Racers Face Gamecocks In Thursday Televised Contest

Murray State University will face Jacksonville State University in a regionally televised game on Thursday in Jacksonville, Ala. The game will be broadcasted live on CSS beginning at 5 p.m. The Racers are 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference while the Gamecocks come into the game 2-2 on the season and 2-1 in league play.

MSU was beaten 20-14 in overtime by Tennessee Tech on Saturday. JSU is coming off a 28-0 win over preseason conference favorite Eastern Kentucky. JSU gave EKU its first 0-2 conference start in 45 years.

The Racers must improve along the offensive line after managing less than 60 yards on the ground in each of their last two games.

“We did not play real physical on the offensive line,” said Murray State Head Coach Matt Griffin. “We have to get better. If you can't make things happen up front it doesn't matter who is running the football. To have success in this game you have to run effectively.”

A pair of freshmen, Charlie Jordan and Josh Jones, along with senior Dante Woods will shoulder the rushing duties in the absence of Chad Cook. Cook, who was injured against TTU, entered that game 24th in the nation and second in the OVC with an average of 100.3 yards per game.

The young Racer defense has shown strong signs of improvement over the last two games. Against No. 6 Illinois State two weeks ago the MSU “D” kept the team in the game until two key turnovers by the offense allowed the Redbirds to pull away. On Saturday Murray State surrendered a season low 20 points, including only 14 points in regulation, and forced Tennessee Tech into five turnovers.

The Racers did not commit a turnover against the Golden Eagles and for the season MSU has a +4 turnover margin, which ranks second in the OVC and 21st in NCAA Division I-AA. This is quite an improvement over last season when Murray State had more turnovers than any other team in the nation.

One of those five turnovers came when MSU freshman linebacker Tamar Butler forced a fumble and Taylor Lanigan returned 93 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Butler now leads NCAA Division I-AA with four forced fumbles in 2006.

With another interception against TTU, sophomore Dominic Spinks moved up to sixth in the nation with an average of 0.80 interceptions per game. The Meridian, Miss., native has four interceptions through five games.

The Gamecocks started the season with a narrow loss to a top-5 Furman team and then beat Southeast Missouri State 38-7. On September 18, with a 1-1 record, JSU landed at No. 25 in the weekly Sports Network I-AA Poll. The next week Jacksonville State on the road to Tennessee-Martin and out of the top-25.

On Saturday however, the Gamecocks dominated Eastern Kentucky, holding the Colonels to seven yards and one first down in the entire second half of play.

JSU's defense ranks sixth in the nation, allowing just 213.5 yards per game. The Gamecocks pass defense ranks second and allows only 91.3 yards per game. Opponents are averaging 12 points per game against Jacksonville State which is ninth best in I-AA. The Gamecocks have allowed only two rushing touchdowns through four games.

Clay Green, a first-team All-OVC selection in 2005, leads the JSU offense. The running back averages 102.2 yards per game and has scored six touchdowns. He was selected Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sunday after rushing for 131 yards and two touchdowns against Eastern Kentucky.

“I think the (Clay) Green kid is the best back in this league,” Griffin said. “He's probably one of the top three or four tailbacks at our level. He runs extremely hard. He's really a great combination of speed and power.”

LeMarcus Rowell earned OVC Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording two sacks to go along with five total tackles, a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries.

Murray State University Athletics

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