Murray State University Athletics
Saturday, September 19
Kalamazoo, Mich
6 p.m.
Murray State
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Western Michigan
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Players Mentioned
LB
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DB
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RB
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K
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WR
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LB
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QB
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LB
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WR
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DB
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OL
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Photo by: Tab Brockman
Racers Clash With Broncos In Kalamazoo Saturday
9/18/2015 7:25:00 AM | Football
Date (Time): Sept. 19 (6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET)
Opponent: Western Michigan
Site (Venue): Kalamazoo, Mich. (Waldo Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Color: Logan Stout)
Web Stream: ESPN3.com (PxP: Alex Faust; Color: Peter Najarian)
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball, @PGriffithMSU
MSU Record (Streak): 1-1 (L1)
WMU Record (Streak): 0-2 (L2)
All-Time Series vs. WMU (Streak):WMU leads 1-0 (W1)
Last Meeting: WMU 45, MSU 14 (Sept. 20, 2014 – Kalamazoo, Mich.)
MSU Last Game: at Northern Illinois, L 57-26
WMU Last Game: at Ga. Southern, Â L 17-43
MSU Next Game: Sept. 26 vs. Tennessee Tech
MSU Next Home: Sept. 26 vs. Tennessee Tech
The Game
Murray State will wrap -up its two-game road stretch against FBS opponents Saturday when it takes on Western Michigan. Kick-off is at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo is set for 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET, and can be heard locally on Froggy 103.7 FM. A free live video stream is also available and can be found WatchESPN.com or on the WatchESPN app for Apple and Android devices.
Saturday's Weather
The weather for Saturday night is scheduled to be cool with a low of 49° F. After a 50% chance of rain earlier the day, there will be just a 10% chance at night. The winds will be moderate around game time, coming out of the north at about 5-10 mph.
Last Time Out
Despite scoring more points on an FBS opponent since 1989 against Akron and leading, 7-6, after the first quarter, the Murray State football team fell to Northern Illinois, 57-26, Saturday afternoon at Huskie Stadium.
Murray State had 373 yards of total offense in the game including 281 in the air by KD Humphries. Humphries was 31-for-49 in the game with two touchdowns despite throwing three interceptions. Jeremy Harness turned in his second 100-plus yard receiving game of the season, pulling down eight catches for 105 yards. Roman Clay led the MSU rushing attack on the day, which lost just one yard at the line of scrimmage, with 64 yards on 16 carries.
With Murray State trailing by just three, 13-10, late in the second quarter, junior quarterback KD Humphries engineered a 62-yard drive that took the Racers all the way to the four yard-line of NIU. However, the Huskies' Paris Logan brought the drive to a disappointing end by intercepting Humphries in the end zone. NIU would go on to score two drives later, taking a 20-10 lead into the locker room at the break and never looking back from there.
For NIU, Drew Hare was 29-for-38 for 358 yards and four touchdowns under center, while his leading receiver was Kenny Golladay who had eight catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns. DJ Brown rushed for 55 yards in the contest, while Joel Bouagnon rushed for 52 with two touchdowns. Defensively, Mayomi Olootu capped his first career interception for the Huskies, by going 42 yards for his first career touchdown.
vs. Western Michigan
Saturday will be just the second meeting all-time between the Racers and Northern Illinois with the only previous meeting taking place last season. In MSU's only other trip to Kalamazoo, the Broncos overwhelmed the Racers with just over 600 yards of total offense including nearly 400 on the ground for a 45-14 victory.
Scouting The Broncos
After a strong showing on opening weekend against then No. 6 Michigan State at home, Western Michigan sputtered on the road in week two at Georgia Southern, losing 43-17. The Bronco offense currently averages 317.5 yards per game, while the defense has allowed 436.0 yards per game.
Western Michigan's offense currently focuses primarily on the pass with 296.0 yards coming in the air, compared to just 21.5 yards on the ground. Zach Terrell has been the lone quarterback for the Broncos in the first two games going 57-for-86 for 592 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions.
Terrell's leading targets so far this season have been Daniel Braverman and Corey Davis. Braverman is currently averaging 115.5 yards per game with one touchdown, while Davis is averaging 85.0 yards per game, also with one touchdown. The leading rusher for WMU this year has been Jarvion Franklin who is averaging 40.5 yards per game.
Defensively, Asantay Brown leads the way for WMU with 20 tackles, including 10 solo, to go along with 1.0 tackles-for-loss. Ronald Zamort has been the leading pass defender for the Broncos, breaking up four passes, in addition to making nine tackles.
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Youth Movement
The youngest coach in each subdivision of Division I football will take the field Saturday when the youngest FCS coach, Mitch Stewart, meets the youngest FBS coach, P.J. Fleck. Not only is Stewart the youngest coach in FCS, he also the youngest coach in all of DI football, beating out Cornell's David Archer by just three days.
