87th season of Eagle football kicks off Saturday at JMU

Game Notes (MSU | JMU) | Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The 87th season of Morehead State football will officially kick off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET at James Madison, and optimism is at an all-time high for head coach Rob Tenyer, his staff and the athletes in the program.

After a month of battling each other and jockeying for roles, the depth chart has been set, and Morehead State will face one of the nation's top teams in James Madison. The Dukes head into 2016 with a new head coach and are ranked as high as sixth nationally in one top-25 FCS preseason poll.

Saturday's game can be heard live on the Free Enterprise Eagle Sports Radio Network, with WIVY 96.3 FM again serving as the flagship station. Live audio is accesible through the EagleEmpire app or WIVY's live stream. Live stats and live video are available on MSUEagles.com, and updates can be obtained throughout by following @MSUEaglesLive on Twitter.

"It's time for some 'live bullets' if you will," said Tenyer, who enters his fourth season as the head man and led MSU to its most successful campaign in a decade last year. "I think we are about as healthy as we've ever been going into a season opener. More than anything I am looking forward to watching our team compete."

The Eagles finished 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the Pioneer League last year, the highest marks since 2007. After a season-opening 56-7 loss at the very same stadium as Saturday night's game and a narrow three-point loss at VMI last year, the Eagles won seven of their last nine games. Tenyer believes the 2016 Eagles can be better, but is cautious to see how this year's squad will perform early on.

"You know how it is the first week," he said. "There is just so much unknown, so we don't try to predict the future. We are focusing right now on a very good James Madison team. Every team has the opportunity to develop an identity, and that's usually in the first two or three weeks of the season. But they also have a great opportunity to leave a legacy."

The Eagles return five starters on offense and defense, and a pair of kickers are back. Included in that core group is 2015 PFL Offensive Player of the Year quarterback Austin Gahafer and fifth-year senior slot receiver and kick returner Jake Raymond. With just one catch Saturday, Raymond will set the MSU career record for receptions at 200. On the front line, all-PFL linemen Liam Maloney and C.J. Phillips are back. Defensively, juniors Dustin Casey and Colt Briggs will anchor an experienced line, while 2015 leading tackler Ryan Bennett (96 stops) leads the linebackers, and second-leading tackler Dominic Iori (76 tackles) heads a veteran defensive back contingent.

"I feel like we are in better condition this year, and we are more versatile," Tenyer added. "We worked very hard in the recruiting process to find the right pieces to be successful."

Morehead State will return next weekend to host VMI for Howard Murphy Day and the home opener. Tickets are on sale now, including single-game and season tickets (as well as Eagle Rally Zone tailgating spaces). For tickets, head to MSUEagles.com/Tix. Limited-edition Phil Simms bobbleheads are also on sale now, and all season ticket holders (fans who buy a regularly-priced $65 season ticket) will receive one bobblehead free as compliments of MSU Athletics. To purchase just a bobblehead for only $35, go to MSUEagles.com/Simms.