Despite missing the first four games of the season, Andrew King has emerged as Morgan State's top wide receiver.
The redshirt junior leads the Bears (6-5 overall and 5-2 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) with 29 catches and 312 yards. His two touchdowns trail only redshirt sophomore Thomas Martin's three.
Coach Lee Hull said King, a Columbia resident and Atholton graduate, plays larger than his 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame.
"Andrew is a veteran," Hull said after Saturday's 27-24 win against South Carolina State. "… He's a guy who's not very tall. He's kind of like [5-8, 185-pound redshirt sophomore running back] Herb [Walker Jr.] but as a receiver. He just knows how to get open and catch the ball. He's always in the right spot, and he's our leader in our receiver group."
King caught nine passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns in four games last season before fracturing his left foot. That injury lingered and kept him out of the first four games this fall.
"I was devastated," King said of the ailment. "But I kept faith, kept it going, stayed with the team, stayed focused and just executed."
In his first two games this year, he caught just one pass for 11 yards. King said he was trying to find his footing.
"There was a lot of rust," he said. "There's always a lot of rust with an injury. But I had a similar injury on my right foot [in high school]. Going through it last year, I was more prepared for it."
On Saturday, King appeared to find his form as he set career highs in catches (11) and yards (151), which included a 55-yard touchdown from redshirt junior quarterback Moses Skillon in the second quarter. Skillon said King's speed and ability to find gaps in opposing defenses makes up for any perceived vulnerability in height.
"He's just a great weapon to throw to," Skillon said. "He gets open, he does everything he has to do day in and day out. He's just a great guy to throw the ball to, and he's going to make a play for you. We're real happy to have Andrew King at receiver."