Morehead State University Athletics

MOREHEAD, Ky. - The battle of the Eagles begins this Saturday in Durham when Morehead State travels to North Carolina Central for the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

MSU is coming off of a 31-0 loss at St. Francis, but it was a game that was decided by turnovers. Morehead’s defense was strong once again and the offense was able to move the ball effectively. The rainy weather made the ball slick and the Eagles’ giveaways resulted in all but three of SFU’s points.

N.C. Central scored the first 10 points and took No. 24 Liberty to halftime with a 10-7 lead, but the Flames rallied in the second half with 28 points to hand NCCU a 35-10 loss, its second of the season. They also lost 31-24 in their opener at Hampton. Saturday will mark N.C. Central’s first home game of 2009, the second time in as many weeks MSU has served as the opponent for a team’s home opener.

NCCU is in its third year of reclassifying its athletic program from Division II to Division I. Once completed in 2011-2012, the Eagles will be a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They are currently playing as an independent and were 4-7 last season and will play seven Division I members this season. MSU is one of only two DI members that will play at NCCU in 2009.

Against SFU, Morehead State’s defense was again strong, allowing only 180 yards of total offense and only 42 of those came on the ground. The Eagles are holding opponents to an average of 29 yards per game on the ground and less than a yard per carry. Only one of the five touchdowns scored on MSU this season has come on the ground. Andrew Doan leads the defense with 13 total tackles, two of which were for losses and Josh Ballard, who had 10 tackles at St. Francis, is second with 12 total tackles and leads the team with 3.5 tackles for loss. Mark Hall has two sacks, and he and Derik Steiner have three tackles for loss.

Offensively MSU has nearly doubled the output of its opponents in the same number of plays. Desmond Cox leads Morehead with 81 yards on 13 carries and Evan Sawyer is 21-of-42. Ronnie McDermott leads the receiving corps with six catches for 83 yards.

On the flip side, NCCU has had a fairly effective offense, averaging 248.5 yards per game of total offense. The Eagles average 97.5 yards per game on the ground and 151 through the air. Their Achilles heel through two games has been the turnover margin with a -5 (four interceptions, four fumbles lost). Signal caller Michael Johnson is 26-for-43 in two games. He has 244 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target is Will Scott with nine catches and two touchdowns. Tim Shankle is their feature back with 36 carries for 139 yards.

Defensively, N.C. Central has allowed 554 yards of total offense, and an average of 277 per game, including 158.5 yards per game on the ground. The pass defense is better, holding opponents to 118.5 yards through the air. Donald Laster has 17 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble to lead the NCCU defense. JaQuez Canty and Calvin Hillie each have 13 total tackles. Hillie also has a forced fumble and is the team leader in tackles for loss with 2.5.

Saturday will be the first of three trips to North Carolina for Morehead State, who will also head to the Tar Heel State twice in October for Pioneer League games.