Football Eagles race past Butler on record-setting afternoon in Indiana

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Senior quarterback Austin Gahafer set the Pioneer Football League career passing record and the Morehead State single-game passing record, while senior slot receiver Jake Raymond and senior kicker Matt Ward also established records as the Eagle football team came off its bye week with a convincing 54-28 win at Butler Saturday.
 
Gahafer, from Louisville, Ky., finished 34-of-43 for a school-record 465 yards and five touchdowns. In the process he passed former Jacksonville signal-caller Josh McGregor's PFL career mark of 11,230. Gahafer now has 11,259 career yards through the air. He completed passes to nine different players, including two who had more than 100 yards. He also established the PFL career mark for total offense, now with 11,572. That broke former San Diego and current New York Giants organization QB Josh Johnson's previous standard of 11,563.
 
Raymond, from Pickerington, Ohio, already owned the MSU career record for receptions and hauled in 12 more today for 105 yards. He now sits at 263 career catches, surpassing former Butler wideout Zach Watkins' PFL career standard of 254.
 
Ward, from Franklin, Wis., came into the day with only two career made field goals but was true on boots from 24, 23, 26 and 38 yards today to tie Joey Herbst's MSU single-game FG record set in 2002.
 
The Eagles improved to 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the PFL with their second consecutive win over the Bulldogs and now lead the series 15-5. Butler dipped to 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the league.
 
Gahafer tossed three first-half touchdowns, and defensive lineman C.J. Wall scooped up a fumble and scored from 40 yards out to give the Eagles a 34-7 halftime lead. Wideouts Jarin Higginbotham (nine yards), Jalen Elliott (48 yards) and running back Trevor Jones (28 yards) hauled in TD passes in the opening 20 minutes.
 
In the second half, Gahafer hit junior Christian Robinson for a 19-yard score and airmailed a 77-yard strike to Elliott for the Eagles' final touchdown on the first play of the final quarter. Elliott, a freshman, recorded a career-best 149 yards.
 
Defensively, in addition to Wall's heroics, junior lineman Colt Briggs had 1.5 tackles for loss, including the sack that Wall finished off. He also recovered a fumble and broke up a pass. Chauncey Johns also recovered and forced a fumble, while Armand Walker caused a fumble as well. The Eagles scored 13 points off Butler mistakes.
 
Morehead State will wrap up the home portion of its schedule next Saturday when Campbell visits at 1 p.m. ET. Twenty members of the program will be honored prior to the contest.