It figures that junior
Austin Gahafer would have his name all over the Morehead State offense.
After all, he's the quarterback.
But consider this.
The Eagles (2-2) have scored 14 touchdowns, with Gahafer passing for 11 scores, running for two TDs and even catching a touchdown.
"When you run this type of tempo offense, your trigger man is very important," MSU head coach
Rob Tenyer said. "Being a three-year starter now, he means a lot to our team. And he's kind of like the point guard of your basketball team; he's the shortstop of your baseball team. He touches the football every single play.
"The great thing about Austin is not just his progression athletically, but his progression at being a team leader and being vocal and leading by example. And those are the things that I have seen him progress in over the last two years. Staying here throughout the summer and doing extra in the film sessions, staying after practice. And then, of course, being voted as a team captain by his peers, I think that's the ultimate honor."
After a lopsided season-opening loss at James Madison, Gahafer has been on fire.
The following week, in a 43-40 road loss to Virginia Military Institute, the 6-foot, 187-pounder passed for 447 yards and four touchdowns, also catching a TD pass, and was named STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Week.
Gahafer, a graduate of St. Xavier High School in Louisville, then led the Eagles to back-to-back shutout victories.
In a 28-0 whitewash of Kentucky Christian, he passed for 174 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a score.
In Saturday's Pioneer Football League opener, a 34-0 pasting of Davidson, Gahafer threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns.
"I don't really mess up too much," Gahafer said. "Especially now, with this being the third year. I've got a good grasp of the offense. I would say that's probably my strong suit."
At St. X, Gahafer passed for 2,191 yards and 22 touchdowns his final two seasons.
As an MSU freshman, he started all 11 games and completed 263 of 425 passes for 2,430 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Sophomore year, Gahafer earned honorable mention All-PFL, going 288-for-451, good for 2,840 yards and 23 TDs. He ranked second in the league in total passing yards and yards per game.
The right-hander grew up admiring the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, who are just up Interstate 65 from Louisville.
"Peyton Manning's always been my role model, for sure," Gahafer said. "Just a really smart quarterback and he's very decisive with the football. And he's a great leader."
And that is an area where Gahafer has taken great strides during his time at MSU.
"He became a great leader over the past year, year-and-a-half," said
Zach Lewis, who serves as Eagles quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator. "He was kind of thrust into a starting role early in his career. He really grew into that role as the leader, as 'the guy' around here."
Gahafer says he's "not the most vocal guy on the field." He prefers to lead by example and by making plays.
His example includes work in the off-season.
"In the summer, he put on twenty-plus pounds," Lewis said. "From being a little guy, he threw on a lot of weight. The guys saw that and kind of grew around him. And they respect the way he plays, how he plays the game. A lot of times he takes some big shots and stands up and keeps on firing."
An exercise science major, Gahafer would like to someday coach or be involved in personal training.
For now, though, his goal is "still what we've set since the beginning of the year – win the PFL. … We're looking to win every game from here on out."
And Gahafer's name figures to be all over the results.
