Racers Face Tennessee State On Saturday, Game To Be Shown Live On OVC TV

Ohio Valley Conference play gets underway early in the season for the Murray State University and Tennessee State University football teams. Murray State's quest for its ninth Ohio Valley Conference football championship begins when the two schools meet on Saturday at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn., at 6 p.m. The game is the first OVC contest of the 2006 season and the only league match-up scheduled for Saturday.

Saturday's game will also be the first for Murray State to be shown live on OVC Sports TV. Fans all over the world can watch the Racers face the Tigers live by logging onto ovcsports.com. Subscription packages are available on an annual, seasonal or per event basis.

The Racers enter the game with an 0-1 record after opening the 2006 campaign with a 47-7 loss to Missouri. TSU is also 0-1 after a season opening 27-20 loss at home to Alabama A&M.

MSU will be looking to even up the all-time series between the two schools. TSU currently leads 9-8, but the Racers won the last meeting, in 2004, 30-13 in Nashville.

The Racer defense got to the Missouri quarterbacks three times on Saturday. Those three sacks tied for 11th in D-IAA after the first week of the season.

Junior linebacker Nathan Williams recorded 14 tackles against Missouri on Saturday. His total ties the Murray, Ky., native for seventh in NCAA D-IAA. Seven others recorded 14 tackles as well. The national leader had 19 tackles in the opening week.

In the first half against Missouri, the Murray State defense allowed 35 points and 371 yards. In the first stanza, the Tigers scored on five of their seven possessions. However, the Racer defense stepped it up in the second half and performed quite well. In the final 30 minutes of play, the Mizzou offense scored just 10 points and totaled 218 yards on offense. In the second half, the UM offense scored on only two of its six possessions.

Offensively, Murray State's two quarterbacks combined to complete 66.7 percent of their passes against Missouri. Senior Ryne Salyer was 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) while redshirt freshman Zach Barnard went 12-of-17 (70.6 percent).

Two of the Racers' final three drives against Missouri were for 72 yards or more.

In 2005, Murray State had more turnovers than any other NCAA Division I-AA school (38), and had 24 more turnovers than its opponents. The 2006 season is off to a much better start, in terms of turnovers. The Racers committed just two turnovers against Missouri, and forced two to even it out.

Murray State Head Coach Matt Griffin will be facing Tennessee State for the fourth time in his career. Griffin is 1-2 against the Tigers. He led Tennessee-Martin to a 42-20 win over the Tigers in 2005 in Martin, Tenn.

Tennessee State Head Coach James Webster will be facing the Racers for the first time.

The Tigers returned 18 starters from last season's team that finished 2-9 overall and 1-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference. A total of 41 letter winners return to the 2006 TSU squad.

Tennessee State quarterback Antonio Heffner joined the Tigers this season after beginning his collegiate career at the University of South Carolina. Wide receiver Mike Mason joined the program from the University of North Carolina. Both played prominent roles in the Tigers' season opener. Heffner threw for 206 yards and a touchdown. Mason caught seven passes for 83 yards.

TSU sophomore running back Javarris Williams OVC Freshman of the Year honors in 2005 after finishing fifth in the league with 872 yards.

The Racers first home game of the Matt Griffin era will be on Sept. 23 when the team faces Illinois State at 6 p.m., at Stewart Stadium.

Murray State University Athletics

Racers Face Tennessee State On Saturday, Game To Be Shown Live On OVC TV

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