Howard Bison v. Morgan Bears Football Preview

Last week Howard (2-5, 1-3) spoiled the homecoming of conference rivals Florida A&M with a 27-10 victory at Bragg Memorial Stadium. This Saturday, the Morgan State Bears (2-5, 2-1) will look to do the same against Howard as they prepare for a Bison homecoming showdown at William H. Greene Stadium. Howard will be looking to build on the momentum they picked up last week against Florida A&M, which was their first win on the season since defeating Morehouse in the Nation’s Classic on Sept. 7.

Last week, freshman running back Anthony Philyaw sparked the Bison running attack which struggled heavily the week before against Bethune Cookman. Philyaw lead the team with 121 yards rushing and two touchdowns, dominating the Florida A&M defense. The Bears will also have to account for sophomore running back William Parker who has been the lead rusher for the Bison this year with 93 carries for 389 yards (Ranked 5th in the MEAC).

Last time these two teams faced off was again last year at Howard’s homecoming, and it came right down to the wire. The Bears drove 89 yards down the field for a touchdown, but on the extra point attempt, which would have tied the game at 21, a bad snap lead to a turnover for Howard ending the game in a 21-20 victory for the Bison. Prior to that, Morgan State had beaten Howard three years in a row.

Morgan State will be looking to dispose of last year’s memory when they step into Greene Stadium on Saturday. The Bears, who started off the season 0-5, have too started to gain momentum with two straight wins over Florida A&M and last week over North Carolina Central, who Howard lost to earlier this season.

Morgan State, however, has a bit of a quarterback issue as their starting QB junior Seth Higgins went down with a shoulder injury in last week’s game against North Carolina Central. The Bears head coach Donald Hill-Eley is unsure whether Higgins will be able to strap up for Saturday’s game, but is confident in their backup quarterback junior Robert Council, who split time with Higgins under center last year.

Howard interim head coach Rayford Petty is not so much concerned with who will start at quarterback for the Bears, but is more focused on preparing for Morgan State’s entire offensive scheme.

We’re just preparing for the system,” he said. “The system doesn’t change a lot as they change quarterbacks. They continue to run basically the same plays with all of them. So it’s not like we’re preparing for a great passing one and then a great runner. We’re going with one game plan, and if we have to make an adjustment as we go, then that’s what we’ll do.”