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Record Production
Saturday marked the most points the Racers have scored against an FBS opponent since tying Akron, 31-31, in 1989. It also marked the first time that MSU has scored in all four quarters against an FBS school since the '89 Akron game.
Staying True
In Saturday's game at NIU, Murray State did something few DI program will do this season in starting two true freshman. Offensive lineman Chris White has started both games this season for the Racers, while tight end Drew Rutland picked up the first start of his career last Saturday.
Row The Boat?
Fans attending the game at WMU this week will notice the phrase "Row The Boat" plastered everywhere. But what does it mean? Head coach P.J. Fleck explains:
"There are three parts to rowing the boat. There is the oar, which is the energy behind rowing the boat. There is boat, which is the actual sacrifice, either our team or the administration or the boosters or the audience or whoever is willing to sacrifice for this program. There is also the compass. Every single person that comes in contact with our football program, fans or not, they are all going for one common goal and that is success."
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Triple Double
Three Murray State players recorded 10 or more tackles in Saturday's game with DeQuinten Spraggins leading the way with 11, including nine solo. Jonathan Jackson and Joe Cicoria also had big days with 10 tackles each.
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Not The Paper Kind
Both Jalen Harrington and St. Pierre Anilus came up with sacks on Saturday, with Anilus racking up nine yards of loss and Harrington getting six. Harrington has adjusted quickly to his move to defense and currently has 2.5 sacks on the season and is the only Racer to get at least one sack in each game so far in 2015.
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Fumblerewski
Jalen Harrington and Dylan Boone each had big fumble returns in the game, with Harrington returning the ball 47 yards and Boone going 60 yards on his scoop up. Harrington's return, on a fumble that he caused, set up a field goal, while Boone scored on his return.
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Kick Strong
Kicker Carson Greifenkamp continued his strong start to 2015 on Saturday by going 2-for-2 on PATs and 2-for-2 on field goals. Both field goals were 26 yards, which is now his new season long. He also averaged 58.7 yards on six kickoffs in the game, with one going for a touchback.
FBS Futility
The Racers are 2-24-2 all-time against FBS opponents since Division I split into two smaller divisions in 1978. The two wins both came against in-state foe, Louisville, with the last one occurring over 30 years ago in 1984.
Up Next
After two games on the road, Murray State returns home next week to take on Tennessee Tech. Kick-off from Stewart Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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Opponent: Western Michigan
Site (Venue): Kalamazoo, Mich. (Waldo Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Color: Logan Stout)
Web Stream: ESPN3.com (PxP: Alex Faust; Color: Peter Najarian)
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball, @PGriffithMSU
MSU Record (Streak): 1-1 (L1)
WMU Record (Streak): 0-2 (L2)
All-Time Series vs. WMU (Streak):WMU leads 1-0 (W1)
Last Meeting: WMU 45, MSU 14 (Sept. 20, 2014 – Kalamazoo, Mich.)
MSU Last Game: at Northern Illinois, L 57-26
WMU Last Game: at Ga. Southern, Â L 17-43
MSU Next Game: Sept. 26 vs. Tennessee Tech
MSU Next Home: Sept. 26 vs. Tennessee Tech
The Game
Murray State will wrap -up its two-game road stretch against FBS opponents Saturday when it takes on Western Michigan. Kick-off is at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo is set for 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET, and can be heard locally on Froggy 103.7 FM. A free live video stream is also available and can be found WatchESPN.com or on the WatchESPN app for Apple and Android devices.
Saturday's Weather
The weather for Saturday night is scheduled to be cool with a low of 49° F. After a 50% chance of rain earlier the day, there will be just a 10% chance at night. The winds will be moderate around game time, coming out of the north at about 5-10 mph.
Last Time Out
Despite scoring more points on an FBS opponent since 1989 against Akron and leading, 7-6, after the first quarter, the Murray State football team fell to Northern Illinois, 57-26, Saturday afternoon at Huskie Stadium.
Murray State had 373 yards of total offense in the game including 281 in the air by KD Humphries. Humphries was 31-for-49 in the game with two touchdowns despite throwing three interceptions. Jeremy Harness turned in his second 100-plus yard receiving game of the season, pulling down eight catches for 105 yards. Roman Clay led the MSU rushing attack on the day, which lost just one yard at the line of scrimmage, with 64 yards on 16 carries.
With Murray State trailing by just three, 13-10, late in the second quarter, junior quarterback KD Humphries engineered a 62-yard drive that took the Racers all the way to the four yard-line of NIU. However, the Huskies' Paris Logan brought the drive to a disappointing end by intercepting Humphries in the end zone. NIU would go on to score two drives later, taking a 20-10 lead into the locker room at the break and never looking back from there.
