GAME NOTES (PDF) | SCHEDULE PAGE (LIVE STATS, LIVE VIDEO, AUDIO)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State Football is back on the road this weekend, but this time the trip will be a bit shorter than the 2,000 miles the team traveled last week. This week, MSU makes the 70 mile drive to Richmond, Ky., to face Eastern Kentucky. The Eagles and Colonels kick off at 6 p.m. ET Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium.
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 provide the radio call with Tom Lewis on the sidelines. 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+.
Morehead State renews what historically was known as the "Hawg Rifle" rivalry with Eastern Kentucky. While the programs have played 71 times since 1927, EKU and MSU have only met five times since MSU left the OVC in 1995. MSU's last win in the series (and last in Richmond) came in 1990. EKU has won 28 of the previous 29 meetings.
The Colonels are 1-2, having opened their United Athletic Conference slate last weekend at home with a 26-7 win over West Georgia. EKU lost to Mississippi State and Western Kentucky.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Record vs. EKU: 16-51-4
First Meeting: Nov. 12, 1927 EKU won 12-6 at MSU
Last Meeting: Aug. 30, 2018 EKU won 49-23 at EKU
Eagles' Record in Morehead: 6-23-3
Eagles' Record in Richmond, Ky.: 10-28-1
Neutral Record: 0-0
GAME NOTES
• MSU started 2-0 for the first time since 2007. The Eagles won head coach Jason Woodman's Division I and Eagle debut on Aug. 29, 17-10, over Central State. Woodman is the first MSU head coach to win his debut game since Bill Baldridge in 1984. He is also the first MSU coach since Tom Lichtenberg in 1979, to start his MSU coaching career 2-0.
• MSU's defense has forced its three opponents into 24 drives this year with either a punt, turnover or turnover on downs.
• MSU ranks among the FCS's top 10 teams in fewest penalties/game (2nd - 3.00), total penalties (4th - 9), fewest penalty yards/game (4th - 26.6) and fewest total penalty yards (8th - 80)
• QB
Connor Genal made his first career MSU start against Kentucky Christian and threw for 221 yards on 15 completions with three TDs. Although it was his first start here, it was not his first starting assignment in college. In 2020, at New Mexico, Genal made his first career start - and the first by a Lobo walk-on quarterback in 19 years - against Wyoming.
• Morehead State is one of 28 FCS teams that has NOT lost a fumble this season. This marks the second straight season MSU has gone at least three games in a row without losing a fumble and three of the last four years with the same feat.
• Defensive back
Richard Sweeney III picked off his career pass in the Montana game. As a program MSU now has at least one interception in seven straight games dating back to 2023, and five of those games have resulted in 2+ pickoffs. Safety
Matthew McClelland and defensive back
Jalen Henderson rank No. 1 and 2 in the nation, respectively, in interceptions per game.
• Running backs
James Louis and
Chance Harris have combined for 1,907 rushing yards in their careers. Louis ranks among the MSU top 20 in career yards gained with 1,173.
• Wide receiver Nathan Garnett, Jr., ranks No. 1 in the PFL in punt return average, averaging 35.0 yards. He returned his first career punt for a 56-yard TD against Kentucky Christian.
•
Ryan Upp went over the 1,000-yard mark for his career in receiving yards at Montana, now with 1,008 in his four years. Upp's nine TDs last fall ranked as the fifth best single-season total in MSU program history.
• Defensive linemen
Noah Benza has 69 career total tackles, but 16.5 of those are behind the opponents' lines of scrimmage, meaning every 1 in 4 tackles Benza makes is a TFL.
• Wideouts Nathan Garnett, Jr. and
Anthony Ice each recorded their first career TD catches against KCU. Ice caught a 10-yard score from his high school teammate, QB
David Parsons.
• With Jason Woodman coming on board to lead the Eagles, that meant a whole new coaching staff as well. Here are the new faces mentoring the Eagle program: Travis Everhart, associate head coach/offensive line/run game coordinator; Wil Truelove, defensive coordinator; Roland Brady, defensive line; Laurence Treadaway, defensive backs/special teams; Kyle Weiss, wide receivers/recruiting coordinator; Austin Schmidt, running backs; Joey Kiernan, outside linebackers; Tom Keane, tight ends; and Donald Dice, field coordinator/equipment
• Long snapper
Brady McKnight has appeared in all 42 games in his Eagle career. He is in his fourth full season as the team's snapper.
