Morehead State Head Football Coach Rob Tenyer called Saturday's second spring scrimmage "the most fight he has seen in a long time in a scrimmage" as the Eagle football team worked out at Jayne Stadium.
The defense created three turnovers, including an interception return for a touchdown, and also had a safety, while the offense generated three passing touchdowns.
"I was extremely excited about the passion and enthusiasm of our team today," Tenyer said. "I cannot remember the last time we played with that amount of fight during a scrimmage. It was a great scrimmage for both sides of the ball, and both sides are developing more of an identity as we move through spring."
After a fast start by the offense, moving 50 yards on just two plays, senior safety Dominic Iori nabbed a tipped pass and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown.
The defense continued its early prowess on the next four series, with sophomore linebacker Malik Carr coming up with a crucial tackle for loss that put the offense in third-and-long. The offense had earlier converted a fourth-and-two to keep its momentum going. Freshman linebacker Jeremiah Draper converted a safety for the defense shortly afterward when a poor snap exchange happened to the offense.
Freshman cornerback Chauncey Johns collected an interception of his own on the offense's eighth series.
"Defensively, we are adding some new guys to the mix, and we are getting some production from them quicker than anticipated," Tenyer added. "The defense also created three turnovers today, which is something we are emphasizing. If we can finish in the top three in the PFL in turnover margin, we will have an opportunity to play for a conference championship. It all starts with our defense creating turnovers."
The sixth series was a 10-play, 75-yard drive by the offense, which converted a fourth and short to keep the drive alive. Freshman quarterback Lawson Page hit sophomore tight end Jake Sutherland from 15 yards out for the touchdown, the first of two aerial scores hauled in by Sutherland.
Following Johns' pickoff, the offense responded with a 12-play, 95-yard drive that resulted in a 28-yard passing score from senior signal caller Austin Gahafer to Sutherland.
"Our two tight ends are playing at a very high level right now, and we are finding ways to get them more involved," said Tenyer. "I like the way we are running the ball on early downs, but we need to clean some things up on short downs. I like the progress of the offense, but we must focus on our tempo as we move into the last week of practice."
The final two series were started in the red-zone. The defense came up with a stop on the first series with back-to-back stops in the backfield by freshman lineman David DeVaughn and Draper.
The last series resulted in an offsides free play as freshman quarterback Ethan Jeffers connected with freshman wide receiver Jarin Higginbotham in the back of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown.
Morehead State continues spring workouts this week leading up the spring game Saturday. The alumni game begins at 5 p.m. ET with the spring game kicking off at 7 p.m.
