Murray State
Jacksonville State
Racers gain 469 yards on offense, but four turnovers key to 35-14 loss
10/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Murray State Racers took it to the 17th-ranked defense in Division I-AA at Jacksonville State this afternoon, claiming 469 yards and running up almost double the yardage that the No. 22 Gamecocks had allowed prior to today, but four MSU turnovers spoiled the Racers' first visit to Jacksonville State in the 35-14 loss.
The Racers (2-3, 1-1 OVC) rushed for 161 yards today, almost twice JSU's per-game average of 96 yards per game on the ground coming into the contest, ranking the Gamecocks (4-0, 2-0 OVC) 19th in I-AA in rushing defense.
Sophomore running back Chad "Tank" Cook alone out-rushed JSU's average, claiming 129 yards of Paul Snow Stadium acreage on 24 carries and a touchdown.
JSU scored first, as Maurice Mullins took an 18-yard run into the endzone with 8:35 left in the first quarter. Gavin Hallford's extrz-point kick gave the Gamecocks a 7-0 lead.
Murray State came right back, as Cook scored on a 31-yard run to cap a 75-yard drive with 5:41 left in the period. Freshman Morgan Riley's extra-point kick knotted the score at 7-7.
Jacksonville State scored the only TD in the second quarter, as Danny Tillery took in a 21-yard pass from Maurice Mullins with 2:18 left in the half. Hallford's kick gave JSU a 14-7 halftime advantage.
The third quarter was an offensive flurry, as Jacksonville State opened the scoring in the period with a 32-yard TD run by Tennessee Tech transfer Oscar Bonds with 13:02 left in the quarter. Hallford's kick gave JSU a 21-7 lead.
The Racers responded again, as junior wide receiver Daniel Rumley brought down a three-yard pass from junior quarterback Adam Fisher with 7:42 left in the quarter. Riley's 17th straight PAT made the score 21-14.
Riley leads the OVC with 17 points after touchdown and a 100-percent kicking rate on PATs.
Bonds found the endzone again for the Gamecocks, taking a one-yard run with 3:40 left in the third quarter. Hallford's kick made the score 28-14.
JSU closed out the scoring with 1:16 left in the period when Craig Agee returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown. Hallford's kick made the final score 35-14.
Even Murray State's breaks seemed to come with "anti-breaks." In the first quarter, after throwing an interception at their own 3-yard line, the Racers grabbed an interception of their own and drove to the Jacksonville State 9, but fumbled the ball away with a chance to take a lead.
MSU was able to take advantage of a JSU fumble deep in Gamecock territory, leading to a Racer touchdown, and despite the number of turnovers, only one led to a JSU score.
"We hurt ourselves," said MSU head coach Joe Pannunzio. "We just didn't give ourselves a chance to beat them. We made some good plays on offense and defense, though.
"We still need to get back to our passing game. Daniel Rumley stepped up for us today, but it still needs some work."
Cook led all rushers with 129 yards on 24 carries. Bonds led Jacksonville State on the ground with 86 yards.
Rumley led all receivers with 89 yards on six catches. Junior DeSean Hammons had 51 yards on three catches, while freshman Lee McGinnis had 50 yards on two catches. For JSU, Clay Gren had 47 yards on one catch, while Keller Speaks had 41 yards on two catches.
Fisher was 18-for-38 for 227 yards with two interceptions. Gamecock QB Maurice Mullins was 8-for-14 with 131 yards and one interception.
Freshman Derrick Parrott had six kickoff returns for 99 yards and one interception return for 22 yards. Agee had four punt returns for 149 yards.
Senior Rohan Godson led all tacklers with 15 takedowns, while senior Brandon Dixson had five. JSU's Lamarcus Rowell and Greg Green each had a team-high five tackles.
Murray State returns to Roy Stewart Stadium next week for its Homecoming game against Samford. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Oct. 9.
