FINAL STATS
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Quarterback
Mark Pappas threw for a career-high 300 yards and three touchdowns and defensive end Vaughn Taylor recorded 3.5 tackles, including a sack and a half as the Morehead State football team outlasted Butler 31-20 for a Homecoming victory at Jayne Stadium Saturday.
MSU, now 4-3 and 2-1 in the Pioneer Football League, posted its first 2-1 league start since the 2015 season. The Bulldogs slipped to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in the conference after winning the previous two years' matchups with the Eagles.
Morehead State now travels to Drake next Saturday for a 2 p.m. ET contest.
HOW THE SCORING TRANSPIRED
-Just three minutes into the game, Pappas connected with receiver
DeVonte Adams on a short pass, but Adams slipped past the defense down the home sideline for a 54-yard touchdown - the longest pass play on the year.
-At the 7:56 mark of the opening period, junior kicker
Andrew Foster booted a 44-yard field goal - the second consecutive game for Foster with a 40+ yard successful field goal.
-
Jordan Huffman hauled in a 32-yard Pappas pass at the 12:04 point in the second quarter for a 17-0 Eagle cushion.
-Nick Orlando scored the first of his three touchdowns or Butler at the 7:52 mark of the quarter.
-With just 18 seconds left before halftime, MSU junior QB
DeAndre Clayton finished off a 12-play, 70-play drive with a one-yard run to make it 24-7 Eagles at the half.
-Orlando scored on an eight-yard jaunt early in the third quarter to set the score at 24-14 MSU.
-Orlando scored again early in the fourth quarter, this one from five yards away, to pull Butler to within 24-20 after the PAT sailed wide.
-Pappas gave the Eagles insurance on a 28-yard strike to sophomore slot man
Ian Holder with 4:26 remaining.
KEY STATS
-Pappas was 21-of-29 with the three scores.
-Morehead State generated 393 total offensive yards and held Butler to just 280.
-MSU got fourth quarter interceptions by
Kalen Carson and
Aaron Turk.
-Taylor had 3.5 tackles for loss and a career-best 10 total stops, five solo and five assisted tackles. He also had two quarterback hurries.
-Senior slot receiver
Landon Hurst piled up a career-best 98 yards on eight catches.
-Senior linebacker
Beau Griego had two tackles for loss and a pass breakup.
QUOTING COACH TENYER
"You have to feel good and celebrate. Our kids and staff put so much work and energy into this thing, so you have to have fun when you win. It was a team effort."
"We made plays when we needed to. It wasn't great today, but we did enough to win. We still made some mistakes. We had some opportunities to make plays and didn't convert third downs."
"The defense made some big plays when it counted. I thought we did a really good job making adjustments in the second half."
"
Mark Pappas did some great things today. He made some great reads and stayed in the pocket when he needed to."
"Vaughn Taylor was chasing down running backs down 20 yards down the field. He is so athletic. He had another outstanding game today."
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