Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Samford
Cook runs for 145 yards, but big plays do Racers in, 27-23
10/15/2005 5:00:00 AM | Football
The game turned in the third quarter after the Racers and Bulldogs played to a 17-17 score in the first half. The Racers, leading 23-20, gave up punt return for a touchdown after having to settle for field goals on two trips inside the Samford 15-yard line, and that was the difference, as MSU drops to 1-5 and 0-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
"Any time you lose, you can point to several little things or plays that made the difference," said MSU head coach Joe Pannunzio. "We had a bunch of things go right, but you can't give up a fumble for a touchdown and a punt return for a touchdown and expect to win."
In the first half, Murray State experienced some things for the first time. The Racers had never scored on their first possession of any of the five previous games this season until they drove 63 yards on 11 plays to open the game to take a 7-3 lead. Matt Webber's one-yard touchdown run with 7:08 left in the opening quarter was his first touchdown on his first carry as a Racer.
Samford then scored on a 21-yard touchdown pass to take a 10-7 lead. With 3:38 in the first quarter, quarterback Ken Topps fumbled after an eight-yard gain, and Samford's Quenton Smith scooped up the loose ball and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead.
With 13:32 before the half, Topps hit Dan Rumley with an 11-yard scoring pass to cut the Samford lead to 17-14. It was Rumley's first TD catch of the season and the first TD throw for Topps in a Racer uniform.
With 4:00 before half, the Racers tied the game at 17-17. MSU completed a 15-play, 74-yard drive that chewed up 7:49 off the clock. Crass made his second field goal of the season from 21 yards.
Murray State had the ball first in the second half, but their drive stalled at the Samford 11. The Racers got a 28-yard field goal from Crass to take a 20-17 lead with 11:36 left in the third quarter. After a Samford punt, the Racers again drove inside the Samford 15, but had to settled for a 36-yard Crass field goal. Crass has made all six of his field-goal attempts at Murray State. The Racers had the lead, 23-17 with 7:15 left in the third quarter.
"The good news is that Gary is kicking the ball great," Pannunzio said. "He made three today and really made a fourth, because on the third one, we moved him back because of a penalty."
With the Racers seemingly in control, the game turned, as it does many times, on special teams. With 22 seconds remaining in the third quarter and MSU leading 23-20, the Racers kicked to one of the best return men in the OVC. Samford's Courtland Finnegan looked to be hemmed in by the Racers along the sideline after Tony Ryan had him in his grasp when the catch was made, but Finnegan got loose and raced 75 yards for a touchdown and gave the Bulldogs a 27-23 lead.
