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Jones, Bennett Set Single-Game Records in Shootout with Jacksonville

MSU Athletics

Despite record-breaking performances on both sides of the ball, Morehead State football (2-6, 1-4 Pioneer Football League) fell to Jacksonville (3-3, 2-1 PFL) 61-49 on Saturday afternoon at Jayne Stadium.

Redshirt-freshman running back Trevor Jones made his presence known from the opening whistle, blowing all of his previous career-highs out of the water.

The Irvine, Ky., native ran for 284 yards and four touchdowns on just 24 rushes. His 284 yards on the ground were good for a new single-game school record (previous mark was 254 by former QB David Dinkins), and just 29 yards short of the PFL single-game mark. Jones' performance was the second highest rushing total by any player in the FCS this season.

"It was a heck of a day for Trevor," said head coach Rob Tenyer. "He had some nice runs all day long. I wish we were in a position to utilize him more in the second half, but here we were again, trying to play catch-up."

On defense, senior Ryan Bennett set a Morehead State single-game benchmark of his own. The 6-foot-1 linebacker recorded a record-breaking 20 tackles, splitting evenly between solo and assisted. Bennett surpassed Dan Gooch's 19-tackle record that had previously stood since 1980.

"I thought our defense played much better in the second half, with the exception of their 90-yard drive," Tenyer said. "We played better after we made some adjustments at halftime."

The Eagles went pound-for-pound with Jacksonville for the entire first half, even taking a 35-31 lead into halftime. However, special teams and costly turnovers negated much of Morehead State's momentum, which soon reflected on the scoreboard.

The third quarter began almost immediately with a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown by the Dolphins' Prince Gray. Less than seven minutes later, Jacksonville's Grady Redding returned an interception 23 yards to the end zone. The Eagles were never able to recapture the lead in the second half.

MSU quarterback Austin Gahafer passed for 266 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Situational QB Lawson Page rushed four times for 29 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles tallied four fumbles as a team, losing two in the process.

Morehead State will return to action in two weeks after a scheduled bye. The Eagles are set to travel to Indianapolis, Ind., for a matchup with Butler (3-5, 1-4 PFL) on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. ET. Morehead State defeated the Bulldogs 34-21 last season.

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