By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations
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MOREHEAD, Ky. — Morehead State’s football team is primed for a Homecoming matchup with the Butler Bulldogs, who are looking for their first PFL win against the 2-0 Eagles. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. ET Saturday at Jayne Stadium.
The game will air live on ESPN+ with Tanner Hesterberg, Ted McCoart and Elle Howard and can be heard on the Eagle Sports Radio Network with WIVY-96.3 FM serving as flagship station. Chuck Mraz, Jason Blanton and Tom Lewis provide the radio call. Fans can also hear it on MSUEagles.com, WGOH-110.9 FM/1370 AM and WMST-106.9 FM/1150 AM.
Morehead State will get the rare opportunity to face Butler three times in one calendar year this weekend. The Eagles and Bulldogs played twice during the spring season, with MSU winning both. The Eagles have won the last three games against Butler and lead the series 17-8, including an 11-3 advantage in games at Jayne Stadium.
MSU will also bid for its first 3-0 start to PFL play since head coach Rob Tenyer’sfirst season in 2013. Morehead State has only ever started 3-0 in PFL play three times (2002, 2003, 2013). Taking it even further, a win would mark only the sixth 3-0 start to league play since MSU only ever started 3-0 twice when it played OVC football.
THE SERIES
Record vs. Butler: 17-8First Meeting: 1963 (MOR won 31-13)Last Meeting: 4/17/21 (MOR won 28-18)Streak: MOR 3 gamesRecord in Morehead: 11-3Record in Indianapolis: 6-5
GAME NOTES
• Defensive end Vaughn Taylor, Jr., is still ranked FIRST among all FCS players in tackles for loss. Officially with 12 TFLs, Taylor, Jr., is averaging 2.4 stops behind the line per game. He also now has 46 tackles for losses in his career.
• Graduate student QB Mark Pappas has eclipsed the 5,000-yard mark in passing yards for his career, now with 579. He added 313 more to his total at Presbyterian and now has 794 yards in his last two games. Pappas set the MSU single-game record with 481 yards in the overtime win over Dayton.
• Pappas has been named PFL Offensive Player of the Week twice during the 2021 season. He is just one of eight QBs in program history to throw for more than 5,000 yards and needs just 466 more to pass former Super Bowl MVP and Eagle legend Phil Simms (5,545) into seventh place in program history.
• Graduate student Andrew Foster keeps booming punts. Foster is the FCS Punter of the Year Watch List and currently ranks fifth among all FCS punters, averaging 47.0 yards per punt. Foster is also 6-of-9 on FGs and has made all 22 of his extra-point kicks. He has blasted six punts of more than 50 yards and forced seven fair catches this year.
• Foster has scored 168 career points by kicking and has set the MSU record for consecutive PATs made, a record he previously held at 39 during the 2019 season. Foster has successfully converted 42 consecutive PAT kicks since missing his first one at Presbyterian in the spring.
• Senior WR BJ Byrd continues to rank in the top 5 in FCS in receptions per game (4th, 8.0) and yards per game (5th, 106.0). He was held without a TD catch at Presbyterian, but that was the first team other than James Madison to hold him out of the end zone in his 12 career Eagle games.
• Morehead State’s defense is up to THIRD in the nation in tackles for loss per game at 9.2. The Eagles tied their season high with 11 total stops in the backfield at Presbyterian.
• Morehead State’s defense also recorded the most sacks in a game (6) at Presbyterian in the Rob Tenyer era (2013-), marking the highest single-game sack total since Nov. 13, 2010 when the Eagles sacked Valparaiso seven times. The six sacks are tied for the second-best game in the Eagles’ PFL era (2001-).
• Running back Issiah Aguero posted his fifth career 100-yard game with 113 yards at Presbyterian. Aguero averaged 7.1 yards per carry, and seven of his 16 totes resulted in first downs.