Morehead, Ky. – After jumping out to an early lead on Saturday at Jayne Stadium, the Stetson Hatters struggled to hang on to the football, surrendering 28 consecutive points to host Morehead State before falling to the Eagles 31-14.
 
Turnovers – three on interceptions and three more on downs – proved to be to much for Stetson (0-2) to overcome and MSU (1-2) converted those turnovers into 17 points.
 
The Stetson defense did its part in the second half, holding the Eagles to just three points on five possessions while forcing an interception and two punts.
 
On the other side of the ball, the Hatters were never able to get into any kind of offensive rhythm against the MSU defense. Stetson had just the two scoring drives on 11 possessions with the six turnovers and three punts.
 
Stetson opened the game well, driving the ball 82 yards on 14 plays with quarterback Alex Piccirilli and running back Jordan Younge-Humphrey doing all the damage. Younge-Humphrey had four carries for 65 yards, including a 59-yard run. Piccirilli had three carries for 17 yards, including the four-yard TD run.
 
Morehead State answered on its second possession, driving 68 yards on eight plays. Quarterback Mark Pappas was 6-of-6 passing on the drive, including a 38-yard completion to Thomas Campbell-Clay, who also hauled in a two-yard pass for the tying touchdown.
 
The Hatters turned the ball over with an interception by Kameron Frye on their first play following the score. He returned the pick 32 yards to the Stetson one, allowing running back Issiah Aguero to punch in to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead.
 
Stetson drove to the Morehead State 28 on its next possession, but ran out of steam there, turning the ball over on downs.
 
After an exchange of punts, the Eagles got their offense going again, with Pappas completing 5-of-6 passes for 38 yards and the combination of Aguero and Earl Stoudermire picking up the other 34 yards on the ground. Pappas connected with BJ Byrd for a six-yard TD pass to put the Eagles in front 21-7 with 6:46 left in the half.
 
The Hatters quickly turned the ball over again on their next possession when linebacker Cameron Barrett stepped in front of a Piccirilli pass at the Stetson 45, returning the pick to the Hatters' 27. MSU needed to four plays to cash in the mistake when Pappas hit Byrd for a nine-yard score and a 28-7 halftime lead.
 
Stetson opened the second half much like it opened the first, driving 75 yards on 13 plays to score. Most of the damage was done on the ground with Piccirilli doing most of the damage, carrying the ball for 32 yards on three attempts, including the final 11 for the touchdown.
 
That was it for the Stetson offense, which gained just 92 yards on its final four possessions with an interception, a punt and two turnovers on downs. The Eagles converted the third interception into their only points of the half, capping an eight-play drive with a 27-yard field goal.
 
Piccirilli finished with just 77 passing yards in the game, completing 10-of-22 attempts while also throwing the three interceptions. Younge-Humphrey finished two yards shy of his second straight 100-yard game, gaining 98 yards on 13 attempts. Piccirilli carried the ball 20 times for 87 yards with both touchdowns.
 
Ethan Hull led the Stetson defense for a second straight week, recording 13 tackles. Bryson Wilcox had seven tackles and his first career interception while Jaylon Johnson also had seven tackles.
 
Pappas completed 25-of-33 attempts for 186 yards and three scores while Aguaro ran the ball 20 times for 87 yards. The Eagles were led on defense by Vincent Winey with 15 tackles.
 
The Hatters will return to Spec Martin Stadium next Saturday for a 1 p.m. start against Drake. The Hatters will honor their eight seniors during pregame festivities. Those seniors are Bradley Alexander, Jeremiah Nails, Alex Brown, Hunter Stephens, Gregory Moore II, Jeffrey Lu, Seth Witt and Nick Plunkett. Even though those players are seniors and are graduating, they all have the option of returning in the fall for one more season.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.