MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State Football claimed its first Pioneer Football League victory of the 2026 season, claiming a 38-31 victory over Stetson on Saturday afternoon, at Phil Simms Stadium in Morehead, Ky. 

Eagle running backs Blake Fisher and Jackson Lanier, alongside quarterback Bryce Patterson, combined for 204 rushing yards, the most since Sept. 20, 2025, when the Eagles rushed for 289 against Kentucky Christian. 

"I'm just very proud of the guys, we've had some tough weeks," said Head Coach Jason Woodman. "They've faced a lot of adversity and have been challenged a lot over the past couple weeks. We were in position to make plays at the end of the game, they stuck it out, finished it, and did what they had to. Especially for some of these older guys that have been here, who may have not had the best senior year heading in, but they've been grinding and working to never give up. So to get them out there and let them win a game like this is great."

Saturday's contest was during Homecoming weekend, as thousands of alumni returned to campus to celebrate the occasion, filling the tailgate lot with a festive atmosphere, and the stands with a lot of blue and gold.

Morehead State improved to 2-6, 1-3 in the PFL, while Stetson dropped to 1-7 (0-4 in conference play).

Morehead State's first drive featured an air attack from the arm of Patterson, featuring a 23-yard pass to Morehead State receiving leader, Anthony Ice, a 26-yard pass to Riley Purcell, and an eventual touchdown to Eagle sophomore, Cannon Dinger, for his fifth touchdown of the season.

The Hatters responded in the back half of the first quarter when Stetson quarterback Thomas Von Grote took the top off the Eagles defense for a 37-yard touchdown to Landon Farco, tying the game at seven.

An errant squib-kick by Stetson gave the Eagles possession near midfield. Morehead State proceeded to run the ball on seven consecutive plays, with Fisher, Lanier and Patterson sharing the workload. Fisher capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run, putting the Eagles ahead 14-7. 

In the second quarter, Von Grote threw a deep pass over the middle to Farco, who proceeded to break five tackles, scoring from 43 yards out to tie the game at 14. 

When the next drive stalled, Morehead State punter Ashton Adams punted the ball to Farco who caught it at the Stetson 16-yard line, and returned it 52 yards to the Morehead State 31. Hatters running back Troy Flowers tallied 18 yards on the drive, taking it in for the go-ahead score, putting Stetson up 21-14 with 4:43 remaining in the first half.

Morehead State took the ball 60+ yards into the red zone, but the drive stalled and MSU turned it over on downs, halting the game heading into halftime.

Coming out of halftime, Patterson threw a short pass to Ice, who took it 38 yards into Stetson territory. The drive ended in a Jordan Price 41-yard field goal, bringing the Eagles back within four, 21-17.

The Hatters adjacent drive was similar, stalling within the red zone and taking the three points, thanks to a 31-yard field goal from kicker Trey Hess, extending Stetson's lead back to seven, 24-17. 

In the following drive, the Eagles faced a 3rd and 13. With the pocket collapsing, Patterson dumped off a pass to Lanier who took it 45 yards all the way down to the Stetson 10-yard line. Patterson then turned to his other back, Fisher, who took a screen-pass into the end zone from 10-yards out on 3rd and 10 to the game up at 24. 

At the start of the fourth quarter, Von Grote dialed up a deep pass to the end zone, but due to miscommunication on the route, Morehead State's Alex Herrera, Jr. made a spinning, leaping grab to claim the game's lone interception.



MSU turned that interception into points, thanks to Fisher's 38 yards on the ground (four rushes) and 17 yards on the air (2 receptions), aiding his 11-yard receiving touchdown from Patterson to put the Eagles back on top, 31-24. 



It was time for the defense to step up, and that it did. Stetson drove into Morehead State territory, deciding to go for it on 4th and 4, but Lane Sumerel claim flying off the edge on a blitz, sacking Von Grote for a nine-yard loss and a Stetson turnover.

Once again, the Morehead State offense ran the ball all over the Hatters, running the ball seven times on the next drive, tallying 51 yards on the ground from the Fisher/Lanier/Patterson trio. This time, Lanier was the touchdown scorer, taking it in from five yards out to put Morehead State up 39-24. 

The Hatters weren't done yet. They crafted a 41 second drive, scoring once again thanks to a short pass from Von Grote to Shawne Jones to bring the game back within seven, 38-31.

Morehead State ran the clock out on three plays, effectively claiming Saturday's contest, 38-31. 

Fisher led the Eagles in rushing, finishing the game with 98 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries (5.4 AVG), and 30 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the air on five catches. Lanier also tallied 55 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 12 carries, as well as his lone, big-time catch for 45 yards. Ice led the Eagles in receiving while tallying 95 yards on only four catches, averaging over 23 yards per catch. Dinger added a touchdown.

Patterson finished the game 14 of 25 for 234 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Eagle quarterback also added 70 yards rushing. 

Defensively, Blake Surratt and Sidney Webb led the Eagles in total tackles with nine, each with a tackle for loss. Sumerel recorded a sack, while KJ Hardesty and Luke Popovich combined for half a sack. Herrera tallied an interception and two pass breakups, while Tazion McQueen and Zayden Harvey each recorded a breakup. Quinton Griffin added two quarterback hurries. 

Morehead State will be back in action on Halloween, Oct. 31, when the Eagles take on Drake in Morehead, Ky. at Phil Simms Stadium.