In a back-and-forth contest that culminated in a last-minute touchdown score, Morehead State football (2-3, 1-1 Pioneer Football League) defeated Valparaiso (2-3, 1-1 PFL) 29-26 on Saturday afternoon at Jayne Stadium.
"I couldn't be prouder of my team," said head coach Rob Tenyer. "They kept their composure at the end, they showed a lot of poise, and found a way to get it done at the end."
With less than 30 ticks remaining on the game clock, the Eagles had driven 80 yards down the field in the face of a 26-21 deficit. With no timeouts remaining, senior quarterback Austin Gahafer dropped back from the four-yard line and found redshirt-senior slot receiver Jake Raymond in the back of the end zone. Valpo took the ball back with just 21 seconds to manufacture a miracle, but an interception by junior cornerback Braylyn Cook sealed the Morehead State victory.
The Eagles got off to a hot start with two touchdown drives to end the first quarter, giving them a 14-7 lead. However, Valparaiso scored 10 unanswered in the second, bringing the halftime tally to 17-14, in favor of the Crusaders. After a 52-yard touchdown pass from Gahafer to redshirt senior wideout Darius Pritchett with three minutes to go in the third quarter, Morehead State did not find the end zone again until the game's final seconds.
"The most important thing right now is morale and knowing that you're a good football team," Tenyer said. "We have a lot of great players."
Raymond caught a game-high 10 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Gahafer threw for 308 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception on 24-of-40 passing. In the process, Gahafer set the Morehead State career record for passes completed (previously held by Zach lewis with 936) and now has 957 in his four-year span. Cook recorded two interceptions for the defense, while redshirt junior lieman Colt Briggs logged a career-high four tackles for loss.
Jarrett Morgan rushed for a game-high 110 yards for the Crusaders, while Bailey Gessinger returned a kickoff 89 yards to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter. Morehead State also got rushing touchdowns from running back Lawrence Jones and reserve QB Lawson Page.
"It was a big win. It puts in a position to build on our conference record," said Tenyer. "We have a heck of a challenge next week."
The Eagles are back in action on Oct. 8 when Morehead State visits Dayton (3-2, 1-1 PFL) at 1 p.m. ET.
