Murray State University Athletics
Saturday, November 14
Stewart Stadium
1 p.m.
Murray State
vs
Eastern Kentucky
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
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LB
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K
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DB
/ Football
Photo by: Tab Brockman
Football Hosts EKU In Home Finale
11/10/2015 3:15:00 PM | Football
Date (Time): Nov. 14 (1:00 p.m.)
Opponent: #24 Eastern Kentucky
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (Stewart Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Color: Josh McKeel)
Web Stream: OVCDigitalNetwork.com
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball, @PGriffithMSU
MSU Record (Streak): 3-6, 2-4 OVC (W1)
EKU Record (Streak): 5-4, 4-2 OVC (L2)
All-Time Series vs. EKU (Streak): EKU Leads 44-26-4 [EKU leads 20-15-2 in Murray] (W1)
Last Meeting: L 14-45 (Nov. 22, 2014 – Murray, Ky.)
MSU Last Game: vs. Tennessee St., W 46-43 OT
EKU Last Game: vs. Eastern Ky., L 35-42
MSU Next Game: Nov. 21 at #1 Jacksonville St.
The Game
The Racers return to The Track for the final time this season to host 24th-ranked Eastern Kentucky at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast locally on Froggy 103.7 FM and streamed, free-of-charge, on the OVC Digital Network.
Saturday's Weather
Saturday should be sunny, but cool, with a high of just 57°F. There will be just a 4% chance of rain during the final home game, with winds coming out of the WSW at 5 mph.
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Last Time Out
Roman Clay's 25 rushing yards in overtime were enough to propel the Murray State football team to a 46-43 win over Tennessee State, Saturday night at Hale Stadium in Nashville. Clay, who had just 19 yards at the half, finished the game with 134 including the game-winning two-yard touchdown. Facing a fourth-and-four on the first play in the fourth quarter, the Racers used a fake punt to get the four yards needed via a Jesse Blackburn rush to keep the drive alive. Murray State would end the drive a 35-yard field goal by Connor Mitchell, followed by a Roman Clay touchdown later in the quarter to force overtime and eventually win the game.
Murray State outscored Tennessee State 16-3 in the final stanza and in overtime, including holding the Tiger scoreless in the fourth quarter. For the seventh time in nine games, KD Humphries passed for over 300 yards, finishing the night at 34-for-51 for 366 yards, one interception and three touchdowns. He targeted eight different receivers in the game and had a long pass of 63. Jesse Blackburn torched the Tennessee State defense for 162 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 catches in the contest. His big play came in the first quarter when he went 63 yards for a score.
The EKU Series
The in-state rivalry between the Racers and the Colonels is, along with Tennessee Tech series, the longest continually played series in program history, having played each year since 1945 and four times additional to that. Overall, EKU leads the series by a sizeable margin at 44-26-4. In Murray, the gap is much smaller with 20 wins for the Colonels, 15 wins for the Racers and two ties.
The last time the two teams played in Murray in 2013, the Racers snapped an eight-game skid to Eastern Kentucky with a 34-27 overtime win. The 2013 win was just one of two by Murray State in the last 14 meetings. The only other win in that stretch came in 2004 in Richmond, a 19-16 decision that also came in overtime.
Scouting The Colonels
Eastern Kentucky, which was ranked as high as 13th this season, has dropped to 24th after two straight losses to top-ranked Jacksonville State and unranked UT Martin, last week. The Colonels allowed 25 fourth quarter points as the Skyhawks rallied for the 42-35 upset in Richmond. Bennie Coney had an outstanding game for the Colonels going 22-for-39 for 354 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
The usual run-heavy EKU offense is averaging just 139.9 yards on the ground this year, while passing for 249.6 yards per game. One of the big reasons for the change has been newcomer Bennie Coney, who has passed for exactly 2000 yards with 172 completions, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Ben Madon currently leads the EKU receiving corps with 370 yards, despite the fact that seven different receivers have amassed over 100 yards this season for the Colonels and nine have caught at least one touchdown. On the ground, Ethan Thomas has led the rushing attack with 458 total yards, four touchdowns and 57.2 yards per game.
Defensively, Trey Thomas leads the way with 59 tackles, while Stanley Absanon has three interceptions and seven pass breakups. In addition, Noah Spence currently leads the OVC with 10.0 sacks for 77 yards of loss and 19.0 tackles-for-loss for 104 yards of total loss.
End Of The Road...Woes
Murray State's win at TSU Saturday put to bed a 13-game road losing streak by the Racers. The last away win previous to Saturday was on Sept. 28, 2013 when the Racers beat Jacksonville State, 35-34, also in overtime.
