By Perry Green
AFRO Sports Editor
Morgan State middle linebacker George Howard recorded 17 tackles and a sack as the Bears beat Winston-Salem State, 16-10, in overtime on Sept. 19. (Courtesy Photo/MSU)
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(September 24, 2009) - “Nothing worth having comes easy.”
You may have heard this commonly used phrase before, which certainly applied to the Morgan State Bears’ 16-10 win against the Winston-Salem State Rams during the 38th annual Whitney Young/New York Urban League Classic on Sept. 19 in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Bears won the classic for the first time since its creation in 1968 when they beat Grambling State, 9-7, at the old New York Yankees Stadium.
But the victory didn’t come without incredible effort.
It took a very difficult, acrobatic 15-yard touchdown catch from Bears senior receiver Edwin Baptiste in overtime before Morgan State could claim the win. Baptiste finished the game with five catches for 70 yards and the game-deciding touchdown, while his quarterback, Carlton Jackson, completed 16 of 21 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
“Carlton is running the offense,” MSU head coach Donald Hill-Eley said during the post game media conference. “He’s doing it with a lot of leadership, staying in the pocket making the tough throws and doing a good job leading our offense.”
Jackson was named the Classic’s Offensive Most Valuable Player, while his teammate, middle linebacker George Howard, was named the Classic’s Defensive MVP. Howard had a season-high 17 tackles, including one sack, while Bears defensive lineman Justin Lawrence recorded nine tackles.
Coach Hill-Ely said the outstanding effort from his defensive unit in overtime was also critical in winning the game.
“We ended up getting some pressure on defense up the middle in overtime,” said Hill-Eley. “We just wanted to take it out of [WSS quarterback Jarrett] Dunston’s hands.”
Dunston ran for the rock 13 times for 53 yards and threw the Rams’ only touchdown of the game, but he was also limited to just 71 passing yards while completing only five of 22 passes as his team dropped to a 0-3 overall season record.
The Bears (1-1 overall) will face off against their cross-town rival, the Towson Tigers, in the Morgan State home opener this Saturday at Hughes Stadium.