School

Led by Pappas’ School-Record, Football Prevails 45-38 in Overtime Over Dayton


PappasDayton


Kells/Kelly Barrett






38




Dayton
DAY

2-2 , 1-1


45






Morehead State
MOR

2-2 , 1-0
























Score By Quarters
Team
1st

2nd

3rd

4th

OT
F

DAY
Dayton
0 21 7 10 0 38

MOR
Morehead State
3 14 14 7 7 45


Game Recap: Football | | By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations





BOX SCORE (PDF)

MOREHEAD, Ky. –

– Morehead State junior quarterback Mark Pappas threw for a program-record 481 yards and six touchdowns, including three to senior wideout BJ Byrd, as the Eagles outlasted visiting Dayton 45-38 in overtime Saturday at Jayne Stadium.

Byrd also hauled in a career-best 14 catches for 191 yards to rank in the top five among single-game receiving performances in Morehead State history. His total is also the third highest single-game effort in the FCS this year. The Eagles improved to 2-2 overall and started PFL 1-0 for the first time since 2017 – when they also beat Dayton.

Defensively, senior end Vaughn Taylor, Jr., led the team with a career-best 12 total stops and 3.5 for losses. Taylor leads the PFL in tackles for loss. Safety Cooper Krezek also had a career day with 11 tackles and four pass break ups, while senior linebacker Vincent Winey totaled 2.5 stops behind the Flyer line and eight total tackles.

Pappas was 32-of-43 to break former Eagle Austin Gahafer’s single-game record of 465 set in 2016. His yardage total is the sixth best game in FCS football this fall. Pappas’ six TDs were the second highest single-game effort in school history as well, only behind Chris Swartz’s seven, and the second highest single-game output on the FCS level this fall.

The Eagles had 569 total yards.

Senior wide receiver DeVonte Adams caught a 25-yard pass from Pappas on the first play in overtime to take the 45-38 lead, and defensive back Tyler Noble picked off a Dayton pass in the end zone on the Flyers’ possession to seal the victory.

The Eagles jumped to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. After Jelani-Ray Garvin got his hand on a Dayton field goal attempt for a block, the Eagles got a successful 25-yard field goal from grad student kicker Andrew Foster. Foster also continued his dominance on special teams, averaging 49 yards on five punts while hitting all six PAT tries.

Pappas and Byrd connected on their first TD with 11:59 to go before the half. A medium-range pass was hauled in by Byrd, who beat his defender and raced down the Flyer sideline for a 46-yard score.

After a Dayton score by QB Jack Cook, Byrd caught a seven-yard TD from Pappas with 2:23 in the quarter. The Eagles had a comfortable 17-7 lead, but Dayton scored two times in the final 51 seconds of the half, including a 60-yard interception return for a score with 10 ticks left before the break.

The teams traded TD passes in the third quarter with Pappas throwing scores to Jeremiah Scott and Thomas Campbell-Clay, who made his first catch of the season a touchdown. After another Pappas-to-Byrd score with 7:23 left in the game, Dayton tied the contest and sent it to overtime with a touchdown and field goal.

Dayton elected to go on defense to start the fifth quarter, but Pappas made quick work of the Flyer secondary, finding Adams on a wheel route for the score. The Flyers moved to the Eagle nine on their chance, but Cook’s ensuing pass was hauled in by Noble in the back of the end zone to end the game.

Morehead State continues league play Saturday when it travels to Presbyterian for a 1 p.m. game.

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