GAME NOTES (PDF) | SCHEDULE PAGE (LIVE STATS, LIVE VIDEO, AUDIO)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State football will take the skies once again this season as the Eagles travel to the Midwest to face Drake Saturday. Kick-off in Des Moines, Iowa is set for 1 p.m. ET.
The game can be heard on the Eagle Sports Radio Network with WIVY-96.3 FM serving as flagship station. Chuck Mraz and Jason Blanton are scheduled to provide the radio call. Fans can also hear it on MSUEagles.com, WGOH-100.9 FM/1370 AM and WMST-106.9 FM/1150 AM. The game will stream live on ESPN+.
The Eagles (6-4/4-2 PFL) can still mathematically win a PFL title but they must defeat the Bulldogs, or else Drake (7-1/6-0 PFL) will clinch its second straight conference title. MSU will be looking for its first-ever win over Drake at its home field. The last win overall versus Drake was a triple overtime thriller (38-35) in Morehead in 2015.
THE SERIES
Record vs. Drake: 3-11
First Meeting: 9/27/03 MSU won 34-17 at MSU
Last Meeting: 9/30/23 Drake won 16-9 at MSU
Eagles' Record in Morehead: 3-4
Eagles' Record in Des Moines, Iowa: 0-7
Neutral Record: 0-0
GAME NOTES
• Morehead State has guaranteed itself of at least a .500 record in 2024. Since 2008 (and not counting the CoVID year of spring 2021), MSU has only had two seasons at .500 or better.
• Morehead State won its first five home games in head coach
Jason Woodman's first season. No other MSU football coach had ever won their first four games at home leading the Eagle program.
• Morehead State's defense has allowed 7 or fewer points to five different opponents this fall. That occurrence has not happened for a MSU team since 1949. In MSU's six wins this season, opponents average just 7.1 points per game.
• Only 1 conference team, Butler, has scored more than three offensive touchdowns against the Eagles in league play.
• MSU ranks second in the nation (FCS) in passing efficiency defense (103.6) and second in the nation in total passing defense (130.6).
• Morehead State is among the best teams in the FCS division at turnovers forced. MSU leads the PFL and ranks ninth in the country in FCS with 21 times the opponents have surrendered the ball.
• Morehead State's defense has 30 interceptions in the last two seasons. This fall, MSU now ranks eighth in the nation in the FCS in interceptions with 13.
• Wide receiver
Nate Garnett ranks third currently among all FCS receivers in yards per catch at 22.0. In the past three games, Garnett has hauled in 426 yards through the air, including a career-best 212-yard game at Dayton. That ranked as the third highest single-game receiving total in program history.
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Nate Garnett is the ONLY FCS wide receiver in the nation with TWO long receptions ranked in the top 10 among longest catches in all of FCS this season. He has two 88-yard touchdown catches, one at Dayton and one at Davidson.
• Wide receivers
Nate Garnett (793 yards) and
Ryan Upp (477 yards) combine to encompass 73 percent of MSU's total aerial game.
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Ryan Upp's 1,321 career receiving yards ranks 11th in program history. He needs just 40 yards to pass Keith Mescher (1974-76) and onto the top 10 list for MSU history.
• Safety
Matthew McClelland ranks FIRST in the PFL with 91 total tackles. He totaled a
career-high 18 tackles in the game at Davidson. With nine more stops, he would secure MSU's third defender with 100+ tackles in a season in the last four seasons.
• Linebacker
Dillon Schobourgh isn't too far behind McClelland in tackles, ranking second on the team with 77 total stops. He had a career-high 16 stops at Davidson.
