For the second straight weekend, the Morehead State football team had a chance to win on the game's final play, but Saturday the comeback fell short as the Eagles succumbed 40-35 to the Valparaiso Beacons on Homecoming at Jayne Stadium.
The back-and-forth battle featured more than 1,000 combined total yards, but unfortunately a late go-ahead touchdown by Valpo could not be matched on the Eagles' final drive, and the Beacons picked off a potential game-winning toss in the end zone as time expired. MSU slipped to 2-5 and 1-3 in the PFL, while Valpo won for the first time at MSU since 2006 and moved to 4-3 and 3-1.
MSU quarterback Grady Cramer completed a career-best 25 passes for a career-high 326 yards and two scores - both to wideout Christian Graves, who finished with a career-high five catches for 115 yards.
The Eagles also blocked their nation-leading sixth punt of the season as Cooper Krezek blocked Valpo to start the second quarter and picked up the ball on the one-yard line and fell into the end zone for a TD. Krezek, who also led the defense with nine tackles, later had a pick-six, intercepting Beacon QB Michael Appel and returning it 23 yards for a score.
But the Eagles had trouble containing Valpo running back Aaron Dawson, who ran for 241 yards and two scores, including the game-winning TD on a 28-yard run with 5:37 remaining.
With 12:53 left in the game, Cramer hooked up with Graves on a 73-yard scoring pass - the longest pass play of the year for MSU - to put MSU ahead 35-31. Valpo had gone ahead 31-28 earlier in the stanza when Brian Batholomew booted a 26-yard field goal. He also nailed a 48-yarder with 10 minutes left to pul the Beacons to within 35-34.
Besides the two defensive scores and the two Graves' TDs, running back Chance Harris opened the scoring flurry with a one-yard score on the Eagles' first possession. James Louis had a team-best 74 yards on just eight carries.
The Eagles are back on the road next week when they head to Indianapolis, Ind., to face Butler at Noon ET.
By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations