Murray State University Athletics
Racers to open OVC season at pesky Tennessee Tech
9/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Coming off of their first shutout in 14 years, the Murray State Racers will look to rebound in their Ohio Valley Conference opener when they travel to Cookeville, Tenn., to face the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Saturday. Kickoff time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Cookeville, however, hasn't been so friendly to the Racers in the past few seasons. The last time Murray State won in Cookeville was in 1999, leaving Racer head coach Joe Pannunzio winless at Cookeville in his tenure (0-2). The home team has won the last four games in this series.
"We have to find a way to win at Tennessee Tech, and since I've been here, we haven't done that yet," Pannunzio said at his weekly Monday press conference. "They have a great defense; they always do. Their no-huddle offense gives us trouble; we're not good against the no-huddle. They always have running backs who are tough and they always are able to run inside. They have very wide splits (on the offensive line), and that is something our defense has to adapt to."
The Golden Eagles (1-3, 0-1 OVC) are trying to recover from their OVC opener last week, a 52-3 loss at Eastern Kentucky. Although Tennessee Tech led the game in time of possession (30:34) and held Eastern Kentucky to only 91 yards rushing, the Golden Eagle pass defense allowed 412 yards in the air, and the offense could only muster 170 yards (including 39 rushing yards on 33 attempts).
Although the Golden Eagles have been outscored 94-6 their last two games (they also lost to Division I-A Northern Illinois 42-3), the Tennessee Tech defense has shown a couple of bright spots. In the I-AA national football rankings, Tennessee Tech is second in the nation in tackles-for-loss, averaging 10.25 per game. The Golden Eagle secondary also has been very impressive, with five players amassing seven interceptions.
The Racers (1-2) are coming off a similar situation as Tennessee Tech, a 42-0 loss at the hands of Illinois State last week. That was the first time the Racers have been shut out since a 14-0 loss at Western Kentucky on Sept. 14, 1991. In the Illinois State game, the Racers' offensive attack was held to just 135 total yards, including Murray State's Nick Turner and Tank Cook (who combined for 1,580 yards last season) rushing for just 21 yards on 22 attempts. Starting quarterback Ken Topps sat out most of the game with two bruises on his shoulder, but he is expected to return for the Tennessee Tech game.
The Racers' offense is led by quarterback Topps, who has completed 60 percent of his passes (24-for-40) for 266 yards, while also ranking third on the team in rushing with 95 yards. Cook has rushed for 130 yards and Turner has rushed for 104 yards for the Racers, while Danny Rumley leads the team in receptions with 11. Hometown product Nathan Williams leads the Racers with 29 tackles, 17 solo.
The Golden Eagles are led on offense by quarterback Stephen Britton, who has thrown for 580 yards this season, but has not thrown for any touchdowns compared to eight interceptions. His favorite two targets are Larry Shipp (15 catches, 241 yards) and Brent McNeal (12 catches, 159 yards), and he also has two reliable running backs in Anthony Ash (287 yards, three touchdowns) and Trey Bonner (191 yards, one TD). On defense, Tennessee Tech relies on Anthony James, who leads the team in tackles with 29. Linebacker Craig Simonton (21 tackles) and defensive end Yusuf Sharif (4.5 tackles-for-loss) are also major forces for the Golden Eagle defense, as both were named to the 2005 Pre-Season All-OVC Defensive Team.
The last time these two teams met, Murray State came away with a 34-15 win in Murray in 2004. Murray State scored three touchdowns early and then held off any potential Golden Eagle rally when Lucas Holts returned an interception 88 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory for the Racers. Tennessee Tech leads the all-time series 37-32-1, while holding an 18-14 advantage in Cookeville.
