Racers Set to Open 2010 Season at Kent State

Thursday, September 2

Kent, Ohio

6 p.m.

Murray State

Kent State

Photo by: Murray State Sports Information

8/31/2010 10:34:47 AM | Football

The Chris Hatcher Era begins Thursday evening

Kent State Game Notes

Murray State (0-0, 0-0 OVC) vs. Kent State (0-0, 0-0 MAC)
Sept. 2, 2010 • 6 p.m. • Dix Stadium • Kent, Ohio

Gameday Central
Stadium    Dix Stadium
Capacity    25,000
Surface    Field Turf
Call to Post    6 p.m.
Television    None
Radio    Froggy 103.7 FM
    Neal Bradley (PxP) and Paul Bubb (Analyst)
Internet    www.GoRacers.com
Series Record    First Meeting

STORY LINES
A new era of Murray State football will be unveiled when the Racers release the 'Hatch Attack' in the 2010 season opener.

The Racers are opening their 86th season of football and enter the 2010 season with a record of 47-34-4 in season openers.

The Thursday night opener marks the fourth-straight season the Racers will open the season on a Thursday night. MSU is 2-1 in the previous three Thursday openers.

The 2010 opener at Kent State marks the sixth time in the last 10 seasons the Racers have opened the season on the road against an FBS opponent.

Senior Jeff Ehrhardt earned the starting job at quarterback in preseason camp. This season marks the third time in his career that Ehrhardt has been named the starter for the season opener.

The Racers will be playing their first game in the state of Ohio since the 1987 season when MSU traveled to Youngstown State. The Penguins emerged with a 20-13 overtime victory.

About Kent State
The Golden Flashes enter the 2010 season after finishing the 2009 campaign with a record of 5-7. KSU was 5-4 before dropping its final three games of the season.

The catalyst of the offense is sophomore quarterback Spencer Keith. He set freshman records as he finished the season with 2,174 passing yards and 14 touchdowns.

The running game received a boost when Eugene Jarvis was granted a sixth year by the NCAA. Jarvis rushed for 801 yards and nine touchdowns during the 2008 season, but suffered a season-ending kidney injury against Boston College in the second game of the 2009 season.

On the outside, Tyshon Goode set freshman receiving records for catches (53), yards (755) and touchdowns (5) in 2009.

Safety Brian Lainhart was named to the Thorpe Award Watch List, honoring the top defensive back in college football. Last season, Lainhart ranked fourth nationally with seven interceptions, while also registering 87 tackles.

Linebacker Cobrani Mixon is top returning tackler after recording 107 stops a season ago. He also added 10.5 tackles-for-loss.

The Game
The Racers open their 86th season of collegiate football when they travel to face Kent State in the 2010 season opener Sept. 2. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Dix Stadium.

Captains
In a vote by the 2010 Racers, five captains have been named for the upcoming season. The captains are Justin Clark, Rashad Daniels, Marcus Harris, Zach Kutch and Harry McCall.

The Series
The Racers and Golden Flashes are meeting for the first time in school history.

vs. Current Members of MAC
Murray State enters the contest against Kent State with an overall record of 5-7-1 against teams currently in the MAC. Akron is the most common opponent, as the Racers and Zips met eight times from 1980-89, all while Akron was a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. MSU is 1-0 against Eastern Michigan, 0-2 vs Miami (Ohio) and 1-1 against Ohio.

vs. the MAC
Murray State is just 0-2 in games against teams that were members of the Mid-American Conference at the time of the contest. The dropped a 28-12 decision to Miami (Ohio) Sept. 27, 1947, and dropped a 27-7 decision at Ohio Sept. 28, 1946.

Up Next
The Racers open the 2010 home season as they welcome Southeast Missouri to 'The Track.' Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and will be shown on Wazoo Sports.