MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State opens its Pioneer Football League slate on Saturday at Jacksonville. Kick-off from Milne Field is set for 1 p.m. ET.
The Eagles are 0-2 overall after a 67-13 defeat at No. 25 Youngstown State. The Dolphins are also 0-2 after a 48-13 setback at Jacksonville State.
JU owns an 8-4 advantage vs. MSU and has won seven straight games in the series. The Dolphins topped the Eagles, 38-17, last year in Morehead.
Ways to follow the game:
LIVE AUDIO (CPU) | LIVE AUDIO (mobile) | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
Chuck Mraz (play-by-play), Jason Blanton (analyst) and Mike Williams (sidelines) will call all the action on the Eagle Sports Network. Radio affiliates include WIVY-96.3 FM (Morehead), WMST-1150 AM & 106.9 FM (Mt. Sterling) and WLGC-1520 AM (Ashland).
Releases and pre-game information:
MOREHEAD STATE | JACKSONVILLE | PIONEER FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Ten notes heading into the contest:
RECENT HISTORY IN THE PFL
Morehead State owns a 14-26 Pioneer Football League record (.350) over the past five seasons. MSU's last win in a conference opener was a 26-13 decision over Davidson on Oct. 4, 2008.
LET'S CHANGE THIS TREND
Morehead State is looking to end a seven-game skid against Jacksonville. The Eagles are searching for their first victory over the Dolphins since a 31-12 triumph on Oct. 7, 2005.
A VERY YOUNG SQUAD
From an eligibility standpoint, just six of Morehead State's 92 players are seniors. The Eagles currently have 18 starters who are freshmen or sophomores (7 offense, 6 defense & 5 special teams).
HOW WAS HIS DEBUT?
Freshman quarterback Austin Gahafer finished 16-of-23 for 148 yards and one touchdown in his collegiate debut at Youngstown State. He also rushed for 32 yards and one score.
THEY'RE BOTH NEW
Neither one of Morehead State's top two quarterbacks, Austin Gahafer or Logan Johnson, had played in a college football game before this season. Johnson, who redshirted in 2012, finished 33-
of-53 for 271 yards in the 2013 opener vs. Pikeville (Ky.).
FINDING THE END ZONE
Junior wide receiver Kitaro Lewis posted his third career touchdown at Youngstown State. The 31-yard reception put Morehead State on the scoreboard with 2:53 before halftime.
THE NEW GUY KEEPS ROLLING
Freshman defensive back Dominic Iori has led Morehead State with eight tackles in each of his first two collegiate games. Ten of his 16 stops have been solos. Iori's 8.0 tackles per game rank second in the league at his position.
OFF TO A STRONG START
The Morehead State defense leads the Pioneer Football League with seven sacks this season. Sophomore defensive end Ronald Cooper paces the conference with 2 1/2 sacks and is tied for first with 3 1/2 tackles for loss.
FINISHING WITH A POSITIVE
Youngstown State built a 60-6 cushion last Saturday by scoring in each of its first nine possessions (7 touchdowns & 2 field goals), but the Morehead State defense forced the Penguins to punt in two of their final three drives.
LET'S START TAKING IT AWAY
Morehead State has yet to force a turnover this season. The Eagles caused 18 opponent miscues in 12 games last year (8 interceptions & 10 fumble recoveries).
