Murray State University's football team will face rival Southeast Missouri State University on Saturday for Military Appreciation Day. The MSU athletics department extends an invitation to United States military personnel to join fans in watching the Racers and Redhawks battle on the football field. All military personnel will receive two free general admission tickets by showing their military I.D. card at the ticket booth on the day of the game.
Kickoff at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Ky., is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Other special events include the Student Government Association Chili Cook-Off and the National Guard inflatable obstacle course.
The Redhawks (3-4, 1-3 OVC) are coming off a 27-21 home loss to Eastern Kentucky. The Racers (1-7, 0-5 OVC) led No. 16 Eastern Illinois 10-0 at halftime last Saturday before the Panthers staged a comeback to win 20-10.
Charlie Jordan's first collegiate touchdown gave MSU an early lead but the EIU ground game churned out 226 yards in the second half to foster the comeback.
Jordan, a freshman, finished with 90 yards on 24 carries to go along with his touchdown and caught 10 passes for 58 yards. Zach Barnard completed 29-of-39 passes for 210 yards and did not throw an interception.
When Jordan scored to give the Racers a 7-0 lead with 8:51 left in the first quarter against Eastern Illinois it marked the first time this season that Murray State scored first.
Jordan is just one of many young players serving key roles for the team this season. A total of 20 true freshmen have played this season for the Racers. In addition, five more redshirt freshmen have seen action. Of those 20 true freshmen that have played, 10 have started at least one game. Murray State has 37 true freshmen on its team, more than twice the number of any other class.
The Racers are tied for third in NCAA Division I-AA with 19 takeaways this season. Murray State has intercepted opponents 11 times and recovered seven fumbles.
On Saturday against Eastern Illinois, junior linebacker Nathan Williams turned in his fourth double digit tackle performance of the season. Williams registered 15 tackles against Eastern Illinois. Earlier in the season he made 14 stops against Missouri, 17 against Indiana State and 14 against Samford. Williams leads the OVC, and ranks ninth in NCAA D-IAA, with an average of 11.25 tackles per game.
The Murray State-Southeast Missouri match-up features two teams that have struggled offensively this season. The two teams rank eighth and ninth respectively in the Ohio Valley Conference in total offense. The Racers are averaging 279.9 yards of offense per game and 17.9 points per game. SEMO averages 234.6 yards and 19.4 points per game. The Redhawks rank 110th in total offense out of 116 Division I-AA teams.
However, the Redhawks don't typically hurt themselves with turnovers. Southeast has turned the ball over to the opposition only seven times this season. The squad leads the OVC and is fourth in the nation with a turnover average of 1.29 per game. SEMO has only lost one fumble all year and has a +9 turnover margin.
Three running backs have shared duties for the Redhawks. Tim Holloman leads the team with 74 carries and 370 yards. He ran the ball 25 times for 99 yards last week against Eastern Kentucky. John Radney has 306 yards on 69 carries and a team best five touchdowns. Tony Anderson scored twice against the Colonels and has 179 yards on 46 carries and four touchdowns.
The Redhawk defense allows 382 yards per game, but they have two of the most dangerous weapons in the OVC. Senior defensive lineman Edgar Jones leads the conference, and the nation, with an average of 1.43 sacks per game. He has 10 sacks through seven games. Punter David Simonhoff is second in I-AA with an average of 45.88 yards per punt.
“The two ends are excellent,” Griffin said. “We have to have a good mix, the run has to help us. Winning and losing games really depends on how effective you are on both of your fronts. We just have to keep improving on the offensive line and defensive line. It's what is going to get us where we want to go.”
On Sunday, Simonhoff was selected OVC Specialist of the Week for the second time this season. The Coral Gables, Fla., native punted six times for an average of 50.7 yards per punt against Eastern Kentucky.
