1 Morehead State opened the season last Thursday, with a 56-14 win over Kentucky Christian
The Eagles dominated their in-state NAIA opponent, leading 35-7 at halftime and 49-7 near the end of the 3rd quarter. It’s the first time Morehead has opened the season 1-0 since 2012. The Eagles had 625 total yards compared to Kentucky Christian’s 221.
Morehead State is a member of the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League which boasts fellow members such as Dayton, Jacksonville, Butler, Campbell, and Davidson. Liberty faced off against the Jacksonville Dolphins last season, coming away with a 55-7 win in the 2016 home opener. Meanwhile, the Eagles lost to the Dolphins, 61-49, on October 22nd in Morehead, Kentucky. Morehead State finished the 2016 season with a 4-7 overall record and 3-5 mark in conference play. They opened the 2016 season with an 80-7 loss at eventual national champion James Madison.
Liberty leads the all-time series with Morehead, 5-3. The last meeting came in 1991 which resulted in a 12-10 Morehead State victory. The last meeting in Lynchburg was in 1990, a 42-13 Liberty win.
2 Quarterback Lawson Page shines in season opening win
Making his first career start, junior quarterback Lawson Page was brilliant in MSU’s season opening win. Page was nearly perfect, finishing the game 21-of-23 passing for 284 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also rushed 7 times for 49 yards. In the first half, Page was a perfect 14-of-14 passing for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns. With the Eagles up big, Page did not play in the 4th quarter. Following his standout performance, Page was selected as the Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week.
In 2016, he led the Eagles with 7 rushing touchdowns, a mark that led the team. He played primarily as the 3rd and 4th down situational signal caller in 2016 for Morehead State.
3 Freshmen running backs make impressive debuts
Morehead State was led on the ground by a pair of freshman running backs, who each eclipsed the century mark in their MSU debuts. Robert London had 133 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while Logan Holbrook had 104 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 carries. London is a 5’10”, 205 pound redshirt-freshman from Erlanger, Kentucky. Holbrook is a 5’6″, 193 pound redshirt-freshman from Taylorsville, Kentucky.
As a team, the Eagles rushed for 311 yards and 4 touchdowns on 51 carries in their opener.
4 Head coach Rob Tenyer is in his 5th season
Rob Tenyer has been the Eagles’ head coach since December 2012. He’s been at Morehead State for the past 17 years, serving as an assistant for 12 seasons before being named head coach. Most recently, he was MSU’s offensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012.
5 MSU has had 1 winning season in the past decade
The Eagles finished the 2015 season with a mark of 7-4. Dating back to the 2009 season, Morehead is 25-53 overall.
