Morgan State got a thrilling upset win over the CAA powerhouse Richmond Spiders, winning 17-10. The game was a defensive masterclass for the Bears as they held Richmond to 169 passing yards and 95 rushing yards. The Spiders were the number-one passing offense in the CAA 2022 season, averaging 282 passing yards a game last year and 31 total passing touchdowns. 

Second-year Morgan State head coach Damon Wilson was impressed with his team's effort against Richmond.

“Our guys persevered and fought,” Wilson said after the game. “I think all three phases made plays when we needed. Our defense played outstanding. Our offensive line is young up front, but those guys handled their own when we needed it. Our guys made plays. Our punter did an outstanding job as a freshman. There's a lot of freshmen that played today, and those guys, they represented. I'm really proud of what they accomplished. Our coaches did a good job putting guys in position to make plays and gave us the opportunity to win.”

Richmond started the game with relative success, as Spiders quarterback Kyle Wickersham led a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with him running one yard into the endzone for a touchdown.  The play gave Richmond a 7-0 lead at the 9:45 mark of the first half. However, the Spiders didn't score another touchdown. Wickersham finished the game by completing 23 of his 30 passes and throwing for 169 yards but was sacked 5 times in the contest. He also threw an interception that was picked off by Bears defensive back Ja'son Prevard and returned for 25 yards.

The upset win by Morgan State was historic for many reasons. The Bears broke Richmond's 17-game home opening winning streak that has stood since 2006. The win over the Spiders was Morgan State's first against a ranked opponent since the 2018 season in which they beat the reigning Celebration Bowl champion North Carolina A&T Aggies who were in the midst of a 15-game winning streak after going undefeated in the 2017  season. The win also makes Virginia Union to second MEAC team to beat a CAA team in the past few seasons, joining North Carolina Central who beat the then-twenty-fifth-ranked New Hampshire last year.

Morgan State looks to continue its success as they play the University of Akron at 6 PM EST on Saturday, September 9th.