BALTIMORE (November 23, 2024) - Howard University football team (4-8, 1-4 MEAC) scored the game's first touchdown, then allowed Morgan State (MSU) to reel off 35 unanswered points before rallying with two fourth quarter touchdowns, but came up short, 35-21, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season finale at Hughes Stadium.
 
The Bison got on the board first when redshirt sophomore quarterback Ja'Shawn Scroggins (Las Vegas) engineered a nine-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off with a six-yard pass to redshirt junior Elijah Cruz (Philadelphia). It was Cruz's first career TD.
 
On the Bears' first possession, Howard established itself by limiting them to two three-and-outs.
 
The two teams battled back-and-forth before Morgan State (6-6, 3-2 MEAC) scored on four-of-the-next six possessions to take the 35-7 lead at the 3:52 mark of the third quarter.
 
The Bears' offensive charge was led by freshman running back Jason Collins, who finished with a career-high 114 yards on 12 carries and two TDs. He also added seven receptions for 89 yards.
 
Then with a sense of urgency, the Bison mounted a furious comeback on the efforts redshirt senior quarterback Jaylon Tolbert (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), who came off the bench to lead his team on two successful scoring drives, one for nine plays, 60 yards and the other for 81 yards on only five carries.
 
For the game, Tolbert connected on 13-of-18 passes for 187 yards and two TDs.
 
Using the momentum, HU got the ball back with less than three minutes remaining. Tolbert quickly drove his team from its own 10 to a third-and-goal to the Morgan State 5-yard line. But the Bears snuffed off any comeback attempts with a late interception from Ahm McCullough.
 
The Bison played without a number of key players. In their absence, they got career efforts from senior wide receiver Isiah Williams (Rockville, Md.), who grabbed seven passes for 92 yards and two scores and sophomore wideout Se'Quan Osborne (Charlotte, N.C.), who grabbed three passes for 70 yards.
 
Defensively, Howard got outstanding efforts from redshirt defensive back Kedrick Green (career-high 10 total tackles), senior defensive lineman Jamel Stewart (eight total tackles & a TFL) and redshirt sophomore linebacker Brock Morgan (six total tackles).
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.