BOX SCORE
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State Football scored 45 unanswered points and only allowed 53 total offensive yards to visiting Kentucky Christian after the first quarter as the Eagles rolled to a 48-7 Family Weekend victory over the Knights at Jayne Stadium Saturday night.
MSU has started 2-0 for the first time since 2007, winning the first two games of new head coach Jason Woodman's MSU tenure.
SEE WOODMAN TALK ABOUT THE TEAM IN THE WIN
The Eagles won with stars in all three phases of the game.
Defensively, safety
Matthew McClelland tied the program single-game record with three interceptions while also collecting six tackles (0.5 for losses), and defensive back
Jalen Henderson picked off a pass for the second straight game to open his Division I foray. MSU's defense forced five Knight turnovers. Linebacker
Branden Stearman led the Eagles with eight tackles, while lineman
Noah Benza totaled two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
SEE MCLELLAND TALK ABOUT HIS PERFORMANCE
Offensively, quarterback
Connor Genal finished 15-of-23 for 221 yards and three touchdowns, two to wide receiver
Ryan Upp - who just missed his fourth career 100-yard effort with 94. MSU's other two QBs who saw action - freshmen
David Parsons and
Ben Hanson - also each threw their first career touchdown passes. Wideouts
Nate Garnett,
Anthony Ice and
Harrison Cohen all hauled in TDs - with Ice grabbing the one from his high school teammate Parsons.
SEE GARNETT TALK ABOUT TONIGHT'S WIN
On special teams, Garnett returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown, and
Thomas Schwartz V connected on two field goals and was 6-of-6 on PATs.
Following a 31-yard successful FG by Schwartz with 1:42 left in the first quarter, the Eagles spotted the Knights a 7-3 lead as Dejon Winburn caught a 16-yard strike from Jett Engle with 47 ticks remaining in the quarter. KCU never reached the end zone again.
MSU found paydirt six more times. Garnett's 63-yard TD catch started the scoring at 10:23 in the second quarter. Upp had a 38-yard scoring scamper from Genal as MSU led 20-7 at the halftime. Garnett took a punt at his own 44-yard line with 6:23 left in the third and raced across the field before turning the corner and rambling 56 yards for his first career punt return for a score. Ic'e 10-yard score from Parsons came in the third frame, and Cohen caught a Hanson toss from 10 yards away with 3:30 remaining.
MSU finished with 369 total yards and held KCU to just 145. The Knights managed to convert only one of 10 third-down tries. The Eagles were also five of six in the red zone and did not turn the ball over - now with no turnovers committed in the first two games.
The Eagles step into the spotlight of FCS next week when they travel to No. 4 Montana for a 3 p.m. ET Saturday kickoff in Missoula, Mont.
