Yale Athletics

The Bulldogs (1–2, 0–1 Ivy) defeated Morgan State (1–4, 0–0 Mid-Eastern), dominating for the entirety of the game 45–3 for Yale’s first win of the year. 

In the third contest this year at the Yale Bowl on Saturday afternoon, the Elis prevailed over the Bears and earned a massive first victory of the 2023 season. The game was not only the 2023 NAACP Harmony Classic but also ended Yale’s two-game losing streak, improved the Bulldogs’ series record to 2–0 against Morgan State and marked the largest deficit in a loss for the Bears since their 59–7 loss to Georgia Southern on Sept. 3, 2022. 

“I thought we played freely, we played fast, kids played with a lot of emotion and energy, played like a Yale football team,” head coach Tony Reno said. “I’m really proud of them for that.”

Following a scoreless first quarter, Morgan State added the first three points of the game to the scoreboard off a 39-yard field goal by kicker and punter Beckett Leary just under a minute into the second period.

The Bulldogs fired back with a series of field goals and touchdowns for the remainder of the game that were ultimately left unanswered by the Bears. With 8:47 remaining in the second quarter, kicker and punter Jack Bosman ’24 evened up the score with a 24-yard field goal after a false start.

“It was great, honestly, it was just team football,” linebacker Hamilton Moore ’24 said. “It just felt good. When things work, it’s satisfying.”

After connecting with wide receiver Ryan Lindley ’24 multiple times to drive the ball down the field, quarterback Nolan Grooms ’24 threw a 31-yard pass to wide receiver Mason Tipton ’24 for the first of what would be many touchdowns for the Elis. 

With 17 seconds left in the first half, Grooms completed a three-yard pass to Lindley to cap off a six-play, 66-yard drive, and Bosman added the extra point to end the first half with a 17–3 lead. 

“No matter who was on the field, there was a lot of energy from the guys [and] a high level of execution in both areas as well,” Reno said. “We’re really proud of them, of how we’ve progressed from week one to week three, and now going into week four, we’ve got to continue that same trend and continue to get better as a team.”

Less than two minutes into the second half, the Bulldogs raced 75 yards down the field in four plays, ultimately completed by a 33-yard pass from Grooms to Tipton to secure another touchdown. 

On Yale’s next possession, Morgan State was flagged for two personal fouls, giving the Bulldogs an advantage. With 7:17 remaining in the quarter, the Blue and White traveled another 67-yards, capped by an eight-yard run by running back Tre Peterson ’24 into the endzone, raising the score to 31–3. 

“Colors were flying a bit faster because [the Bears] were trying to stop the runs,” running back Spencer Alston ’24 said. “We did a great job, Nolan did and the receivers catching the ball, getting the ball down the field.”

Nearly five minutes later, Grooms sent a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Joey Felton ’24 between two Morgan State defenders, which ended a six-play 74-yard drive. 

Finally, to close out the third period with 1:32 remaining, linebacker Joseph Vaughn ’24 converted an interception into a 36-yard pick six, off a ball thrown by Morgan State quarterback Tahj Smith. The touchdown was Vaughn’s second in his career, the first being a 35-yard return for a touchdown in Yale’s contest against Brown last season. 

“It was an outcome of the hard work the guys put in all week, and we really just stayed focused on playing our best game … and executing our schemes and doing it really fast and doing it together,” Reno said. “It was a lot of fun to watch … I think all of us were waiting for us to do that.”

The Bulldogs finished the scoring there and held onto their 45–3 lead for the remainder of the contest. 

Over the course of the afternoon, the Bulldogs controlled the field both on offense and defense. The Eli offense traveled a total of 521 yards, throwing for 366 yards and gaining 160 yards on the ground. 

Grooms passed for a career high 363 yards and tied his Yale best of four touchdowns. In addition to completing 29 of his 38 passes, Grooms led the Bulldogs in rushing yards, toting the ball nine times for 87 yards.

“I just think it’s more not hitting the panic button, but believing in the process,” Moore said. “What we talked about a lot on our team is process over outcome … It’s just trusting ourselves and trusting that we know how to go through this process, and we know how to get it done right.”

Tipton also finished with a career-high of 136 receiving yards on nine catches. 

Yale’s defense limited the Bears to only 204 yards of total offense and 12 first downs.

Rookie defensive back Phoenix Grant ’27, defensive lineman Ezekiel Larry ’26 and defensive lineman Clay Patterson ’24 each tallied a sack. The game was Patterson’s sixth consecutive one recording a sack. 

“I think the focus has to be on us playing to our standard, which we were last week, [and] our ability to continue to build great relationships, play really hard and earn things on Saturday,” Reno said. 

The Yale football team will travel to face Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire, this Saturday. The game is slated for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff and will be streamed on ESPN+.