Racers Ready For 2014 Season Opener

Thursday, August 28

Stewart Stadium

7 p.m.

Murray State

Union [KY] (Senior Day)

Murray State will honor its 13 seniors before Thursday's game against Union.

8/26/2014 8:37:00 AM | Football

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Murray State (0-0, 0-0 OVC) vs. Union (0-0, 0-0 MSC)
Aug. 28 - 7 p.m.
Stewart Stadium - Murray, Ky.

STORY LINES
Murray State's 2014 season opener against Union marks the first time the Racers will open the season at home since the 2009 season. MSU opened the 2009 season against Kentucky Wesleyan.

Head Coach Chris Hatcher enters his fifth season as the head coach of the Racers. He owns a 24-21 record. The Racers are 2-2 under Hatcher in home openers.

Murray State will honor 13 seniors as they host Senior Day in the home opener for the second-straight season. Chris Allen, CJ Bennett, Carson Beyer, Felton Collins, Perry Cooper, Parks Frazier, Nevar Griffin, Anthony Hayes, Drew Kelley, Zach Littlefield, Kamalie Matthews, Cadarious Sanders and Travis Taylor.

The Racers have plenty of questions in the secondary as cornerback Cadarious Sanders is the only player on the roster that has played a down at Murray State.

Murray State will be breaking in a new starting quarterback for the third-straight season. Senior CJ Bennett emerged from preseason camp as the starter. Redshirt sophomore KD Humphries will serve as the backup.

The Game
The Racers open the 2014 at home as they welcome Union to The Track. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Thursday Weather
After a couple weeks of hot temperatures, the teams will catch a break with cooler temperatures for Thursday. The temperature is not expected to get out of the 80s for the high.

Gold Rush
Thursday's game will the inaugural Gold Rush. All freshman will be given gold shirts and be led on the field by President Dr. Bob Davies right before the team takes the field. The freshman will then be seated in the south endzone for the game. All fans are also encouraged to wear gold to the game.

vs. Union
The Racers and Bulldogs are meeting for the first time on the gridiron. MSU has played Union before, but that was Union University out of Jackson, Tenn.

Senior Day
Murray State will honors its seniors in the home opener for the second-straight season. The Racers will honor the 13 seniors prior to kickoff against Union.

Earliest Season Opener
Thursday's season opener against Union will equal the earliest start to a season in school history. It will be the fourth time the Racers have opened the season on Aug. 28. MSU is 3-0 in its previous games on this date, defeating Indiana State (13-0) in 1997, Glenville State (56-3) in 2004 and Lambuth (41-17) in 2008

Opening at Home
The Racers are opening the season at home for the first time since the 2009 season. MSU has opened each of the past four seasons on the road against FBS opponents.

Thursday Night Opener
Murray State is opening the season on a Thursday for the second time in the past four seasons. It is the first time the Racers are opening on a Thursday at home since hosting Kentucky Wesleyan in the 2009 season opener. MSU opened on a Thursday at Louisville in 2011.

Hatcher in Season Openers
Thursday's game marks the first time in the Chris Hatcher era that the Racers will open the season at home. In his previous four seasons, MSU has opened on the road against an FBS opponent.

Bennett Named Starter
Senior CJ Bennett emerged from preseason camp as the Racers starting quarterback. He was locked in a competition with redshirt sophomore KD Humphries.

Young Secondary
There will be plenty of new faces in the Racers secondary this season. Only senior cornerback Cadarious Sanders has played a down in a Racer uniform. Shawn Samuels-Connell has seen action while at Marshall. Corner D'Montre Wade and safety Cedric Jones redshirted last season.

New Backfield
The Racers have a new stable of running backs for the 2014 season. Sophomore Marcus Holliday, junior Pokey Harris and sophomore Roman Clay will all see action out of the backfield. Holliday was the third-string back last year, while Harris moved to receiver after playing running back as a freshman.

Sound in the Kicking Game
The Racers will have a new operation in the kicking game this season as they will be breaking in a new long snapper, kicker and punter. Carson Greifenkamp will take over the kicking duties, while Zach Bogard will punt. Perry Cooper or Tyler Hall will be the snapper.

Playing the MAC
The MAC is on the Racers schedule for the second-straight season and the third time in the last five years. MSU travels to face Western Michigan on Sept. 20. The Racers played at Bowling Green last season, and at Kent State in 2010. The MAC will also appear on the schedule in the future.

Number Changes
As the year changes, so do the numbers. A number of Racers will be wearing new numbers for the 2014 season.
Name   Old    New
KD Humphries   18   2
Jeremy Harness   31   3
Cadarious Sanders   28   4
Pokey Harris   36   5
Marcus Holliday   24   6
Anthony Hayes   16   7
CJ Bennett   15   8
Janawski Davis   81   9
Jalen Harrington   19   42
Nevar Griffin   5   86

Two FBS Games
The Racers will play a pair of games against FBS competition in 2014. It marks the second-straight season the Racers have played two games against FBS opponents. The Racers also played two FBS games in 2008 (Indiana and WKU) and 2001 (Ole Miss and Minnesota)

New Helmets
For the sixth-straight season, the Racers will be wearing a different looking helmet. The 2014 helmet will remain navy blue, but will now feature the new MSU logo. The helmet will also feature a checkerboard stripe down the center.

New Home Jersey
The 2014 home jersey will be slightly different from last year. This year's jersey will now feature a gold number that will be easier to see from the stands and press box.

Like Father, Like Son
Defensive coordinator Dennis Therrell is not the only member of the family on the coaching staff. After son, John, completed his playing career at MSU last season, he joined the coaching staff this season. John will work with the safeties in 2014.

Racers Picked Sixth
The Racers were picked to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason polls for the second-straight season. Jacksonville State was picked as the favorite.

Up Next
The Racers hit the road for the first time as they travel to face Louisville. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. The game will also be carried on ESPN3.