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Football Suffers 56-3 Home Loss To San Diego

MSU Athletics

The San Diego football team rolled up 599 total yards on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 9) en route to a 56-3 victory over Morehead State in Pioneer Football League action at MSU’s Jayne Stadium.

The Toreros improve to 7-3 overall and 6-1 in conference action with their sixth win in the past seven games.  The Eagles fall to 3-7 on the season and 3-4 in league play with their third straight setback. San Diego also moves to 9-0 all-time against Morehead State.  The series began in 2005.

"I'm disappointed with the way we played today," Head Coach Rob Tenyer said.  "San Diego beat us on both sides of the ball.  We never got in a rhythm offensively and didn't make tackles defensively."

Senior quarterback Mason Mills led San Diego by completing 23-of-31 attempts for 378 yards and four touchdowns.  He began the day as the PFL's top passer with 311 yards per contest. Mills connected with nine different receivers on the afternoon.  His top target, junior Reggie Bell, pulled in nine catches for 211 yards, including touchdown receptions of nine and 70 yards.

USD senior running back Joe Ferguson collected a team-high 115 yards and one touchdown on seven carries, while junior defensive back Matt Miller was credited with a game-best 13 tackles. The Toreros posted 395 passing yards, 204 rushing yards, 24 first downs and did not commit a turnover.  USD converted on 7-of-11 third-down attempts and had 32 minutes of possession time.

"San Diego deserves a lot of credit for the way they played today," Tenyer said.  "They're 6-1 in the PFL for a reason.  Their offense made several big plays and their defense put lots of pressure on us."

Freshman quarterback Austin Gahafer paced Morehead State by connecting on 22-of-35 throws for 159 yards.  All three of MSU's turnovers were via the interception, with two coming in the first half. Junior running back Rees Macshara tallied 55 yards on 14 carries.  Senior defensive back John Coleman led the Eagles with seven tackles, while freshman defensive back Brandon Louder had six.

"We've had three hard lessons in a row with Dayton, Drake and now San Diego," Tenyer added.  "I'm not one to make excuses, but we're going through a transition with so many young players.  We need to learn from today's film and put this game behind us.  Butler and Charlotte are very good football teams and we will have to play well these last two weeks to end the season on a positive note."

San Diego built an early 21-0 cushion and finished the affair with 35 unanswered points in the second half.  The Toreros took a 28-3 lead to the locker room at halftime. Morehead State's only score came on junior Luke Boyd's 28-yard field goal with 5:59 to play before intermission.  His boot capped an 11-play drive, 61-yard drive in 4:47.

"We have to find a better identity on offense," Tenyer said.  "Our defense had some big stops early, but we got the ball back and didn't come away with any points."

Morehead State's final two games will both be played at MSU’s Jayne Stadium.  The Eagles host Butler on Nov. 16 and Charlotte on Nov. 23.  Both contests are slated to begin at 1 p.m.

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