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MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Sophomore quarterback Austin Gahafer threw for 277 yards and tossed five touchdown passes, while the Morehead State offense ran 87 plays and piled up 439 yards in a 49-36 victory against visiting Pikeville (Ky.) Saturday night in front of 8,918 fans at Jayne Stadium.
Morehead State improved to 1-1, while UPike fell to 1-1.
"First of all, this was a great end to a great week on campus," Head Coach Rob Tenyer said. "We had a huge turnout. Thank you to all the fans, not only here in Morehead, but we had a lot of people from the surrounding area too. Our staff did a great job promoting this game."
After falling behind 7-0 on the first play the Bears ran from scrimmage, the Eagles outscored the visitors 28-0 in the second quarter to build a 35-10 halftime advantage and added another touchdown early in the third period to push ahead 42-10.
Gahafer's touchdown total was a career high, and he also rushed for a team-best 44 yards on nine carries. He was 30-of-43 with no interceptions. Gahafer now has six touchdowns and no interceptions in the first two games.
The game was delayed for 35 minutes at the start because of lightning in the area and was halted again for about 30 minutes following the first touchdown.
"After they scored and we had to delay again, I told our team we have to come back out focused and locked in," Tenyer said. "I thought we did that on both sides of the ball. We played a really good first half."
Seth Millar raced 49 yards for the opening score just 21 seconds into the game before Gahafer threw a pair of touchdowns to senior wideout Cyrus Strahm for nine and 16 yards. He also connected with sophomore slot receiver Jake Raymond on a 20-yard score, hit sophomore wide receiver Darius Pritchett for his first career touchdown catch, a 19-yard connection, and threw a 30-yard TD to junior wide receiver Tanner Napier.
Freshman running back Lawrence Jones also scored, scampering eight yards to paydirt in the second quarter. Senior slot receiver Brandon Bornhauser accounted for the Eagles' final points on a 45-yard kickoff return following an onside attempt.
The Morehead State defense forced three turnovers, including two fumbles caused by junior linebacker Luke Keller. He also led the team with 11 total tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack. Senior safety Mike Jackson intercepted a pass for the second straight week, notching his seventh career pickoff. Junior cornerback Eric Pugh, Jr., recovered two Pikeville fumbles.
"Mike's interception was a momentum changer," Tenyer said. "We got that turnover and scored and then we got another turnover right away. Our defense played great in the first half. I think we got a little lackadaisical in the second half though. We have to play an entire game. Even with a big lead, our defense has to stay focused and continue to make plays."
Strahm finished with a team-high 77 yards on eight catches. Raymond hauled in six passes for 66 yards. Bornhauser totaled 124 all-purpose yards.
The offense also converted 10-of-17 third-down situations and was 3-of-4 on fourth-down attempts.
Millar rushed for a game-best 130 yards on 15 carries for the Bears. Quarterback Hasani Warren was 13-of-20 for 192 yards and a touchdown. Pikeville's offense also generated 439 yards. The game featured 25 penalties for 213 combined yards.
Morehead State faces former Oho Valley Conference rival Eastern Kentucky next Saturday. Kickoff at Roy Kidd Stadium is set for 6 p.m. ET, and the game will be shown live on the Ohio Valley Conference Digital Network.
"We made a big jump from week one to week two," Tenyer added. "That's what good teams do. They continue to improve each week so we need to make even more improvements from week two to week three."
