Football Comes Up Short to Valpo in Epic PFL Showdown

BOX SCORE

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- For the second straight weekend, the Morehead State football team had a chance to win on the game's final play, but Saturday the comeback fell short as the Eagles succumbed 40-35 to the Valparaiso Beacons on Homecoming at Jayne Stadium.

The back-and-forth battle featured more than 1,000 combined total yards, but unfortunately a late go-ahead touchdown by Valpo could not be matched on the Eagles' final drive, and the Beacons picked off a potential game-winning toss in the end zone as time expired. MSU slipped to 2-5 and 1-3 in the PFL, while Valpo won for the first time at MSU since 2006 and moved to 4-3 and 3-1.

MSU quarterback Grady Cramer completed a career-best 25 passes for a career-high 326 yards and two scores - both to wideout Christian Graves, who finished with a career-high five catches for 115 yards.

The Eagles also blocked their nation-leading sixth punt of the season as Cooper Krezek blocked Valpo to start the second quarter and picked up the ball on the one-yard line and fell into the end zone for a TD. Krezek, who also led the defense with nine tackles, later had a pick-six, intercepting Beacon QB Michael Appel and returning it 23 yards for a score.

But the Eagles had trouble containing Valpo running back Aaron Dawson, who ran for 241 yards and two scores, including the game-winning TD on a 28-yard run with 5:37 remaining.

With 12:53 left in the game, Cramer hooked up with Graves on a 73-yard scoring pass - the longest pass play of the year for MSU - to put MSU ahead 35-31. Valpo had gone ahead 31-28 earlier in the stanza when Brian Batholomew booted a 26-yard field goal. He also nailed a 48-yarder with 10 minutes left to pul the Beacons to within 35-34. 

Besides the two defensive scores and the two Graves' TDs, running back Chance Harris opened the scoring flurry with a one-yard score on the Eagles' first possession. James Louis had a team-best 74 yards on just eight carries.

The Eagles are back on the road next week when they head to Indianapolis, Ind., to face Butler at Noon ET.