WASHINGTON (October 25, 2025) - Anthony Reagan Jr. (Woodbury, N.J.) scored on a 25-yard touchdown run on the first play of his team's possession in overtime and gave the Howard University football team a hard-fought 33-27 win over Morgan State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener at Greene Stadium before a crowd of almost 10,000 spectators.
 
The two rivals battled back-and-forth with neither ever establishing control of the game.
 
The Bison (4-4, 1-0 MEAC) drew first blood when freshman tight end Xavier Newsom (Detroit) hauled in a nine-yard TD pass from Howard graduate quarterback Tyriq Starks (Carol City, Fla), 7-0. The scoring drive took eight plays and was set up by a kick return of 42 yards by John Washington III (Richmond, Va.).
 
The Bears (3-5, 0-1 MEAC) will counter with a smart drive of 75 yards in eight plays. Quarterback Randy Moore II engineered the drive and capped it with a 14-yard pass to Joseph Kennedy, Jr., 7-7.
 
Howard regained the lead, 14-7, when Reagan zigzagged his way to a 34-yard run with 9:21 left in the second quarter. It was one of Howard's better drives of the season, as it took 11 plays to travel 87 yards, using over six minutes off the clock.
 
But Morgan State refused to buckle under as Randall Nauden capped off a seven-play, 75-yard drive that tied the score, 14-14, at intermission.
 
Using the momentum, the Bears took their first lead when the quarterback sprinted 81 yards at the start of the third quarter to give his team a 21-14 advantage.
 
Howard took advantage of some good field position and took four plays to go 24 yards with redshirt junior quarterback Ja'Shawn Scroggins (Las Vegas) finishing off the drive with a seven-yard jaunt to tie the game again, 21-21.
 
In this battle, both teams continued to quit.
 
Morgan State got a nine-play drive that went 76 yards with Jason Collins Jr., finishing it off with an 18-yard burst, 27-21.
 
The Bison countered with a 12-play, 81-yard drive with Breylin Smith (Lakeland, Fla.) connecting with Starks from 16 yards to tie the game, 27-27, with the conversion kick pending; however, the Bison failed to convert on what would have been the potential game-winning conversion, resulting in a 27-27 deadlock that would set up the extra period. 
 
Morgan State got first possession from the Howard 25-yard line. The Bison defense held the Bears and forced a 29-yard field. But it went wide left, setting up Howard's possession.
 
It took the Bison one play with Reagan, first weaving and then powering his way into the end zone to help seal the hard-fought victory and snap the three-game losing streak.
 
"We have been through a lot these past few weeks," said Howard head coach Larry Scott, alluding to the team's inability to close out games in the second half. "We are a resilient group and I told them that you have to believe. This effort is something to build on."
 
Reagan rushed 122 yards and two TDs to lead all rushers and eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the third time in four games. He has now scored at least one TD in the past four games. The New Jersey native also caught four passes for 36 yards against the Bears.
 
Smith had the best game of his career, grabbing a career-high nine passes for 109 yards and the TD.
 
Kaleb Gallop (Portsmouth, Va.) led the defensive charge with six tackles, a half sack, a half tackle for a loss and a key pass breakup that stopped a Morgan State drive.
 
NEXT UP
 
Howard hosts rival North Carolina Central Saturday (Nov. 1) at 3:30 p.m., in Greene Stadium. It will be Senior Day and Youth and Community Day.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.