It’s often a cliche when football coaches and players call a game a “must-win.”
For Merrimack College, Saturday (3 p.m., ESPN+) is a must-win multiplied by a hundred.
Taking a 7.5 hour bus ride to Baltimore, Md., to face a 3-3 Morgan State University team that has one of the top-ranked FCS defenses in the entire country is certainly not going to be easy.
On top of that, Merrimack is without a handful of starters on both sides of the ball, including one of the country’s best offensive players in Donovan Wadley, who was on the pre-season Walter Payton Award Watch List.
Despite those obstacles, and playing before what’s expected to be a near sold-out crowd of 10,000 fans at Hughes Stadium, Merrimack first-year head coach Mike Gennetti and his players realize what’s at stake, especially with one-win teams Stonehill and Colgate visiting Duane Stadium the following two Saturdays.
“This is a big trip for us,” said Gennetti. “A large group of our roster is from the (Maryland area), so getting the opportunity to play Morgan State is special for our program. They are a good team and have a real strong defense. This is another big test for us.”
Morgan State competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and so far this season, the Bears have defeated Hampton University (30-28), Virginia Lynchburg (a team Merrimack dominated last year in a non-league home game), 56-7, and last week blanked Lincoln, Pennsylvania, 41-0, while losing to Towson University (14-9), Ohio University (21-6) and Stony Brook (22-3).
The Bears are one of the top defensive teams in the country, ranking 10th in the FCS in total defense, fourth in yards allowed, tied for sixth in fumbles recovered and seventh in scoring defense.
On the flip side of that, Merrimack has really struggled offensively, averaging just 16.6 points per game. Running back Jermaine Corbett has been the biggest and most consistent offensive weapon, rushing for 545 yards and scoring four times thus far. Only Malakai Anthony has rushed in another score.
Former Central Catholic star Ayden Pereira will get the start again at quarterback. He has completed 33-of-59 passes for 311 yards with 2 TDs and 0 interceptions. He’s coming off a strong game against Dartmouth and will need a receiver or two to come up big, since none of them have over 100 yards receiving over the entire season.
“For us offensively, we’re going to have to obviously have a great plan to go and beat them, but they are going to be a tough opponent. It’s going to be a great game for us,” said Gennetti.
Twitter: @JamiePote