Murray State University Athletics
Racers prepare for Homecoming battle
10/19/2005 5:00:00 AM | Football
Racer head coach Joe Pannunzio is excited about Homecoming, but not so excited about facing the Panthers, who defeated previously-unbeaten Eastern Kentucky 53-22 last Saturday, putting Eastern Illinois as the only undefeated team in the conference and atop the OVC standings.
"Homecoming is a huge event at Murray State, and our players will be pumped up to play Saturday," Pannunzio said at his weekly press conference on Monday. "We play well at home. I'm excited about all the people who love Murray State being in the stands. It will be a big day. Eastern Illinois has one thing: attitude. They believe they're a good team. They lost in 2004 vs. Eastern Kentucky, and they had something to prove, and they took the fight to Eastern Kentucky all day (last Saturday)."
The Racers (1-5, 0-3 OVC) are coming off their second tight game in two weeks, a 27-23 loss at Samford. The Racers came back from a 17-7 deficit at the end of the first quarter, going ahead 23-20 and maintaining that lead until 22 seconds left in the third quarter, when the Racers allowed a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown to make the score 27-23. The defensive units for both squads took over in the fourth quarter, not allowing a single point. Murray State has lost by a combined nine points in their last two games (the Racers also lost 28-23 to Jacksonville State on Oct. 8).
The Panthers (4-2, 3-0) established the running game against Eastern Kentucky last week, rushing for 281 yards while throwing for only 32 yards. Senior running back Vincent Webb rushed for 109 yards and scored two touchdowns, while senior quarterback Mike Donato ran for two more touchdowns, which led to Eastern Illinois scoring the most points in a single game since scoring 55 points on Tennessee-Martin in 2002.
Eastern Illinois had an unprecedented six players chosen to the Pre-Season All-OVC Football Team, led by Webb and wide receiver Ryan Voss, who earned First Team All-OVC accolades last season as a sophomore. Also honored on the team were offensive linemen Pascal Matta and Steve Sobolewski, defensive lineman Kory Lothe and defensive back Ben Brown.
Eastern Illinois leads the league in scoring offense, scoring 30.7 points per game, while blazing OVC opponents for 48.0 points per game. The Panther defense is just as impressive, leading the OVC in rushing defense by allowing only 110.5 yards per game, a full 45 yards less than the next-ranked team in that category. The Panthers have also intercepted 11 passes this season (Murray State only has one interception on the season), and returned two for touchdowns, which has helped them rank first in the OVC in turnover margin (+2.0).
Donato has thrown for 915 yards and five touchdowns while completing 59.0 percent of his passes. He has also rushed for three more touchdowns for the Panthers this season. Webb averages 77.3 rushing yards per game, and his eight rushing touchdowns has helped him in leading the OVC in scoring with 8.0 points per game. Voss leads the team in receptions (15) and reception yards (240), while being tied with fellow receiver Charles Owens (12 passes, 125 yards) for the team lead in touchdown receptions (two). Clint Sellers anchors the defensive unit with 61 total tackles, good enough for first in the OVC.
For the Racers, Ken Topps has thrown for 553 yards and rushed for 209 more to lead the Racer offensive attack. The Racers will also look to ride the hot streak of junior running back Chad Cook, who has rushed for 358 yards in the past two games, and now ranks third in the OVC in rushing with 92.2 yards per game. Danny Rumley leads the Racers in receptions (29) and receiving yards (310), while Jonathan Eiland (23 catches, 261 yards) and Maurice Marchman (14 catches, 263 yards, two touchdowns) will also pose a formidable threat to the Panther secondary. Linebacker Nathan Williams leads the team with 49 tackles.
Murray State leads the all-time series 11-9-1 (including an 8-2 record in games played in Murray), but Eastern Illinois has won the last two meetings. The last time these two teams met was Oct. 16, 2004, a 24-9 Panther victory in Charleston, Ill., in which Webb rushed for 191 of the Panthers' 214 total rushing yards in that game to lead the Panthers.
