Morgan State

[mbenecke]

It's here! It's game day! Let's go!

Beat Morgan State!

[MarkL]

Something I learned. Morgan State had no spring practice. Apparently there has been some recent academic issue and the sanction handed down included canceling 2019 spring practice. I didn't even know that was a thing the NCAA could do.

Game day! I'm excited to see the start of the Loeffler era.

[slashba33]

For everyone going tonight, enjoy the game! Wish I could make it up!

Go Falcons!!

[mbenecke]

Have a good time inside the Doyt tonight, everyone! Make it a little bit louder than it has been the past few years, would ya?

I'll be following along from home on ESPN3.

[mbenecke]

Bears won the toss and elected to defer.

We're starting the season with the ball, folks.

[mbenecke]

Interesting surprise - Wade started the game at QB.

[mbenecke]

And the first drive of the Loeffler era ends in touchdown. Clair punches it in for 6. Heavy dose of running with Clair, Denley, and Jones all getting in on the action.

Needham kick is good.

7-0, Falcons.

[Beaker]

Does this announcer understand he's not calling a Boston College game????

[Beaker]

I like that we lined up and executed that drive without the kind of sloppy mistakes we've seen the last few years.

[mbenecke]

And the first drive of the Loeffler era ends in touchdown. Clair punches it in for 6. Heavy dose of running with Clair, Denley, and Jones all getting in on the action.

Needham kick is good.

7-0, Falcons.

On that drive, which Darius Wade took snaps at QB for, we went 12 plays for 76 yards (32 passing, 44 rushing) in 3:53. Picked up 5 first downs on the drive.

Another big thing: we converted the only third down we faced. Need that kind of efficiency moving forward.

[mbenecke]

On the first defensive snap, the defense stuffs the run for a loss.

[mbenecke]

Gave up a first down on the first third down we faced, but Jerry McBride made a nice play on a receiver to break up the pass on their next one. The first drive of the year resulted in giving up 18 yards (4 rush yards on 4 attempts) and ending in a punt.

No damage done. 7-0 Falcons, 8:19 left in the first.

[mbenecke]

Big third down conversion on a strike from Wade to Wayne-Prather. He had made a poor overthrow on the play before, so it was nice to see him recover.

On the next play, Wade hits Austin Dorris along the sideline for another first.

[mbenecke]

Drove to about the Morgan State 45 but the drive stalled. Naranjo comes on and gets a wonky/lucky bounce on his punt that is initially marked at the one yard line. However, the officials spot the ball at the 15. Overall a nice job - good effort by the punt team to keep fighting until the end, even if it wasn't as pretty as we thought.

[mbenecke]

Nice stop. It's an unconventional three and out, with 3 penalties on 2 different plays (ours was offset, and they replayed the down).

Punt is forced. Once again, no damage done.

We'll begin our third drive on the Morgan State 45, with 3:36 left in the first quarter.