Football Heads to the Hoosier State to Face Butler

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State football team plays its next two games on the road, beginning with a Noon ET contest at Butler this Saturday. The Eagles are coming off a one-point victory over Valparaiso, while the Bulldogs dropped a two-point affair at Drake.

Morehead State is 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the Pioneer Football League. Butler, which became the first program in league history to earn an automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs last year, is also 3-5 overall and sits at 1-4 in conference matchups. 

Ways to follow the game:

LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO (CPU) | LIVE AUDIO (mobile) | LIVE STATS | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Chuck Mraz (play-by-play), Jason Blanton (analyst) will call all the action on the newly-expanded Eagle Sports Network and MSUEagles.com.  The pre-game show begins 30 minutes prior to kickoff, and the post-game show includes comments from Head Coach Rob Tenyer. Radio affiliates include WIVY-96.3 FM (Morehead - flagship), WMST-1150 AM & 106.9 FM (Mt. Sterling), WLGC-1520 AM (Ashland), WKYH-600 AM (Paintsville) and WCBJ-103.7 FM (Campton). Live stats will be running throughout the contest, and a webcast of the game is available on ButlerSports.com. Game updates will also be available on Twitter and Facebook.


Releases and pre-game information:

MOREHEAD STATE (PDF) | BUTLER | PIONEER FOOTBALL LEAGUE


Game notes heading into the contest:

INSIDE THE BUTLER SERIES
MSU leads the series 12-5. The series began in 1963, with Morehead State winning the first five games (1963, 1964, 1998, 1999, 2000). After dropping their first game in the series in 2001, the Eagles won the next five. Morehead State is 4-4 all-time at the Butler Bowl.

CROWD SUPPORT
Morehead State leads the Pioneer Football League in home attendance. MSU's first four games at Jayne Stadium have drawn an average of 6,021 fans.

COMEBACK KIDS
Morehead State has trailed in all three of its wins this year. The Eagles fell behind at Davidson 18-7 in the first half before rallying for a 40-32 victory. MSU erased a 17-point deficit last Saturday to edge Valparaiso 48-47.

FINISHING DRIVES
Morehead State is 17-of-19 in red-zone chances in its three victories. Overall, the Eagles score 80 percent (28-of-35) of the time inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

NO HOMECOMINGS THIS WEEK
Morehead State does not have any players from Indiana on its 2014 roster. The list features 35 in-state players. Ohio is the next highest state represented, with 32 on the squad.

A LITTLE LESS LAUNDRY
After committing 41 penalties in its first five games, including 14 against Pikeville (Ky.), Morehead State was only flagged 16 times in the last three games.

THE 4,000-CLUB
Sophomore quarterback Austin Gahafer moved above the 4,000-yard mark for his career in the game versus Valparaiso. In 19 games, he has thrown for 4,272 yards (224.8 per game) and 26 touchdowns. He has recorded at least 200 yards passing in 10 games.

BORN TO SCORE
Senior slot receiver Brandon Bornhauser scored two touchdowns, including the game-winning four-yard run with 17 seconds left, against Valparaiso. He has 19 career scores, including 13 via the ground game and one on a kickoff return.

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND
Sophomore slot receiver Jake Raymond moved above the 1,000-yard mark for his career in the Valparaiso contest. MSU's leading receiver has 1,075 yards in his career, including a team-best 431 this year. His career bests came against Butler last season when he hauled in eight passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.

YOU CAN COUNT ON HIM
Senior offensive lineman Joshua Brunner has made 34 consecutive starts dating back to the 2011 season. The last time Brunner did not start was Oct. 22, 2011, versus Dayton.

GETTING THE GROUND GAME GOING
In last week's win versus Valparaiso, the Eagles ran 88 plays, splitting the rushing and passing choices down the middle at 44 each. In the last five games, MSU averaged 44 rushing plays per contest, compared to 35 in the first three outings.

THE KELLER INSTINCT
Junior linebacker Luke Keller leads Morehead State with 59 total tackles, including 30 solo stops. He has two double-digit games this year (11 vs. Pikeville [Ky.] and 10 vs. Valparaiso).

DO IT DOM
Sophomore safety Dominic Iori has recorded interceptions in the last two games. He notched his first career takeaway in the first quarter at Dayton and sealed the victory last week versus Valparaiso with a pick on the Crusaders' last play.

PICKIN PARLOR
The defense has recorded an interception in all but one game this season.

THE BOOKENDS
Sophomore defensive end Dustin Casey and junior end Ronald Cooper have combined for 15 tackles for loss for 64 yards this season. Seven of Casey's 25 total stops have been in the backfield, and he leads the team with four quarterback hurries.

GOOD LUKE CHARM
Senior kicker Luke Boyd has nailed 25-of-26 point-after tries this year. His PAT percentage ranks first in the PFL. He also has six field goals this year and is 15-of-21 in his career.

SHAVI BASHES THE BALL
Freshman kicker Shavi Bash has handled the kickoff duties this year. He averages 54.0 yards per boot and has landed three touchbacks. Bash has also made seven tackles this season.

PAT THE PUNTER
Sophomore Pat DiSalvio has averaged 37.9 yards on 48 punts this year. He has landed seven inside the 20-yard line and has three bombs of 50+ yards, including a career-best 68-yard blast versus Jacksonville.

JUSTIN TIME
Junior slot receiver Justin Cornwall ranks first in the PFL in kick returns, averaging 24.2 per run-back. In the last three games, he returned at least one kickoff for more than 30 yards.