Preview - Murray State at Southeast Missouri
Murray State Racers
(4-2, 2-0 OVC) at Southeast Missouri
State Redhawks (0-5, 0-2 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 12 •
1:00 p.m. CT at Houck Stadium
(10,000) • Cape Girardeau, Mo.
GAME NOTES:
Murray State will
travel to rival Southeast Missouri for a Saturday afternoon contest, in what
will be the 48th all-time meeting between the schools. Murray State is off to a
2-0 start in the OVC while Southeast Missouri is still in search of its first
OVC victory. Murray State leads the all-time series 38-8-1, including winning
the last two in a row. Over the last eight years of the series, however, the
teams have taken turns winning two in a row, with Southeast winning in 2005-06
and 2009-10 and MSU winning from 2007-08 and 2011-12. Last year’s game was a
wild contest in Murray with the Racers jumping out to a 21-6 lead only to see
the Redhawks score 14 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 35 with
3:07 to play. But on the ensuing kickoff MSU’s Duane Brady returned the kick 85
yards for the touchdown to score the game-winner. The game also featured a
100-yard punt return for a touchdown by Murray State’s Walter Powell. Southeast
Missouri finished with 537 yards of total offense in the game, 150 yards for
than Murray State racked up. Casey Brockman threw for three touchdowns and
rushed for another score for the Racers while Levi Terrell rushed for 215 yards
and two scores for the Redhawks in the loss. Brandon Wicks was named OVC
Co-Defensive Player of the Week after making 16 tackles in the game, including
1.5 tackles-for-loss and 0.5 sacks.
SCOUTING MURRAY
STATE: Murray State scored
a 35-24 victory over Tennessee Tech on Saturday to improve to 2-0 in OVC play
for the first time since the 1998 season. The Racers got off to a hot start as
Walter Powell took a punt 88 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter to
put MSU on top for good. It marked the second return for a score this season for
Powell, who returned a kickoff for a touchdown earlier this season. Powell is
one of just two players at the FCS level to return for a punt and kickoff for a
score this year. Powell finished the game with 310 all-purpose yards, marking
his second 300-plus all-purpose yard game of the season; Powell is the only
player at the Division I level (FBS or FCS) to have two 300-yard all-purpose
games this season. He was named National Specialist of the Week by College
Sporting News for his performance. Quarterback Maikhail Miller was named OVC
Newcomer of the Week after passing for 306 yards and two touchdowns and rushing
for 44 yards; it marks the third time this season Miller has earned the honor.
Josh Manning was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week after returning a fumble
22 yards for a touchdown and later intercepting a pass.
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI: Southeast Missouri
dropped to 0-5 on the season with a 40-16 loss at Tennessee State on Saturday.
The game was tied at 9-9 late in the second quarter before Weldon Garlington
caught a 16-yard touchdown pass to give TSU a seven-point halftime advantage.
That began a 24-0 run by the Tigers who ended the night with 544 yards of total
offense, as compared to just 229 for the Redhawks. Sophomore Lewis Washington
had a 99-yard rush for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, tying the OVC and NCAA
record for longest rush; Washington tied the mark held by EKU’s Bobby
Washington. It was Washington’s only rush of the game, making him only the
second player in FCS history to rush for a 99-yard score on his only rush of the
game (WKU’s Pedro Bacon was the other player in 1986). The Redhawks defense
scored a touchdown, recorded two sacks and forced two fumbles in the contest.
Included in that was senior cornerback Cantrell Andrews who scooped up a fumble
and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter; it marked the
third-longest fumble return for a touchdown in school history. Andrews also had
seven tackles (6 solo) in the game. This week begins a tough stretch for the
Redhawks, who will face the league’s top three scoring offenses over the next
three weeks.
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