For NIU, Drew Hare was 29-for-38 for 358 yards and four touchdowns under center, while his leading receiver was Kenny Golladay who had eight catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns. DJ Brown rushed for 55 yards in the contest, while Joel Bouagnon rushed for 52 with two touchdowns. Defensively, Mayomi Olootu capped his first career interception for the Huskies, by going 42 yards for his first career touchdown.
vs. Western Michigan
Saturday will be just the second meeting all-time between the Racers and Northern Illinois with the only previous meeting taking place last season. In MSU's only other trip to Kalamazoo, the Broncos overwhelmed the Racers with just over 600 yards of total offense including nearly 400 on the ground for a 45-14 victory.
Scouting The Broncos
After a strong showing on opening weekend against then No. 6 Michigan State at home, Western Michigan sputtered on the road in week two at Georgia Southern, losing 43-17. The Bronco offense currently averages 317.5 yards per game, while the defense has allowed 436.0 yards per game.
Western Michigan's offense currently focuses primarily on the pass with 296.0 yards coming in the air, compared to just 21.5 yards on the ground. Zach Terrell has been the lone quarterback for the Broncos in the first two games going 57-for-86 for 592 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions.
Terrell's leading targets so far this season have been Daniel Braverman and Corey Davis. Braverman is currently averaging 115.5 yards per game with one touchdown, while Davis is averaging 85.0 yards per game, also with one touchdown. The leading rusher for WMU this year has been Jarvion Franklin who is averaging 40.5 yards per game.
Defensively, Asantay Brown leads the way for WMU with 20 tackles, including 10 solo, to go along with 1.0 tackles-for-loss. Ronald Zamort has been the leading pass defender for the Broncos, breaking up four passes, in addition to making nine tackles.
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Youth Movement
The youngest coach in each subdivision of Division I football will take the field Saturday when the youngest FCS coach, Mitch Stewart, meets the youngest FBS coach, P.J. Fleck. Not only is Stewart the youngest coach in FCS, he also the youngest coach in all of DI football, beating out Cornell's David Archer by just three days.
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| Coach (School) | DOB | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Mitch Stewart (Murray St.) | 11/8/82 | 1st |
| David Archer (Cornell) | 11/5/82 | 3rd |
| Jason Hougtaling (Wagner) | 3/11/82 | 1st |
| Paul Nichols (Davidson) | 1/25/81 | 3rd |
| P.J. Fleck (Western Mich.) | 11/28/80 | 3rd |
| Jerry Mack (N.C. Central) | 10/24/80 | 2nd |
| Willie Simmons (PVAMU) | 10/12/80 | 1st |
| Neil Brown (Troy) | 3/11/80 | 1st |
| Matt Campbell (Toledo) | 11/29/79 | 3rd |
| Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech) | 3/9/79 | 3rd |
Record Production
Saturday marked the most points the Racers have scored against an FBS opponent since tying Akron, 31-31, in 1989. It also marked the first time that MSU has scored in all four quarters against an FBS school since the '89 Akron game.
Staying True
In Saturday's game at NIU, Murray State did something few DI program will do this season in starting two true freshman. Offensive lineman Chris White has started both games this season for the Racers, while tight end Drew Rutland picked up the first start of his career last Saturday.
Row The Boat?
Fans attending the game at WMU this week will notice the phrase "Row The Boat" plastered everywhere. But what does it mean? Head coach P.J. Fleck explains:
"There are three parts to rowing the boat. There is the oar, which is the energy behind rowing the boat. There is boat, which is the actual sacrifice, either our team or the administration or the boosters or the audience or whoever is willing to sacrifice for this program. There is also the compass. Every single person that comes in contact with our football program, fans or not, they are all going for one common goal and that is success."
Â
Triple Double
Three Murray State players recorded 10 or more tackles in Saturday's game with DeQuinten Spraggins leading the way with 11, including nine solo. Jonathan Jackson and Joe Cicoria also had big days with 10 tackles each.
Â
Not The Paper Kind
Both Jalen Harrington and St. Pierre Anilus came up with sacks on Saturday, with Anilus racking up nine yards of loss and Harrington getting six. Harrington has adjusted quickly to his move to defense and currently has 2.5 sacks on the season and is the only Racer to get at least one sack in each game so far in 2015.
Â
Fumblerewski
Jalen Harrington and Dylan Boone each had big fumble returns in the game, with Harrington returning the ball 47 yards and Boone going 60 yards on his scoop up. Harrington's return, on a fumble that he caused, set up a field goal, while Boone scored on his return.
Â
Kick Strong
Kicker Carson Greifenkamp continued his strong start to 2015 on Saturday by going 2-for-2 on PATs and 2-for-2 on field goals. Both field goals were 26 yards, which is now his new season long. He also averaged 58.7 yards on six kickoffs in the game, with one going for a touchback.
FBS Futility
The Racers are 2-24-2 all-time against FBS opponents since Division I split into two smaller divisions in 1978. The two wins both came against in-state foe, Louisville, with the last one occurring over 30 years ago in 1984.
Up Next
After two games on the road, Murray State returns home next week to take on Tennessee Tech. Kick-off from Stewart Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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