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Welcome To The Club
With 92 yards at TSU, Janawski Davis now has 2,055 receiving yards making him just the sixth Racer in program history to reach the 2,000 yard milestone. He now ranks sixth all-time in program history in the category, behind teammate Jeremy Harness who has 2,123 yards and reached 2,000 yards earlier this season.
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Blue Blocker
Zach Dean blocked not one, but two extra points in Saturday's overtime win at Tennessee State. The second block by Dean was picked up by Shawn Samuels-Connell and run back 98 yards for two points on the botched PAT. The four point swing caused by Dean, the two missed extra points and the defensive extra points, directly led to the Murray State win as the two teams were tied at the end of regulation at 40. However, if not for Dean, the Tigers would have walked away with a 42-38 victory in regulation. He is also the first MSU player to block two kicks in a game since Felton Collins did so against Kentucky Wesleyan last season. For his efforts he was named as OVC Specialist of the Week and was also named as an honorable mention for the STATS National Special Teams Player of the Week award.
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Look Out, Coach
With an average of 353.1 yards per game and two games remaining, KD Humphries is currently on pace to break MSU's single-season passing yardage record, held by current quarterbacks coach Casey Brockman. Humphries currently leads the FCS with 3,178 yards and needs to surpass the 3,729 throw by Brockman in 2012 to take over the record.Â
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On The Run
After Zach Dean blocked his second of two PATs Saturday, Shawn Samuels-Connell picked up the fumble and returned it the length of the field for two points. He is now just the second Racer in program history to accomplish the feat, joining Jonathan Jackson who did so last season in the opener against Union (Ky.).
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Climbing the Charts
Jeremy Harness and Janawski Davis continue to chip away at several career receiving records.
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Jeremy Harness
Cat. (Rank)Â Â Â Â #Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Next Milestone
Rec. (3)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 189Â Â Â Â Â Powell - 208
100 YG (3)Â Â Â Â Â Â 8Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tillman - 9
Yards (5)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2173Â Â Â Swinton - 2346
TD (11)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4 Players -12
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Janawski Davis
Cat. (Rank)Â Â Â Â #Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Next Milestone
TD (3)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 22Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tillman - 26
Rec. (5)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 150Â Â Â Â Â Townsel - 153
Yards (6)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2055Â Â Â Harness - 2123
100 YG (6)Â Â Â Â Â Â 6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Swinton - 7
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Up Next
The Racers head to Jacksonville, Alabama for their 2015 finale against the No. 1-ranked Gamecocks. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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Opponent: #24 Eastern Kentucky
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (Stewart Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Color: Josh McKeel)
Web Stream: OVCDigitalNetwork.com
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball, @PGriffithMSU
MSU Record (Streak): 3-6, 2-4 OVC (W1)
EKU Record (Streak): 5-4, 4-2 OVC (L2)
All-Time Series vs. EKU (Streak): EKU Leads 44-26-4 [EKU leads 20-15-2 in Murray] (W1)
Last Meeting: L 14-45 (Nov. 22, 2014 – Murray, Ky.)
MSU Last Game: vs. Tennessee St., W 46-43 OT
EKU Last Game: vs. Eastern Ky., L 35-42
MSU Next Game: Nov. 21 at #1 Jacksonville St.
The Game
The Racers return to The Track for the final time this season to host 24th-ranked Eastern Kentucky at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast locally on Froggy 103.7 FM and streamed, free-of-charge, on the OVC Digital Network.
Saturday's Weather
Saturday should be sunny, but cool, with a high of just 57°F. There will be just a 4% chance of rain during the final home game, with winds coming out of the WSW at 5 mph.
Â
Last Time Out
Roman Clay's 25 rushing yards in overtime were enough to propel the Murray State football team to a 46-43 win over Tennessee State, Saturday night at Hale Stadium in Nashville. Clay, who had just 19 yards at the half, finished the game with 134 including the game-winning two-yard touchdown. Facing a fourth-and-four on the first play in the fourth quarter, the Racers used a fake punt to get the four yards needed via a Jesse Blackburn rush to keep the drive alive. Murray State would end the drive a 35-yard field goal by Connor Mitchell, followed by a Roman Clay touchdown later in the quarter to force overtime and eventually win the game.
Murray State outscored Tennessee State 16-3 in the final stanza and in overtime, including holding the Tiger scoreless in the fourth quarter. For the seventh time in nine games, KD Humphries passed for over 300 yards, finishing the night at 34-for-51 for 366 yards, one interception and three touchdowns. He targeted eight different receivers in the game and had a long pass of 63. Jesse Blackburn torched the Tennessee State defense for 162 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 catches in the contest. His big play came in the first quarter when he went 63 yards for a score.
