North Carolina Central shook off a sluggish first half and scrapped to a 16-10 win over Morgan State in the MEAC opener for both teams Thursday night in Baltimore.
The Eagles (6-1, 1-0) scored all of their points in the second half.
Adrian Olivo booted field goals from38, 22 and 41 yards. Quarterback Davius Richard threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Tynez Warner on the second snap of the fourth quarter.
It’s the third game in a row NC Central has rallied to victory after falling behind in the opening half. Thursday’s contest had a lot more defense and a lot less points.
Morgan State led 3-0 at the break. NC Central only managed 19 plays and 58 total yards in the opening half, punting four times. NCCU’s other drive ended when the clock ran out in the second quarter. Morgan State dominated time of possession 20:55 to 8:02.
Central got on the board quickly in the third quarter thanks to Olivo’s first field goal, tying the game 3-3. Morgan State marched to the Eagles’ 24 on its opening series, but Jason Chambers stepped in front of a Dominique Anthony pass and returned the interception 44 yards to the Bears 35.
That play turned out to be the turning point. North Carolina Central took the short field and turned it into seven points. It took 11 plays to go the 35 yards to the end zone, but the Eagles never trailed again. Two more Olivo field goals sealed it. Morgan State tacked on a late touchdown on a 40-yard pass for the final margin.
This wasn’t a stat-stuffer kind of night for the Eagles. Coach Trei Oliver’s team finished with 201 total yards, while holding Morgan State to 111 in the second half until the last-minute long TD throw. Central controlled the ball for more than 21 minutes in the second half, punting just once.
Richard finished 16-of-30 passing for 122 yards. He rushed for another 29 yards. Latrell Collier was Central’s top ground-gainer with 43 yards on 16 totes.
Malcolm Reed and Manny Smith led Central on defense with six tackles each. Wade Harris had five stops and a sack.
Thursday’s game was played in front of a national audience on ESPNU. North Carolina Central will be featured on ESPNU again next Thursday when MEAC rival South Carolina State visits Durham.
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