Nov. 15, 2008

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DAYTON, Ohio - The Dayton Flyers had its 12-game Pioneer Football League winning streak snapped dropping a 14-13 heartbreaker to the Morehead State Eagles on Senior Day.

Senior Ben Shappie rushed for a touchdown and senior Kevin Burns blocked a punt and returned the loose ball in for a score as UD drops to 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference.

Battling temperatures in the 30's, a stiff northwest win d and driving rain, neither team had success generating yards on offense. Both teams combined for a total of 15 first downs and went 4-of-39 on third down. There were 24 punts in the game.

Dayton had trouble moving the football going 1-of-17 on third down conversions, losing two fumbles and mustering only 75 yards of total offense. The Flyers also committed eight penalties and allowed four sacks.

Shappie finished the day as UD's leading rusher with 32 yards on nine carries. Shappie also caught three of UD's eight completed passes. Sophomore Steve Valentino went 5-for-15 for 33 yards as the loss also snaps Dayton's 13-game home winning streak.

Morehead State jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after redshirt freshman Jeff Pechan had a snap go high over his hands and into the end zone.

Morehead State jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after redshirt freshman Jeff Pechan had a snap go through his hands and into the endzone.

But Shappie gave Dayton its first lead of the day rushing to the left for a 10-yard touchdown. It was his 14th rushing touchdown of the season. However, UD missed the point after attempt after the snap was fumbled making the score 6-2.

Then with 1:38 remaining in the first quarter, Burns blocked a punt and recovered the loose ball for a 20-yard touchdown extending the Flyer lead to 13-2. Dayton has blocked seven kicks on the season with four of them against opponents in punt formation.

Momentum continued on the Flyers side after sophomore Joe Castaneda picked off a pass in the endzone to shut down an Eagles drive and preserve the 11-point advantage.

Corey Vossler then set the tone for the second half by forcing and recovering a fumble in Morehead State territory just three minutes into the third quarter.

However, the momentum shifted late in the third quarter as the Eagles capitalized on Flyer mistakes. Valentino fumbled deep in UD territory with the return going all the way down to the Flyer one-yard line.

After UD stopped Morehead State on three consecutive running plays, the Eagles finally capitalized to cut the Flyer lead to 13-8 when Jerrod Pendleton scampered off the right side into the endzone.

As the game progressed, yards became even tougher to come by. Both teams combined on a net 11 yards, a season low for both programs, and two fumbles in the third quarter.

But with 5:46 remaining in regulation, Morehead State's Evan Sawyer found Nick Feldman on a 39-yard pass play over the middle to help the Eagles regain the lead at 14-13.

Dayton got down to midfield on the ensuing drive but had to punt the ball away with 3:11 to play. The Flyers had the Eagles stopped on third and nine from the Morehead State 21 yard line, but a 15-yard facemask call against UD kept the drive alive and the clock running.

After three more Morehead State plays, UD had one last chance with 1:11 and zero timeouts. With the drive starting at the 39-yard line, Pechan found Shappie on a screen play to advance the ball to midfield. After three consecutive incomplete passes, Justin Millio had a first down catch only to juggle the ball and have it fall incomplete.

Morehead State, who handed UD their only conference loss last season, beat Dayton for the third consecutive season. The Eagles improved to 5-6 overall and 3-4 in the PFL.

Off the football field, Rob Florian, a senior quarterback for the University of Dayton, was named the winner of the 53rd presentation of the Lt. Andy Zulli Memorial Trophy at halftime of Saturday's Dayton-Morehead State football game.

The award goes to the Flyer senior who best exemplifies the qualities of Zulli, a former UD football player who was killed in a military vehicle accident while serving in the Army in Germany.

Dayton's 6-1 league record ties it with Jacksonville for first place in the PFL, setting up a winner-take-all regular season finale between the Flyers and the Dolphins next Saturday, November 22 at Jacksonville. Kickoff is at 12 noon ET.