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MOREHEAD, Ky. – School and Pioneer Football League records fell by the wayside Thursday night at Jayne Stadium as the Morehead State football team opened the 2011 season by rolling up 753 yards of total offense, including 474 passing yards, in shutting out visiting Kentucky Christian 67-0.
The defensive effort marked the first shutout for the Eagles since a 33-0 blanking of Drake in 2007, and the offense generated the most points since a 73-point outburst against Austin Peay in 2000.
Junior kicker Rainer Duzan also set the MSU career record for field goals by making good on all four of his attempts, including a career-long 48-yard boot through the uprights in the second quarter that set the halftime score at 41-0. Duzan’s 19 points kicking also established the MSU and PFL record for points kicking in a game.
Along with the passing totals, seven Eagle rushers combined to generate 279 yards on the ground. The 753 total yards shattered the former MSU mark of 728 yards set against Valpo in 1997 and also eclipsed the former PFL mark of 734 yards set by Drake in 2000.
Junior quarterback Zach Lewis threw for 385 yards (27-of-46) and four touchdowns – his fourth career four-touchdown game – while redshirt freshman Boone Goldsmith came on late to toss a pair of touchdowns on 5-of-7 passing for 89 yards. The Eagle signal callers spread the aerial game among 13 receivers with junior Jaison Yoshimura leading the way with 74 yards on three connections, including a 65-yard bomb he nearly took in for another score.
Redshirt freshman Rees Macshara tallied a team high 133 all-purpose yards, rushing for 73 on just nine carries, while junior Greg Lewis topped the Eagle runners with 83 yards and a touchdown via 11 totes. Senior Desmond Cox also found the end zone once and rushed for 65 yards while generating 36 yards receiving. Yoshimura, junior Donte Sawyer, senior Andre Williams, sophomore Brandon Bornhauser, freshman Desi Banks and senior Ronnie McDermott each had receiving touchdowns as well.
Besides pitching the shutout, the Eagle defense notched seven tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception. Senior Tony Bachman and redshirt freshmen Nick McCune and Brian Nelson led the way with seven stops each. Senior defensive end Jerome Raymond continued his streak of games with a tackle for loss as he stretched that to 13 with 2.5 sacks for 16 yards in losses. Raymond also forced a fumble. Freshman Zach Senvisky recorded his first career interception when he picked off KCU quarterback Graham Johnston on the Knights’ first offensive possession.
MSU’s defense held the Knights to just 40 total offensive yards, including only 10 yards on the ground. Johnston was 6-of-17 for 30 yards through the air. After running for more than 180 yards in their season opener, Knights’ tailback Deonte Merricks was held to just a team-best 22 by MSU.
The Eagles closed the first quarter with a 24-0 lead as McDermott caught a 25-yard scoring strike from Lewis and Cox reached paydirt on a three-yard run following Duzan’s first field goal from 19 yards. Sawyer also hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass from Lewis.
Yoshimura snagged a five-yard score from Lewis, and Williams was on the receiving end of Lewis’ fourth touchdown to make it 38-0 with 1:36 left before halftime. Duzan booted his career-long 48-yard field goal with 41 seconds left in the first half.
The Eagles’ kicker added two more field goals, from 26 and 33 yards, to make it 47-0 in the third quarter, and Greg Lewis rambled into the end zone from a yard out on a fourth down play to push the lead to 54-0 in the third.
Goldsmith connected with Bornhauser on a 28-yard pitch and catch to set the margin at 61-0, and Banks finished the scoring flurry by fingering a nine-yard toss from Goldsmith with 2:19 left in the game.
MSU averaged 7.9 yard per play in the contest and Duzan punted just twice but averaged 39.5 yards. The Eagles forced two KCU punters to combine for 12 boots on the night.
Morehead State now looks ahead to next Saturday, Sept. 10 when the Eagles travel to Normal, Ill., to face the Missouri Valley’s Illinois State Redbirds. Kickoff in Hancock Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.
