Turnovers, weather major factors in Morgan loss

Rob Ambrose seemed quite disappointed Saturday evening following a 12-9 loss to rival Morgan State on the road. And it wasn't all that surprising.

You see, his team played well, certainly well enough to win the game. But key mistakes in the fourth quarter (penalties and turnovers included) really sealed the fate of the Tigers, who stuck with the Bears for most of the game.

But because of the rain, Ambrose turned to running back Tremayne Dameron to shoulder the offensive load. Dameron was largely up to the task, finishing the game with 126 yards and helping the Tigers finish with 344 total yards of offense.

Here's the hitch, though. The Tigers have played two true freshmen quarterbacks, two freshmen receivers and Dameron himself is a freshman, albeit a redshirt last season. The point is...with a young team and an unproven quarterback, teams are bound to struggle, especially in bad weather games.

The team never really got inside the redzone and their special teams are still a work in progress, something that Ambrose admitted was a factor in his decision to go for it on three fourth downs, one of which was a fake punt. They didn't convert any of them and again, that's going to happen because they are so inexperienced.

You can take a lot of positives out of the game though. The team saw the return of wide receiver Hakeem Moore, who missed the first two games with an arm injury. If nothing else, he adds another weapon to a group of receivers that is quite impressive and he is a standout on special teams, particularly on kickoff returns.

Also encouraging is the play of the entire defensive unit. New coordinator Matt Hachmann has helped transform the defense into the more traditional 4-3 alignment seamlessly and the Tigers are winning where it counts: on the defensive line. A good defensive line is a luxury for the rest of the defense because then other players can stick to their assignments.

Less blitzing has to be called when you can get pressure from the defensive line, and the team is loaded up front with the combination of Brady Smith and Yaky Ibia. They're quite deep too. Marcus Valentine has been solid and Rob Osborne, while he isn't at full strength yet, is progressing and will add yet another run stuffer when he's 100 percent.

The roster is still a work in progress and has yet to fully grasp the new schemes the coaches are installing, but the attitude and enthusiasm that Ambrose brings is resonating throughout the entire roster; if you don't believe it, you can ask them yourself and they'll have plenty of stories about the positive vibe going around. Ambrose is upgrading the talent, intensity and overall image of the team, and even though the tough CAA schedule is ahead, it will certainly not lack for excitement.