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ATLANTA, Ga.--Coming off a 45-39 road Pioneer Footbal League win at Marist last Saturday, the Eagles step back out of conference for a battle in the Georgia Dome with first-year FCS opponent Georgia State today.
The Series: First Meeting
The Coaches: Matt Ballard (MSU) and Bill Curry (GSU) have never met head-to-head.
Media Coverage
Television: Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS)
Radio: Eagle Sports Network (Flagship 96.3 FM WIVY or MSUEagles.com)
Play-by-play: Chuck Mraz;
Color: Jason Blanton;
Sidelines: Tanner Hesterberg
After a slow offensive start to the season, the Eagle “O” has picked it up immensely in the last two games, averaging 405.5 yards, including 660 passing yards from the right arm of sophomore quarterback Zach Lewis. Lewis is on track to set the MSU single season passing yardage record and has put up mindblowing numbers in the last three games. His 311-yard, four-touchdown effort at Marist earned him notice as one of the national FCS Performers of the Week this week. In the last three games, he has 12 touchdown tosses.
The MSU defense is also not something to overlook either. With the PFL’s leading tackler, linebacker Tony Bachman, leading the charge, MSU has been tough against the run. Opponents average just 150 yards on the ground. The MSU “D” is also generating seven tackles-for-loss per outing.
Saturday’s crowd at the Georgia Dome is expected to be one of, if not the, largest group of fans MSU will play in front of this year, but many of those should be wearing Eagle colors. Fourteen MSU players hail from Georgia, meaning the Eagles should have a large contingent of family and friends on hand.
Playing indoors is not something the Eagle program is accustomed to. In fact, the last time MSU played an indoor football game was back in 1992 at East Tennessee State’s Mini-Dome. Coach Matt Ballard has never coached a game in a dome - at least not as a head coach for MSU. It won’t be the first time the Eagle program has played in a National Football League venue, however, as in 1997 and 1998 the Eagles played South Florida at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' former stadium and the new Raymond James Stadium.
Saturday’s game will mark the final of three straight road games for the Eagles. They’ll be back in Jayne Stadium in Morehead in two weeks when they host Davidson at 1 p.m. MSU is off next weekend.
Quick Hits
--Saturday’s game is the final in a three-game road swing.
--Morehead State ranks second in the PFL in passing yardage per game.
--MSU hasn’t won a game against a team from Georgia since 1932.
--Jerome Raymond has a team high 7.5 tackles-for-loss this year.
--Zach Lewis is on pace to break the MSU single-season passing yardage record.
--This is the second time MSU will play a game in an NFL stadium.
