BUIES CREEK, N.C. - After getting down early, Campbell's football team (2-6, 1-4 Pioneer Football League) took the lead for good in the third quarter and then received some much needed insurance on a 45-yard touchdown interception return from sophomore Cody Lyon late in the fourth quarter to secure the team a 31-22 win on Saturday, Oct. 31 over Morehead State at Barker-Lane Stadium/Ed Gore Field. The 31-22 win over Morehead State (2-7, 0-6) was the first victory that Campbell has ever secured in Pioneer Football League play.

Besides the touchdown return from Lyon, the Camels also received a pair of touchdowns from receiver Harrison Jordan. Jordan ended his day with a pair of catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. The redshirt sophomore also had a 14-yard touchdown run. Redshirt sophomore Carl Smith eclipsed 100 yards with 128-yards rushing. Smith became the first running back to eclipse 100 yards against the Eagles this season.

The CU offense did almost the unthinkable and ran for 208 yards against a team that was the top run defense in the country (63.6). Overall, the Camels were able to gain 374 yards with 166 yards through the air. Morehead State put up 405 yards including 296 yards through the air. The Camels defense, who came into the game with four sacks, tied their season total with four in the game against the Eagles. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Jason Hill racked up 2.5 sacks in his six tackles on the afternoon. Lyon had nine tackles. Redshirt sophomore defensive back Jared Hart led the team with 11 stops. Morehead State's Wes McDermott had 11 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.

Campbell scored first on their opening drive going 10 plays, 59 yards in 4:56. The drive was completed on redshirt sophomore Adam Willets' 39-yard field goal.

The Eagles answered on their first drive of the game on Ronnie McDermott three-yard touchdown reception from Zach Lewis on fourth down. The big play was the 37-yard reception from Brandon McLaughlin to set up the fourth down situations earlier in the drive. Rainer Duzan's extra point was good to put MSU up 7-3 with 6:13 remaining in the first quarter.

MSU, after a defensive stop, added a touchdown to the total on Mike Adler's 29-yard run on the next drive. The Duzan kick was good to put the Eagles up 14-3 with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter.

Next, CU's defense forced a turnover with Paul Pizzuti forcing a fumble and Manny Davis recovering the ball on the Morehead State 35-yard line. The Camels wasted no time in putting a touchdown on the board on Harrison Jordan's 27-yard run. The Willets extra point was good to draw Campbell to within four at 14-10 with 12:29 remaining in the second quarter.

The Campbell special teams thwarted a Morehead State chance deep in CU territory on Randel Herring's blocked field goal.

Campbell capitalized on the momentum and drove down the field before getting stopped on MSU's 27-yard line. Willets then came on and drilled a 44-yard field goal to draw CU to a point, 14-13, with 1:29 left in the half. The field goal was a career-long for the reigning PFL Special Teams Player of the Week. Cody Lyon kept the score the same going to the half with his interception on the CU 34-yard line. The pick was the second of the season for the sophomore cornerback.

Campbell's defense started the third quarter with a defensive stop but on the punt the ball was pinned deep the CU one-yard line. Redshirt sophomore Carl Smith then ripped off an 82-yard run to get the Camels out of the shadow of their goal line and into Morehead State territory. Willets came through with his third field goal of the game, this one from 29-yard out, to give CU the 16-14 advantage with 8:14 left in the third quarter. The CU drive covered 86 yards in nine plays.

The Camels added a touchdown to the lead to start the fourth quarter. Jordan played a key role on the drive with two receptions for 79 yards. His big catch was a 46-yard touchdown reception from redshirt junior quarterback Daniel Polk. The Willets extra point put Campbell up 23-14 with 13:02 left in the game.

Campbell added two to the point total as redshirt sophomore Jason Hill forced a Lewis fumble that was recovered by his own offensive lineman in the end zone. Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Tyler Dean fell on the lineman in the end zone for the first safety in the program's modern history to give CU a 25-14 lead.

Morehead State drew a touchdown closer on Drew Morgan's 25-yard touchdown reception with 3:33 remaining in the game. The two-point conversion from Lewis to Pendleton was good to make the score 25-22.

Lyon then came up with his 45-yard interception return to seal the win for Campbell.

"Well it feels great," head coach Dale Steele talked about the feeling of the victory. "There are a bunch of happy Camels back in the locker room and bunch of happy Camels in Buies Creek today. It's a combination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people associated with the program. This win has been a long time coming and it is great feeling to get the victory in front of all our loyal fans."

Next, Campbell travels to Des Moines, Iowa to take on conference rival Drake (6-1, 4-0 PFL) on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. est.