Morgan State Football Rises to No. 3 in HBCU Rankings, Earns National Week 5 Honors

HOUSTON -- Coach Damon Wilson and the Morgan State football team have several national accolades and recognitions after the Bears defeated Villanova on Saturday.

Quarterback Cameron Edge earned three player of the week awards, two teammates added weekly honors, and Morgan State moved from No. 7 to No. 3 in the BOXTOROW, Black College Football, and HBCU Football Media polls, as well as our BC+ and HBCU Legends rankings.

The Bears are 4-1 for the first time since 2009. In Week 6, they will host Robert Morris in their Homecoming game Saturday at noon ET at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore.

FCS UPSET ALERT: The Bears, who entered as double-digit underdogs, take down Villanova 😳 pic.twitter.com/T7fXRoW06K
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 3, 2026

How the Bears beat Villanova

Edge completed 31 of 40 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns at Villanova Stadium. He also ran for two scores, including a 2-yard touchdown with 36 seconds left that gave Morgan State a 38-35 lead. The 444 passing yards rank third in program history, behind LeJominick Washington's 515 in 2001 and Orlando Persell's 484 in 1992.

Villanova moved into field goal range on its final possession. Dominic LeBlanc's 47-yard attempt went wide right as time expired.

The Morgan State Bears are 4-1! 🐻🏈

The Bears went down to the final seconds agaisnt Villanova with a 38-35 victory!#GoBears pic.twitter.com/2GqFm2UlQe
— Morgan State University (@MorganStateU) October 3, 2026

Morgan State outgained the Wildcats 521 to 457. Wide receiver Justin Perry had a game-high 152 receiving yards, including an 88-yard catch. Running back Keith Jenkins Jr. caught eight passes for 87 yards and a 45-yard touchdown. Joseph Towler added a 64-yard touchdown catch, and Malachi Bryant caught a 19-yard score. The announced attendance was 3,463.

Villanova, a 2025 FCS semifinalist, entered the game ranked in the national Top 25, according to Morgan State head coach Damon Wilson.

"It's a big win, man," Wilson said. "It's a Top 25 team. It's a team that was in the semifinals a year ago."

Cameron Edge sweeps national and conference awards

Edge was named MEAC Offensive Player of the Week, Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week and BOXTOROW National Player of the Week.

The senior transferred to Morgan State from Eastern Michigan after spending three seasons at Maryland. Through five games, he leads the MEAC with 1,156 passing yards, 231.2 passing yards per game, and a 69.8 completion percentage, which ranks sixth in the FCS. His 10 touchdown passes rank second in the conference.

"I think it was a big win for the program, not just this team, but for teams that come after us," Edge said.

Making plays when it matters. 🐻 Morgan State’s Justin McIlwain is the Aeneas Williams Award HBCU DB of the Week after a season-high 9 tackles and a momentum-shifting INT helped the Bears secure a 38-35 win over Villanova. #HBCUsBestDB @_luljay2x_ @MSUBearsFB pic.twitter.com/KrIxIRu3Oi
— Paycom Jim Thorpe Award (@jimthorpeaward) October 6, 2026

Amaya, McIlwain add weekly honors

Kicker Alex Amaya was named MEAC Specialist of the Week. He made a 39-yard field goal and all five extra-point attempts, accounting for eight points in the three-point win.

Incoming…top weekly honors for the Bears after the Nova victory! #GoBears pic.twitter.com/BM0UkuPKbU
— Morgan State Bears (@MorganStBears) October 6, 2026

🛡️ WEEK 5️⃣ TOP DB!

🐻🏈 @MSUBearsFB S Justin McIlwain earns Aeneas Williams Award HBCU DB of the Week honors! 🏆

📊 9 tackles. 6 solo. 1 INT
▶️ https://t.co/vTvNPxNjBw @MEACSports | @UnderArmour #GoBears🔷🔶 pic.twitter.com/vqUY3bFotE
— Morgan State Bears (@MorganStBears) October 6, 2026

Defensive back Justin McIlwain was named the Aeneas Williams Award HBCU Defensive Back of the Week for Week 5. McIlwain led Morgan State with nine tackles against Villanova.

Perry leads the MEAC in receiving

Justin Perry, a sophomore, enters Week 6 as the MEAC's leading receiver with 21 receptions for 424 yards, ranking 24th in the FCS. He is tied for the conference lead with three touchdown receptions.

🐻🏈15 IS A PROBLEM.😤

MEAC-leading 424 receiving yards
(No. 24 in FCS) + Tied for a league-best 3 TDs.

🛩️Justin “Jet” Perry is just getting started.@meacsports | @underarmour #GoBears🔷🔶 pic.twitter.com/bW1xOszGVt
— Morgan State Bears (@MorganStBears) October 4, 2026

Where Morgan State ranks

Morgan State is No. 3 in all three HBCU Division I polls released after Week 5, behind Jackson State and South Carolina State in each. The Bears received two first-place votes in the Black College Football Poll.

WEEK 5 - Black College Football Poll — WEEK 5 - DI - BCFP | Inside the HBCU Sports Lab

The BOXTOROW poll has determined the HBCU national champion at the Division I and Division II levels for close to 20 seasons. The author of HBCU Legends is a BOXTOROW voter. The BCFP will also have an opportunity to designate the DI and DII HBCU national champions this season.

The ranking sets up a potential showdown on Oct. 29, when Morgan State hosts No. 2 South Carolina State, the defending MEAC champion, on a Thursday night tilt at Hughes Stadium.

Bears in the NFL

Former Morgan State linebacker Erick Hunter recorded four tackles, two solo and two assisted, in the New England Patriots' 29-26 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

#Patriots rookie LB Erick Hunter (6’2”, 224 lbs) powers down the field to make the tackle as the gunner on the punt team. Hunter is too strong to have his momentum taken from him. He takes his angle and makes the tackle. pic.twitter.com/zJKnwPSIXX
— Justin Trombino (@Trombino20) October 4, 2026

Up next

Morgan State (4-1) hosts Robert Morris on Saturday, Oct. 10, at noon ET. The Homecoming game will stream on ESPN+ and air on WEAA 88.9 FM. The Bears open MEAC play Oct. 24 against Howard.

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