Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Southern Illinois
MSU Winning Streak Over SIU Ends With Road Loss To No. 21 Salukis
9/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Murray State had its three-game winning streak over Southern Illinois snapped tonight as the Racers lost 32-7 to the No. 21-ranked Salukis in front of 10,167 fans at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
MSU (1-2) struggled to get its offense in gear, while SIU (3-0) used its running game to control the game throughout.
SIU opened the scoring with 11:24 left in the first quarter as Tom Koutsos rumbled in from eight yards out and a 7-0 lead. The scoring drive, which covered 59 yards on six plays, was set up after Melvin Vance intercepted MSU senior quarterback Stewart Childress' pass on the Racers' third play from scrimmage.
The Salukis added to the their lead with 6:12 left in the first quarter as Brandon Robinson scored on a 16-yard run and a 14-0 margin.
After SIU made it 16-0 on a safety with 4:35 to go, the Racers got on the scoreboard with 1:49 left until hafltime as senior wide receiver Deandre Green scored on a 4-yard pass from Childress.
MSU trailed 16-7 at halfitme, but SIU added to its lead on the first drive of the third quarter going 63 yards on 9 plays, capped by a 10-yard touchdown run by Koutsos and a 23-7 lead.
The Salukis added another touchdown with 3:20 left in the third, a 2-yard run by Matt Weishaar, and a 27-yard Craig Coffin field goal with 6:01 left in the fourth for the final margin.
MSU was held to 81 yards rushing on 40 carries, while SIU finished the night with 245 yards on the ground on 54 rushes led by Mo Abdulqaadir's 126 yards on 19 carries.
Childress finished the evening with 123 yards on 14-of-19 passing, and Green had eight catches for 85 yards and one score.
Up next for MSU, the Racers return home to host Indiana State on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. in Roy Stewart Stadium.
POST GAME COMMENTS
MSU head coach Joe Pannunzio:
"Tonight, we got outplayed and outcoached, but I do think you have to give some of the credit to Southern Illinois. They're a better football team than we are right now."
"I wish I could sit here and tell you what's wrong, but I think we just need to get on the film and find what needs to be fixed."
"They whipped us up front on both sides of the ball, and we weren't able to really do anything all night."
