Murray State University Athletics
Racers Head to Tennessee State on Saturday
10/30/2007 5:00:00 AM | Football
The Murray State Racers look to get back on the winning track as they travel to take on Tennessee State on Nov. 3. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn.
The two teams are meeting for the second-straight season in Nashville with the Tigers coming away with a 25-15 victory in 2006. The Racers lead the all-time series 10-8 and are 5-3 in games played in Nashville. The teams have split the previous six meetings.
The Racers put together three strong quarters in their upset bid of #16 Eastern Kentucky last weekend, but the Colonels scored all 19 points in the third quarter to escape with the 46-35 victory.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt was the story on the offensive side of the ball as he threw for a career-best 344 yards and five touchdowns. His five TD tosses were to five different receivers.
After falling behind by seven, Ehrhardt led a pair of drives to give the Racers a 14-7 advantage. He capped off the first drive with a nine-yard strike to Josh Jones and followed it up with a 36-yard connection to Marcus Harris, the first TD of Harris' career. Ehrhardt would close out the first half with a 20-yard hookup to Rod Harper.
After being shutout in the third quarter, the Racers' offense was back at it in the fourth with two long scoring drives. The first drive ended when DeAngelo Nelson caught a pass and bulled his way into the endzone from 30-yards out and Lee McGinnis hauled in a ball across the middle for the final score.
The Colonels thwarted any further comeback attempt as they recovered the ensuing onside kick and converted a short field goal.
The Tigers enter the contest after dropping two-straight OVC decisions to Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois. TSU is 3-5 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
TSU will be playing its second-straight game without quarterback Antonio Heffner who suffered a broken leg against EKU. Heffner is the OVC leader in total offense.
Freshman Calvin McNairl has taken over the reigns at quarterback and threw for 189 yards and rushed for a touchdown in his first start.
Tailback Javarris Williams has rushed for 764 yards and five touchdowns and ranks fourth in the OVC with 95.5 yards a game.
In their last game, the TSU defense picked off two passes and returned them both for touchdowns. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie picked off the first pass and returned it 69 yards for a score, while Marquez Hall followed it up with a 78-yard interception return for a TD.
The Racers play their final road contest of the season on Nov. 10 as they travel to take on UT Martin. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at Hardy Graham Stadium.