The EKU Series
The in-state rivalry between the Racers and the Colonels is, along with Tennessee Tech series, the longest continually played series in program history, having played each year since 1945 and four times additional to that. Overall, EKU leads the series by a sizeable margin at 44-26-4. In Murray, the gap is much smaller with 20 wins for the Colonels, 15 wins for the Racers and two ties.
The last time the two teams played in Murray in 2013, the Racers snapped an eight-game skid to Eastern Kentucky with a 34-27 overtime win. The 2013 win was just one of two by Murray State in the last 14 meetings. The only other win in that stretch came in 2004 in Richmond, a 19-16 decision that also came in overtime.
Scouting The Colonels
Eastern Kentucky, which was ranked as high as 13th this season, has dropped to 24th after two straight losses to top-ranked Jacksonville State and unranked UT Martin, last week. The Colonels allowed 25 fourth quarter points as the Skyhawks rallied for the 42-35 upset in Richmond. Bennie Coney had an outstanding game for the Colonels going 22-for-39 for 354 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
The usual run-heavy EKU offense is averaging just 139.9 yards on the ground this year, while passing for 249.6 yards per game. One of the big reasons for the change has been newcomer Bennie Coney, who has passed for exactly 2000 yards with 172 completions, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Ben Madon currently leads the EKU receiving corps with 370 yards, despite the fact that seven different receivers have amassed over 100 yards this season for the Colonels and nine have caught at least one touchdown. On the ground, Ethan Thomas has led the rushing attack with 458 total yards, four touchdowns and 57.2 yards per game.
Defensively, Trey Thomas leads the way with 59 tackles, while Stanley Absanon has three interceptions and seven pass breakups. In addition, Noah Spence currently leads the OVC with 10.0 sacks for 77 yards of loss and 19.0 tackles-for-loss for 104 yards of total loss.
End Of The Road...Woes
Murray State's win at TSU Saturday put to bed a 13-game road losing streak by the Racers. The last away win previous to Saturday was on Sept. 28, 2013 when the Racers beat Jacksonville State, 35-34, also in overtime.
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Welcome To The Club
With 92 yards at TSU, Janawski Davis now has 2,055 receiving yards making him just the sixth Racer in program history to reach the 2,000 yard milestone. He now ranks sixth all-time in program history in the category, behind teammate Jeremy Harness who has 2,123 yards and reached 2,000 yards earlier this season.
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Blue Blocker
Zach Dean blocked not one, but two extra points in Saturday's overtime win at Tennessee State. The second block by Dean was picked up by Shawn Samuels-Connell and run back 98 yards for two points on the botched PAT. The four point swing caused by Dean, the two missed extra points and the defensive extra points, directly led to the Murray State win as the two teams were tied at the end of regulation at 40. However, if not for Dean, the Tigers would have walked away with a 42-38 victory in regulation. He is also the first MSU player to block two kicks in a game since Felton Collins did so against Kentucky Wesleyan last season. For his efforts he was named as OVC Specialist of the Week and was also named as an honorable mention for the STATS National Special Teams Player of the Week award.
Â
Look Out, Coach
With an average of 353.1 yards per game and two games remaining, KD Humphries is currently on pace to break MSU's single-season passing yardage record, held by current quarterbacks coach Casey Brockman. Humphries currently leads the FCS with 3,178 yards and needs to surpass the 3,729 throw by Brockman in 2012 to take over the record.Â
Â
On The Run
After Zach Dean blocked his second of two PATs Saturday, Shawn Samuels-Connell picked up the fumble and returned it the length of the field for two points. He is now just the second Racer in program history to accomplish the feat, joining Jonathan Jackson who did so last season in the opener against Union (Ky.).
Â
Climbing the Charts
Jeremy Harness and Janawski Davis continue to chip away at several career receiving records.
Â
Jeremy Harness
Cat. (Rank)Â Â Â Â #Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Next Milestone
Rec. (3)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 189Â Â Â Â Â Powell - 208
100 YG (3)Â Â Â Â Â Â 8Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tillman - 9
Yards (5)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2173Â Â Â Swinton - 2346
TD (11)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4 Players -12
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Janawski Davis
Cat. (Rank)Â Â Â Â #Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Next Milestone
TD (3)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 22Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tillman - 26
Rec. (5)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 150Â Â Â Â Â Townsel - 153
Yards (6)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2055Â Â Â Harness - 2123
100 YG (6)Â Â Â Â Â Â 6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Swinton - 7
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Up Next
The Racers head to Jacksonville, Alabama for their 2015 finale against the No. 1-ranked Gamecocks. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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