Honoring 13 members of the 2017 senior class, Morehead State football concluded its season with a 21-14 win over Davidson on a windy Saturday afternoon at Jayne Stadium. The Eagles finish the year with a 4-7 record and a 3-5 mark in the Pioneer Football League, while Davidson ends its season at 2-9 (0-8 PFL).
"Nothing easy," said head coach Rob Tenyer. "I was really proud of the way our kids battled today. Overall, both teams did a really nice job schematically."
Morehead State started off the scoring with a 58-yard touchdown pass from Lawson Page to Jarin Higginbotham with 5:31 remaining in the first quarter, good for the second-longest pass play of the season. The Eagles dominated total yards 116-34 in the opening period, ending the quarter with a 7-0 lead. Neither team would put points on the board for the remainder of the half.
The action picked back up in the third quarter, however, as Davidson tied things up with an 11-yard rush by quarterback Stockton McGuire just two-and-a-half minutes in. Page fumbled on the ensuing MSU possession, giving the Wildcats the ball on the Morehead State 26-yard-line. Davidson running back Wesley Dugger capitalized with a 19-yard carry to the end zone, giving the Wildcats a 14-7 advantage with 10:40 to go in the quarter.
The Eagles' next drive started on the 40-yard-line, allowing Page to eradicate Davidson's short-lived lead in just three plays. The 6-foot-2 Shelbyville, Ky. native kept the ball for 31 yards on the ground for the fourth rushing touchdown of his junior campaign to tie the contest at 14.
Then, with 3:10 left in the third, Page found Higginbotham once more for a 26-yard score through the air. The two teams traded possessions throughout the fourth quarter, setting up one final Davidson drive on the MSU 38-yard-line with only 2:18 left on the scoreboard.
Despite a pass interference call that cost the offense 25 yards, the Wildcats moved the ball 35 yards over the span of 1:21. But, Morehead State safety Aaron Turk ultimately sealed the win for the Eagles with an interception in the game's final minute.
Page finished the game with 213 yards and two touchdowns on 18-for-29 (.621) passing, as well as 67 yards and one touchdown on 18 rushing attempts. Higginbotham's three catches for 109 yards and two scores gave the redshirt junior 10 touchdowns on the season, equaling the third-best total in program history.
Tenyer and the Morehead State staff will spend the winter focusing on recruiting, returning for spring workouts in April 2018.
