MOREHEAD, Ky. -- In a second half that featured 467 combined yards and 56 total points, the Morehead State football team saw its late lead fall by the wayside Saturday at Phil Simms Stadium, and the Eagles dropped a 45-35 PFL contest to visiting Drake.

Drake led 17-7 at the half, but Morehead State out-gained the Bulldogs 212-7 in the third quarter and regained the 21-17 lead before adding an early fourth quarter score to move ahead 28-17. The Eagles led 35-25 with 5:05 remaining but an untimely roughing the passer penalty on Drake's fourth down attempt with just more than a minute left gave Drake new life, and the Bulldogs cashed in the go-ahead touchdown with 49 seconds left. The team from Des Moines, Iowa, ended up out scoring MSU 28-14 in the fourth quarter.

On the Eagles' final offensive play, Drake forced a strip-sack fumble and returned it 38 yards for the final margin. MSU fell to 2-7 overall and 1-4 in the PFL. Drake upped its mark to 3-6 overall and 3-3 in the league.

The setback overshadowed a couple of highlight performances from both sides of the ball for the Eagles.

Sophomore safety Sidney Webb, already ranked in the top five in the PFL in tackles, registered a career-high 19 stops - which is the most by any league player in a game this fall. Junior wideout Anthony Ice hauled in six catches for a career-best 175 yards - the second highest single game total in the PFL this season. Ice caught three second-half touchdowns and also had 64 kick-return yards. That added up to a PFL single-game best 239 all-purpose yards. Freshman linebacker Blake Surratt stuffed the stats with a career-high 11 tackles, 1.5 for losses, a sack, an interception, and three pass break ups. Freshman running back Blake Fisher nearly piled up 100 yards for the second straight weekend, gaining 94 today with a touchdown.

QB Bryce Patterson completed 20 passes for a season-high 371 yards and four touchdowns. He now has 1,229 yards passing and 10 aerial scores since taking over the starting role four games ago.

Drake defensive lineman Tyson Shivers returned the final fumble for the score and had 11 total stops and three in the backfield. The Eagles out-gained Drake 489-405 but lost two fumbles and were sacked five times.

After the defense forced a turnover on downs, the home team took its opening possession 70 yards on six plays, capped by Fisher's 24-yard touchdown jaunt at the 8:40 mark of the first period. Drake answered at 5:37 when Braylon Wilson connected with running back Kevaughn Clark on a 54-yard score. The Bulldogs went up 10-7 at 7:59 of the second quarter on a 33-yard field goal.

Drake made it 17-7 with 1:01 left before halftime when Wilson rushed in the first of his two ground TDs.

That's when the MSU offense took over, compiling three consecutive 80+-yard drives for touchdowns. Ice caught a 28-yarder from Patterson with 10:36 left in the third period as MSU came back to within 17-14. An 11-yarder from Patterson to Ice with 5:59 to go in the third gave the Eagles a 21-17 lead. Patterson found Cannon Dinger on a 15-yard score early in the fourth quarter as the Eagles moved ahead 28-17.

The visitors scored just three minutes and converted the two-point pass as they pulled to within 28-25. Ice found the end zone again with 5:50 remaining on a 52-yard pitch and catch from Patterson. Ice eluded a defender trying to knock the pass away and out-raced the defense to the end zone as MSU led 35-25. But Drake got a 60-yard kick return on the ensuing boot, which set it up a minute later on a TD to creep back to 35-32. 

Drake forced a three-and-punt by MSU and then drove to the Eagle 32-yard line. On a fourth down play, a pass went awry but a late roughing the passer call was enforced, and Drake then scored two plays later on Clark's two-yard rush. Drake led 39-35.

On MSU's final possession, Patterson connected with Keegan Zylstra on a 40-yard pass to the Drake 42-yard line, but a penalty nullified the play. MSU later converted a fourth-and-10 play to set up the final play. Bulldog lineman Devyn Davis busted free to sack Patterson and force the ball loose, where Shivers scooped and scored as time ran out.

Morehead State continues PFL play at Marist next Saturday at Noon ET.