Football Hosts #8 JSU at Home In OVC Opener

Date (Time): Sept. 27 (6 p.m.)
Opponent: #8 Jacksonville State
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (Stewart Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Commentary: Josh McKeel)
Web Stream: OVCDigital Network.com
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
MSU Record (Streak): 1-2 (L2)
JSU Record (Streak): 2-1 (W2)
All-Time Series vs. JSU (Streak): JSU leads 9-2 (W1)
MSU Last Game: L 14-45 at Western Michigan (Sept. 20)
JSU Last Game: W 45-34 vs. West Alabama (Sept. 20)
MSU Next Game: Oct. 4 at Tennessee Tech
MSU Next Home: Oct. 11 vs. Southeast Missouri (Homecoming)

After almost a month away, the Murray State football team return home to The Track on Saturday to take on eighth-ranked Jacksonville State in the OVC opener for both teams.

The Racers are 2-9 all-time against JSU and 1-4 at The Track. MSU picked up win No. 2 in the series last season with a 35-34 overtime thriller in Jacksonville. Saturday's game will also represent the latest FCS opener in MSU history since teams began playing in the first week of September in 1976.

Head coach Chris Hatcher, now in his 5th season, is 2-2 at MSU in OVC openers. He won the 2011 OVC opener at home vs. TSU, then won again last season at JSU. He lost the opener in 2010 against SEMO at home and also in 2012 at EIU in overtime.

The Gamecocks enter the weekend with an overall record of 2-1 after a 45-34 victory at home over DII West Alabama last Saturday. Head Coach John Grass is in his first season at the helm of the Gamecocks. He spent last season as JSU's offensive coordinator before becoming the head man of his alma mater this year.

The JSU offense is currently scoring 26.0 points per game, while its defense is allowing 34.0. Those numbers can be slightly misleading as they include a 45-7 loss to Michigan State in Week 1, the current 9th-ranked BCS team in the nation. The Jax State offense is almost as balanced as they come rushing for 643 yards in the first three weeks of the season and passing for 640 yards over the same span.

Quarterback Eli Jenkins has gone 24-for-42 for 328 yards and one touchdown so far this season, while also tossing four picks. Josh Barge has been his main target and has 16 receptions for 241 yards and three scores. Barge had six catches for 100 yards and three TDs in the victory over West Alabama last Saturday. The ground attack is led by DeMarcus James who has run for 196 yards and two touchdowns in his first three games of 2014.

The defense is led by linebacker Ben Endress. The senior has recorded 20 tackles and two tackles-for-loss this season. Linebacker Michael Carlisle leads the team in sacks with two for a loss of 19 total yards. He is also second on the team in tackles with 18 and two tackles-for-loss.

Saturday will also be the annual "Coach To Cure MD" game. Coach To Cure MD is a project of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) in partnership with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

Coach To Cure MD is a one-day, nationwide awareness building and fundraising event that will be held on Sept. 27, 2014. The goal of Coach To Cure MD is to raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne, pronounced "DOO---SHIN"), to generate new financial support for Duchenne research and to demonstrate coaches' commitment to the betterment of young men and the core academic research missions of their universities.

College football coaches all over the country have been asked to wear a patch with the Coach To Cure MD insignia on Saturday, Sept. 27th. By wearing this patch, coaches will show their support for Coach To Cure MD and the fight against this disease. Coach To Cure MD is supported by thousands of college coaches, including legends of the game like Mack Brown, Mike Riley, Rob Ash, and Dick Tomey. PPMD is the largest nonprofit organization in the United States focused entirely on Duchenne.

Live stats, a live simulcast of the Froggy 103.7 FM broadcast and free live video, courtesy of the OVC Digital Network, will be available for the game with links posted at GoRacers.com.
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Murray State University Athletics

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