Morgan State rallied from 14 points down, and was driving for the go ahead score but the Bears made a costly mistake.With the ballgame knotted at 17-17, Delonte Williams had his pass intercepted by Jerrell Stewart who returned it 37 yards for a touchdown with 7:17 left in the game. Philip Sylvester added the dagger in the form of an 89 yard touchdown run, and now the Bears Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title shot hopes seem dim.
Sophomore running back David Brown posted a career-high 131 yards on 17 carries, but Morgan State was unable to slow down Sylvester who led the Rattlers to its third straight win with a 31-17 victory over the Bears on Saturday during Florida A&M’s homecoming festivities.
The Rattlers’ (5-3, 4-1) victory avenged a 2008 homecoming loss to Morgan State and it marked Joe Taylor’s first win against the Bears as head coach at Florida A&M.
Morgan State (4-4, 3-2) coach Donald Hill-Eley talked about the tough loss.
“Mistakes plagued us early,” Hill said. “I thought once we got back into the game, we thought the momentum was on our side. The kid ended up throwing an interception for a touchdown.”
“Victory goes to them [Florida A&M]. They made their plays and they had a good schematic game across the board.”
Williams entered the game as the MEAC’s reigning Rookie of the Week after leading Morgan State to a homecoming win against Delaware State. In this game, he completed 7-of-22 for 115 yards with a touchdown. But he was sacked four times for -16 yards.
“We really weren’t clicking today,” said Williams. “We just need to get back to executing our game plan.”
The Bears held a 3-0 early advantage following a 47-yard field goal by Kemar Scarlett, but the Rattlers answered by scoring 17 unanswered. Florida A&M quarterback Martin Upai connected with Antonio Lawrence for a 52 yard touchdown pass, followed by a 25 yard field goal by Trevor Scott and Sylvester got loose for a 14 yard touchdown score just before the Marching 100’s halftime performance.
Sylvester was a problem throughout the day for the Bears. The preseason All-MEAC first team selection finished with 19 carries for 192 yards, including two touchdowns.