Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
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Mississippi State
Racers hold early lead but Mississippi State wins
9/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Junior Ken Topps completed 11 of 16 passes for 144 yards and ran for 23 more yards in his first collegiate start for the Murray State Racers tonight, but it wasn't enough, as the Racers lost to the Mississippi State Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference, 38-6.
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first with a Keith Andrews 37-yard field goal with 4:07 left in the first quarter, but the Racers responded with a 13-yard rushing touchdown from Chad Cook with 2:51 left in the quarter for the 6-3 lead (kicker Gary Crass's point-after attempt failed). Cook's touchdown capped off a five-play 80-yard drive in just 1:16 for the Racers.
The score remained 6-3 in the Racers' favor until 6:55 in the second quarter, when Bulldog quarterback Omarr Conner found Tee Milons for a 37-yard touchdown pass to give the Bulldogs a 10-6 lead.
The Bulldogs got back on the scoreboard on their next possession, a 49-yard pass from Conner to Deon Humphries with 4:39 left in the first half, giving the Bulldogs the 17-6 advantage heading into the half.
A 34-yard pass from Conner to Humphries with 12:28 left in the third quarter began a 21-point Mississippi State quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 24-6 lead. Conner found wide receiver Eric Butler for a seven-yard touchdown strike with 6:31 left in the third quarter, and Demarcus Johnson rushed in for a seven-yard touchdown run with 3:21 left in the third quarter to end the scoring for the game at 38-6.
"I'm proud of the way our kids came out in the first quarter tonight," Racer head coach Joe Pannunzio said on his post-game radio show. "Obviously, we still have some areas to improve on through the course of our I-AA schedule. We can't turn the ball over and give up those long plays on defense. Mississippi State exploited our secondary, and a few guys have to step up and make those plays. We needed a barometer or a gauge to see where we were at, at this point of the season, and we got that tonight."
The Racers gained 229 total yards for the game, rushing 33 times for 88 yards and completing 14 of 20 passes for 141 yards and one interception. The Bulldogs gained 482 yards for the game, rushing 44 times for 249 yards and completing 17 of 27 passes for 233 yards.
Individually, Topps led the Racers in passing with his 144-yard performance, while sophomore Ryne Salyer completed all three of his passes for minus-three yards. The Racers' leading returning rusher, Cook rushed 19 times for 57 yards and one touchdown, and the Racers' leading returning wide receiver, Danny Rumley, caught five passes for 28 yards. Jonathan Eiland also caught four balls for 34 yards, while senior tight end Bo Baxter caught two passes for 19 yards.
For the Bulldogs, Conner went 17-for-24 for 233 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions, while Jerious Norwood led the rushing attack with 123 yards on 16 attempts. Humphries led all receivers with 98 yards on five receptions, two for touchdowns.
One player who caught Pannunzio's attention and the rest of the fans at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field was Topps, who broke off for several rushes to avoid sacks and threading the needle on a few sharp passes.
"Ken is definitely an exciting player," Pannunzio said. "If we can keep him healthy, we will have a very fun season. He's like having a shortstop out there on the field, his arm is so strong. I've already had people comparing him to (MSU all-time leading passer) Michael Proctor, and those comparisons are a little unfair for right now," Pannunzio said with a laugh.
The Racers return to action on Sept. 17 at home against Indiana State, and Pannunzio said his team will use this off-week to work on the basics.
"We are going to go back to the fundamentals and techniques," Pannunzio said. "That's how you win and lose ballgames."
