The Morehead State football team is back on the road this weekend when the Eagles travel to face Campbell at 2 p.m. ET in North Carolina.
The Eagles (2-2/1-0 PFL) are coming off a critical 34-28 home win over Dayton last weekend, while the Camels (2-2/1-0) hammered Stetson 49-21 on the road.
The game can be heard live on WIVY-96.3 FM in the Morehead area or live via links on MSUEagles.com. The contest will also air live on the BigSouthSports Digital Network.
QUOTING COACH TENYER
On defeating Dayton last weekend -- "It was a big win and a great crowd here. I think it's a big confidence boost heading into week two in the PFL."
On being able to rally last week -- "I think our players kept believing in what we were doing. We made some mistakes on both sides of the football, but we got them corrected. The fourth quarter was huge - to score 21 points. I thought we had a good plan. We didn't have to burn all our timeouts."
On matching up with Campbell - "I think both of us are really different teams from a year ago. Campbell is athletic and fast, and I think they are going to really challenge us at their place. It will all come down to execution."
GAME NOTES
THE CAMPBELL SERIES
Morehead State holds a slight 5-4 edge in the all-time ledger with Campbell, which is in its 10th season of FCS football. Uniquely enough, the road team has won the last four matchups since 2012. Morehead State has won two of the three times the teams have played in Buies Creek. See page 3 for the series results.
ONE TOWN.ONE TEAM
Morehead and the region have shown tremendous support for the Eagle football program, and in fact MSU has led the Pioneer Football league in attendance for four consecutive seasons. Last year, MSU averaged 5,736 and averaged 6,036 in the first two games in 2017.
COMEBACK KIDS
Morehead State erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Dayton last weekend. It marked the largest overall rally to win since being down by as many as 16 against Valparaiso on Oct. 25, 2014 (MSU rallied to win 48-47). It also marked just the third fourth-quarter comeback since 2007 and the biggest rally solely in the fourth period since erasing a 25-13 disadvantage to win 26-25 at St. Francis (Pa.) on Sept. 3, 2005.
WHAT A LEG
Redshirt sophomore punter Bradley Boone's 44.7-yard punting average leads the PFL and ranks ninth in the country. Pretty good for a redshirt freshman who came to MSU as a tight end in 2016. He has blasted seven punts of more than 50 yards and landed seven inside the 20-yard line. The punt unit has also forced four fair catches. MSU's net punt average is a league-best 41.3.
A NEW PAGE
Redshirt junior QB Lawson Page ranks 19th in the nation in passing efficiency at 157.0. The Shelbyville, Ky. native has two games with four touchdowns, including last Saturday's come-from-behind 34-28 victory over Dayton. Page's 945 total passing yards ranks 22nd in the nation.
KEEPING THE CHAIN CREW ON THEIR TOES
Morehead State ranks 10th nationally in generating first downs. In the first four games, the Eagles have 88 first downs, averaging 22 per game. In fact the Eagles have led the PFL in most first downs the last three seasons.
DEEP THREAT HIGGIE
Junior wide receiver Jarin Higginbotham ranks fourth in the nation and leads the PFL with his five touchdown catches so far. He has caught scoring throws in three of the first four games. His deep play ability also has Higginbotham leading the league and ranked 16th in the country in yards per catch at 22.7.
WE LIKE THE LONG BALL
Six of the 15 players who have caught at least one pass this season average more than 10 yards per catch. Higginbotham leads that group at 22.8, followed by freshman De'Vonte Adams at 17.8.
SCHOOL-RECORD EFFORT
Senior wide receiver Christian Robinson caught a career-best eight passes for a career-high 149 yards and three touchdowns. The three scores tied a program record for TD catches in a game as he became the ninth player to do so.
HE'S GOT A LEG UP
Freshman kicker Andrew Foster's 53-yard field goal against Liberty was the second-longest by an FCS kicker this season and the longest field goal of Week 2. It is the longest field goal made in the PFL since Billy Cundiff's PFL record 62-yard boot in 2000.
JEROMING THE BACKFIELD
Sophomore linebacker Jerome Brooks leads the Eagles and ranks fifth in the nation in tackles for loss per game (2.2). Brooks has eight stops in the backfield and a team-best 30 tackles overall. He had three tackles behind Dayton's line of scrimmage.
YOU GOT COOK'ED
Senior cornerback Braylyn Cook leads all active players with 40 career passes defended and eight interceptions. He has two picks this season, including one last weekend against Dayton.