Murray State University Athletics
Football Announces 2008 Schedule
2/6/2008 6:00:00 AM | Football
For the second-straight year, the season will get underway on a Thursday evening as the Racers open the 2008 season at home against Lambuth on Aug. 28. The contest will mark the second-straight season the two teams will meet. The Racers had a 48-13 victory a season ago.
The Racers will play their first road game of the season on Sept. 6 as they travel to take on Indiana out of the Big 10. The contest will mark their first meeting on the gridiron. The Hoosiers are coming off a very emotional season that saw them lose their head coach before the season started and then going 7-5 during the regular season and appearing in the Insight Bowl, their first such bowl appearance since the 1993 Independence Bowl.
MSU returns to Stewart Stadium on Sept. 13 to play host to Illinois State. The contest marks the fourth-straight seasons the two teams have played. The Redbirds, who are led by former Racer head coach Denver Johnson, are coming off a season that saw them go 4-7 overall and 2-5 in the Gateway Football Conference.
The Racers close out their non-conference slate when they take on former OVC rival Western Kentucky on Sept. 20 in Bowling Green. The game will mark the 67th meeting between the two schools, but the first since the squads met in the 2002 NCAA Playoffs. The Hilltoppers are coming off a 5-7 season in their first year in the FBS (formerly Division I-A).
The Ohio Valley Conference slate gets underway on Sept. 27 when the Racers play host to UT Martin. The Skyhawks are coming off a season in which they went 4-7 overall and 4-4 in OVC contests. UTM was one of the hottest teams at the end of last season as they won four of their last five contests and came within one yard of winning all five games.
MSU plays its first OVC road game on Oct. 4 when it takes on Austin Peay. APSU made its return to the OVC last season and finished 7-4 overall and 5-3 in conference action. The Racers and Governors closed out the 2007 season with a hard-fought battle that saw the Governors emerge with a 23-17 victory.
The Racers will celebrate Homecoming on Oct. 11 when they play host to Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles stumbled down the stretch in 2007 as they lost their last six games to finish the season 4-7 overall and 2-6 in OVC action. The contest will mark the 12th time TTU has been the Homecoming opponent for the Racers. MSU is 5-6 in the previous 11 HC games against TTU.
MSU will hit the road for its furthest trip of the season on Oct. 18 with a trip to Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks have won four of the five games against the Racers, including a 40-24 decision last season. JSU closed out last season with a 5-3 mark in conference play, but losers of their final two.
Following a bye week, the Racers take back to the road for a contest against Eastern Illinois on Nov. 1. The Panthers escaped Murray last season with a 27-24 victory on their way to a 7-1 finish in the OVC and a spot in the FCS Playoffs. MSU trails 12-11 in the all-time series, but have lost five straight games since defeating the Panthers 37-35 to win the 2002 OVC Championship.
Southeast Missouri State pays a visit to Stewart Stadium on Nov. 8. The Redhawks finished the season with a 3-8 mark overall and a 1-6 mark in conference play after a victory over JSU in the season finale. MSU handed the Redhawks a 31-17 defeat at Houck Stadium last season.
The Racers play their final road contest of the season when they take on defending champion Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 15. The Colonels went 8-0 in the league last season and have won 12-straight OVC contests dating back to 2006.
The 2008 regular season closes out on Nov. 22 when the Racers play host to Tennessee State on Senior Day. The contest will be the first trip to Murray for the Tigers since the 2003 season. Each of the last three contests have been played in Nashville with the TSU winning two of three.
The Racers are coming off a season in which they finished 2-9 overall and 1-7 in OVC contests.
2008 Murray State Football Schedule
Date Opponent Location Time
Aug. 28 Lambuth Stewart Stadium TBA
Sept. 6 @ Indiana Bloomington, Ind. TBA
Sept. 13 Illinois State Stewart Stadium TBA
Sept. 20 @ Western Kentucky Bowling Green TBA
Sept. 27 UT Martin* Stewart Stadium TBA
Oct. 4 @ Austin Peay* Clarksville, Tenn. TBA
Oct. 11 Tennessee Tech* (HC) Stewart Stadium TBA
Oct. 18 @ Jacksonville State* Jacksonville, Ala. TBA
Nov. 1 @ Eastern Illinois* Charleston, Ill. TBA
Nov. 8 Southeast Missouri State* Stewart Stadium TBA
Nov. 15 @ Eastern Kentucky* Richmond TBA
Nov. 22 Tennessee State* Stewart Stadium TBA
* denotes Ohio Valley Conference games
