The Campbell football team registered three scoring plays of more than 60 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown pass to break a tie late in the fourth quarter, as the Camels defeated Morehead State 31-24 in the Eagles' Homecoming game Saturday at Jayne Stadium.
The Camels (2-3, 2-0 Pioneer Football League) won for the first time ever at MSU. Morehead State (2-3, 1-1 PFL), which still leads the series 4-3, was denied its first 2-0 start to a PFL season since 2007.
"I thought we played a tough game today, but the bottom line was that Campbell made more big plays," Head Coach Rob Tenyer said. "I told our team to keep their heads high though. It is still a long season and we are by no means out of it."
Isaiah Howard's 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown pushed the visitors to a 24-10 lead with 10:10 left in the third quarter immediately after MSU kicker Luke Boyd had pulled his team to within 17-10 via a 28-yard field goal.
MSU got scores from junior slot receiver Justin Cornwall, on a 44-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Austin Gahafer, and a one-yard run from senior slot receiver Brandon Bornhauser to knot the contest at 24 with 5:12 remaining. Following a loss on a first-down play on its next drive, CU quarterback Dakata Wolf found Jared Joyner on a 68-yard strike for the eventual game-winning margin.
The Eagles moved the ball from their own 35-yard line to the Campbell 11, but a fourth down pass fell incomplete with just more than a minute left.
"It was disappointing because we worked on shoring up our special teams and limiting big plays on our bye week," Tenyer added. "We must to continue to improve in those areas."
Campbell also got a 64-yard scoring connection from David Salmon to DeShawn Jones in the second quarter. That came on the second play of Campbell's drive following an MSU touchdown.
The Camels jumped out a 10-0 lead midway through the second period before senior running back Rees Macshara got the hosts on the board with a four-yard run. Macshara rushed for a team-best 110 yards on 23 totes, his second consecutive contest over the century mark and the ninth of his career.
Wolf finished 8-of-12 for 171 yards and a touchdown through the air and rushed for a game-best 116 yards and a score on 14 carries.
MSU junior receiver Tanner Napier hauled in a career-best seven catches for a 110 yards, including a 40-yard reception to the Camel 18-yard line on MSU's final drive.
MSU out-gained Campbell 488-415 but suffered two interceptions. The Eagles limited CU to just 1-of-12 on third-down chances, and Campbell was whistled for 16 penalties for 141 yards.
Gahafer was 26-of-42 for 296 yards, his fourth straight game above the 200-yard mark. Sophomore linebacker Ryan Bennett paced MSU's defense with a career-high 10 stops. Junior defensive lineman Ronald Cooper notched two tackles for loss for the second straight game. Luke Hill was in on a game-best 13 tackles for the Camels.
Morehead State hosts Jacksonville next Saturday at 1 p.m.
"Like I told our team, we can still be successful this season, but we have one of the best teams in the league coming in next weekend," Tenyer said. "We expect to have a great week of practice and work on improving all aspects of our team."
