Murray State
Indiana State
Turner has a hand in three TDs, defense stops ISU in 27-15 MSU win
9/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Murray State Racers came out of the gates slowly, but with the help of the top defensive unit in the Ohio Valley Conference last season and senior running back Nick Turner's amazing statistical night, the Racers downed the Indiana State Sycamores tonight 27-15.
A 23-yard field goal by Kyle Hooper on the game's opening drive gave the Sycamores the 3-0 lead with 10:46 left in the first quarter. Sam Logan then followed that up with a six-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Blayne Baggett to put the Sycamores on top 10-0 with 4:11 left in the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Turner -- in his first game played this season -- took the kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 10-7, marking the second consecutive season he has returned a kickoff in the second game of the season (Turner returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown against Connecticut in 2004).
"I predicted I was going to run it back for a touchdown to my teammates, but I thought I was just telling a story," Turner said. "My teammates made the blocks, and I found the holes and made the play. After that, I think the players and the crowd were real pumped up."
A 40-yard field goal by Hooper with 33 seconds left in the first quarter rounded out the scoring in the first quarter, a quarter that Indiana State had dominated statistically. At the end of the first quarter, Baggett had gone 17-for-20 for 177 yards, while Logan had caught 12 passes for 131 yards. Indiana State had run 32 plays for 238 yards and had the ball 12:34 of the 15-minute quarter, as opposed to Murray State running six plays for 41 yards and controlling the ball only 2:26 of the quarter.
That's when the top defensive unit in the OVC from last season stepped up and showed its dominance, allowing not a single point in the last 45:27 of the game (Indiana State scored its other two points on a safety).
"It takes a little while to get adjusted to defending the no-huddle offense," Racer head coach Joe Pannunzio said. "(Defensive coordinator) Dennis Therrell is a mad scientist, a magician. The guys believe in his system."
Junior safety Michael Sturgis, who had nine tackles and made several significant plays that stalled the Sycamore offense, agreed with Pannunzio.
"(Defending the no-huddle offense) takes time to adjust," Sturgis said. "Coach Therrell made the adjustments in the second quarter. The players were all talking to each other in the huddle, telling ourselves we can't give up, and to keep fighting."
The Sycamore defense forced the safety with 11:35 left on the clock in the second quarter, putting the Sycamores on top 15-7. After the defense had held Indiana State to a three-and-out, the eager Racer offense took the field, hoping to use some of the momentum from the Turner return touchdown.
Once again, Turner got the crowd and his teammates back in the game, rifling a left-handed spiral downfield on the run for a 71-yard halfback pass to Maurice Marchman for a touchdown, making the score 15-13 (the point-after attempt failed) with 8:11 left in the second quarter.
"We had worked on that play a couple times in practice," Turner said. "Coach Pannunzio told me to look forward to that play being called. I'm just glad I completed the pass, because last year we tried that play and it never worked (Turner was 0-for-3 passing last season)."
After a stalled offensive drive and two three-and-out defensive drives that held the Sycamores to six plays for minus-4 yards, Turner struck again, completing a four-play, 43-yard drive in only 23 seconds with a five-yard rushing touchdown to give Murray State the lead at 20-15 with 1:57 left in the first half.
The Sycamore offense's hopes of striking again for a halftime lead were diminished by another outstanding defensive effort, a three-and-out that only allowed five yards of Indiana State offense.
The Racers went into the locker room at the half with a 20-15 lead, thanks to the defense only allowing 43 total yards in the second quarter, compared to 238 yards allowed in the first quarter.
Junior running back Chad Cook ended the scoring on the night with a one-yard touchdown run with 4:14 left in the third quarter to make it 27-15 in Murray State's favor, and the Racers' defense remained stingy to seal the deal on the Indiana State offense.
The win snapped Murray State's three-game losing streak to Indiana State, and broke the all-time school record for consecutive home-opening wins at nine. The Racers have also won six games in a row at home, dating back to last season.
Statistically, the Racers (1-1) had three players rush for 70 or more yards (Turner 89, Cook 71, Ken Topps 70), while Topps was 7-for-15 for 77 yards and one interception. Danny Rumley caught a team-high three passes for 28 yards, while Marchman caught two balls for 92 yards. Senior cornerback Dione Davis had a game-high 9.5 tackles, while sophomore cornerback Derrick Parrott secured his first interception of 2005 and second of his career.
For the Sycamores (0-3), Andre Forte rushed 22 times for 149 yards, while Baggett went on to complete 33 of his 58 passes for 262 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Logan caught a game-high 17 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown for the Sycamores.
Murray State returns to action on Sept. 24, when it will travel to Normal, Ill., to face the Illinois State Redbirds and former MSU head coach Denver Johnson for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff. The all-time series between the two teams is split 1-1, with the Racers defeating the Redbirds 32-17 in 2001, and the Redbirds defeating Murray State 24-23 in 2002.
