fourth-down situation, Morgan State handed the ball to Keith Jenkins Jr., who broke loose for a 45-yard touchdown run. A successful two-point conversion tied the game at 21 entering the fourth quarter.
Robert Morris regained the lead in the final quarter, but a blocked extra point left the door open for Morgan State.
With less than two minutes remaining, Edge helped engineer the game-winning drive, converting a critical third-and-7 by scrambling for 22 yards.
The Bears eventually reached the 1-yard line, where Jenkins leaped over the goal line for a game-tying touchdown with 24 seconds left.
The ensuing extra point proved to be the difference, giving Morgan State a 28-27 victory and its fourth consecutive win.
"There wasn't stuff that they were doing," Edge said. "We really were shooting ourselves in the foot and it really starts with me just getting things going but we found it in the second half and most importantly we did it when we needed it."
The win improves Morgan State to 5-1 on the season.
Towson's comeback falls short
A few miles away at Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson continued its search for its first victory of the season but came up short in a 31-24 loss to Stony Brook.
The Tigers fell behind 17-0 late in the first half before finding some offensive rhythm. Quarterback Jacob Davis, starting in place of injured quarterback Andrew Indorf, connected with Austin Enterline for a 19-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-7 at halftime.
Towson's offense came alive in the third quarter.
Early in the half, Davis found Cleveland Charlton deep downfield for a 62-yard completion. One play later, Davis connected with Xavier Pugh for an 18-yard touchdown, pulling the Tigers within three points.
After Stony Brook returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, Towson answered right back. Davis again connected with Charlton on a deep pass, this time for 49 yards. Five plays later, Pugh scored from two yards out for his second touchdown of the game, making it 24-21.
The Tigers, however, were unable to complete the comeback.
Stony Brook added another touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and a Davis interception ended what had been a promising Towson drive.
The loss dropped Towson to 0-7 despite another competitive performance.
"I just keep telling them you got to find a way to do it," Towson head coach Pete Shinnick said. "Proud of how they worked, proud of what they were able to do, proud of how they did it, but we got to find a way to win games. We continue to find ways to give up some cheap points, and then not be able to take advantage of it. And again as well as our offense was playing, seven sacks is going to kill you. It really is."
Morgan State will travel to Tennessee State next week, while Towson will look for its first win of the season on the road against Campbell.