Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Valparaiso
Racers Shut Out Valpo 34-0 In Rainy Season-Opener At Home
8/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Murray State defense held Valparaiso to just 45 yards of total offense, while the Racer offense put up 28 points in the second quarter to open the 2003 season with a 34-0 win over the Crusaders on a rainy night at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Ky.
Both teams struggled to get on track in the first quarter due to the heavy rain, while lightning delayed the start of the game for 35 minutes.
MSU (1-0) finally got things going offensively late in the first quarter and jumped to a 3-0 lead with 1:23 left on a Jesse Ohliger 24-yard field goal.
After the Racer defense forced a three-and-out on Valpo's next possession, MSU marched 42 yards on eight plays and pushed the lead to 10-0 on a 7-yard touchdown run by junior tailback Ron Lane with 11 minutes to go in the second quarter.
MSU increased its lead to 17-0 just 12 seconds later on a 29-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Stewart Childress to senior wide receiver Andrew Nowacki.
The Racers' score was set up when senior cornerback Michael Hanley intercepted Valpo quarterback David Macchi on the Crusaders first play from scrimmage after MSU's first touchdown.
Childress added a second touchdown pass with 2:02 to go in the first half as he found senior wide receiver Deandre Green down the middle of field for a 67-yard scoring strike and a 24-0 lead.
Childress finished his day late in the third quarter with 191 yards on 12-of-16 passing and two touchdowns, while Green had three catches for 106 yards and one score.
MSU's final touchdown came with 1:12 left in the first half as freshman tailback Chad Cook rumbled in from five yards out and a 31-0 halftime lead. Ohliger added his second field goal of the game, a 42-yarder as time expired in the third quarter to close the scoring.
The shutout was the Racers' first since a 53-0 win over Kentucky Wesleyan on Nov. 20, 1999.
MSU outgained Valpo 383-45 in total yardage, had a 20-2 advantage in first downs and controlled the ball for over 38 minutes of the game.
Nine different Racers rushed the football led by freshman Oscar Walker with 44 yards on 14 carries.
Up next for MSU is a trip to Lexington, Ky. to take on the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT at Commonwealth Stadium.
POST GAME COMMENTS
MSU head coach Joe Pannunzio:
On the MSU offense:
"Overall, I'm happy we won the game, but we've got to get better offensively if we're going to be a good football team. We've got to develop some toughness so we can run the football. I know Valpo loaded up the tackle box, but we've got to learn how to deal with that and be tough enough to run the ball at people."
"There was never a play where we just broke it open and looked sharp. Things were just a little sloppy on the offensive side."
On the MSU defense:
"Valpo only had two first downs for the whole game and I've never heard of that. To me, it just looked like our defensive line dominated up front and our corners did a good job outside. I was pleased with the way our defense played today. It'll be an interesting test for them next week at Kentucky and all their I-A talent."
"As disappointed as I am in our offense, I've got to be elated about our defense. Hopefully, we can continue to improve and get even better on defense."
On playing Kentucky next week:
"They'll be bigger, stronger and faster than us. They're an SEC team. They were 7-5 last year and they have great talent, so we'll have to play really, really well to say the least."
