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VALPARAISO, Ind. – Junior quarterback Zach Lewis tallied his fourth 300-yard passing effort this season and senior fullback Desmond Cox recorded his third straight 100-yard rushing performance to help Morehead State post a 38-14 win over Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon at Brown Field.
The Eagles, who snap a three-game skid, improve to 2-3 on the season and 1-1 in the Pioneer Football League. The Crusaders, who have now dropped 24 consecutive contests, fall to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in conference action. MSU also improves its all-time record against Valpo to 14-3.
Lewis, who began the day second in the PFL in total yards per game (323.3), passing yards per contest (340.8) and passing efficiency (152.3), finished 38-of-55 for 335 yards and four touchdowns.
The completion total set a Morehead State single-game record. It surpassed the 35 that Lewis recorded against Illinois State earlier this year and the 35 that Chris Swarz tallied vs. Tennessee Tech in 1987.
Cox, who came into the tilt third in the league in rushing yards per game (84.5), collected 131 yards on 21 carries. He now has 386 yards and four scores on 65 attempts over the past three games.
Morehead State, which entered the week leading all NCAA FCS programs in first downs, passing offense and total offense, ran 99 plays for 555 yards against Valparaiso. The total included 371 through the air and 184 on the ground en route to 28 first downs.
Lewis and back-up quarterback Boone Goldsmith combined for 42 completions to 11 different receivers on Saturday. Junior halfback Blake Stanley led MSU with eight catches for 59 yards, while senior halfback Cory Jackson added seven receptions for 71 yards and one touchdown.
The teams traded early scores in the first quarter. Jackson put the Eagles on the board with a four-yard TD run less than five minutes in. The Crusaders responded soon thereafter when freshman quarterback Eric Hoffman fired a 10-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Cole Anderson.
MSU answered by reeling off 28 straight points -- in a 16-minute span -- to take control early in the second half. Junior wide receiver Kevin Thomas started things with a two-yard TD run off a direct snap. Lewis then connected with Cox on a 12-yard scoring pass, Thomas on a 26-yard touchdown strike and junior wide receiver Donte Sawyer on a 12-yard toss to the end zone.
Junior Rainer Duzan, the reigning PFL Special Teams Player of the Week, added a 33-yard field goal in the final period to round out the Morehead State scoring. Duzan also connected on all five extra-point tries in the contest.
Senior linebacker Tony Bachman and sophomore linebacker Thaddeus Winston led the MSU defense with eight tackles apiece. Freshman free safety Andrew Lee and sophomore John Coleman added interceptions in the win, while 11 different Eagles found the tackle-for-loss column.
Hoffman, who went 25-of-51 for 277 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions, led Valparaiso through the air. Freshman Gabe Ali-El, who carried 12 times for 67 yards, was the only Crusader with positive yardage on the ground.
The win comes after back-to-back heartbreaking losses. Morehead State was ahead 21 points in the third quarter on Sept. 17 at Saint Francis (Pa.) and suffered a 50-49 setback. The Eagles were then in front by 17 points after three quarters on Sept. 24 against San Diego and suffered a 48-44 defeat.
Morehead State continues conference play next Saturday when it hosts Drake at 1 p.m. ET. The contest will be carried live by the Eagle Sports Network, which includes WIVY-96.3 FM, WLGC-1550 AM and WMST-1150 AM. Live updates will also be available on MSUEagles.com.
