Murray State University Athletics
Thursday, September 3
Stewart Stadium
6 p.m.
Murray State
vs
Kentucky Wesleyan (Senior Night)
Players Mentioned
DL
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
P
/ Football
DB
/ Football
Photo by: Tab Brockman
Racers Open 2015 Season With KWC
9/3/2015 8:05:00 AM | Football
Date (Time): Sept. 3 (6 p.m.)
Opponent: Kentucky Wesleyan
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (Roy Stewart Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Commentary: Josh McKeel)
Web Stream: OVCDigitalNetwork.com
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball, @PGriffithMSU
MSU Record (Streak): 0-0 (---)
KWC Record (Streak): 0-0 (---)
All-Time Series vs. KWC (Streak): MSU leads 3-0 (W3)
Last Meeting: MSU 86, KWC 29 (Oct. 25, 2014 – Murray, Ky.)
MSU Last Game: ---
KWC Last Game: ---
MSU Next Game: Sept. 12 at Northern Ill.
MSU Next Home: Sept. 26 vs. Tennessee Tech
The Game
The Mitch Stewart era begins Thursday when the Racers begin their 2015 campaign at The Track against Kentucky Wesleyan. Kick-off is at 6 p.m., and can be heard locally on Froggy 103.7 FM. A free live video stream is also available and can be found at OVCDigittalNetwork.com.
Thursday Weather
While the high during the day Thursday will reach 89° F, with a real feel of 102° F, the night is scheduled to be significantly cooler at around 66° F. There is just an 8% chance of rain with wind coming out of the ENE at gusts of up to 5 mph
vs. Kentucky Wesleyan
Thursday marks the fourth meeting between the two teams with Murray State leading 3-0 with all three occurring in Murray. The Racers won last season's meeting 86-29, marking the highest offensive production in the series by each team. The 86 points also marks the most points score in the modern era of MSU football.
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2014 Recap
Murray State went 3-9 last season and just 1-8 in OVC. Despite their record, the Racers had several bright spots including having the third-ranked passing offense in the nation with 327.2 yards of offense in the air and a starting quarterback in KD Humphries that led the nation in completions at 26.58 per game.
Defensively, Jonathan Jackson ranked fourth in the FCS and led the OVC in tackles at 12.2. However, the biggest accolades went to Pokey Harris who was named an All-American by eight different media outlets. The junior returned not one, but two kick returns 100-yards for touchdowns in back-to-back weeks.
Following the season, head coach Chris Hatcher departed for Samford, giving then offensive coordinator Mitch Stewart the chance to become head coach. Stewart is now the 18th head coach in program history and is the youngest Division I football coach in either FBS or FCS.
Scouting Kentucky Wesleyan
Kentucky Wesleyan is coming off of a 7-4 season in which it averaged 39.0 points per game, while only allowing 31.8 points per game. The Panthers averaged 454.9 of total offense last year with 348.9 of those yards coming through the air.
Junior Myles Walker led the rushing attack last season with 511 yards and two touchdowns, while Keelan Cole returns to lead the receiving corps after racking up a nation-leading 1,557 yards with 21 touchdowns. While Xavier Mitchell also returns after tallying 1,152 yards and nine scores a year ago.
At quarterback, Dalton Oliver returns after going 215-for-364 in 2014 for 3,510 yards and 35 touchdowns with just nine interceptions. Defensively, Tyler Hermann made seven interceptions last season, finishing seventh in Division II. Senior Cody Mills also comes back for 2015 after racking up a team-high 65 tackles to go along with team-highs in tackles-for-loss and sacks at 13.0 and 5.5, respectively.
MSU Debuts
Mitch Stewart was named as the 18th head coach in Murray State history last December, after the departure of Chris Hatcher. In their first games as head coach at MSU, the previous 17 coaches have had mixed results going 9-7-1. The last coach to win his debut was Joe Pannunzio in 2000, when the Racers blasted Southern Illinois at home, 42-20.
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Out Of The Gates
As it begins its 91st season of football, Murray State is currently 48-38-4 all-time in season openers. In home openers, the numbers are even better at 61-25-4. On 44 occasions, the Racers have begun the season at home and in those games they have done very well going 32-12.
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Number Changes
As the year changes, so do the numbers. Several Racers will be wearing new numbers for the 2015 season.
Â
Name                        Old   New
Jonathan Jackson       32       4
John Morris               44       46
T-Ray Malone            46       8
John Welsh                68       43
Landon Stratton         81       37
Grant Lowrance         83       87
Troy Marshall            92       63
Warren Conway         97       92
                     Â
New Helmets
For the seventh consecutive season, the Racers will be wearing new head gear. The 2015 helmet will be different than anything the Racers have ever worn. This year's helmet shifts to a matte navy finish, rather than the glossy navy of last season. The new "Racer M" returns in 2015 on the left side of the helmet, but the right side will now feature the player's number. In addition, checkerboard stripe that runs down the center of the helmet, now comes to a point in the back, rather than a straight line.
OVC Accolades
Murray State was well represented in the preseason All-OVC awards with three players being named to the list. Pokey Harris and Janawski Harris made the cut after earning 2014 All-OVC honors and were joined by Jonathan Jackson.
Land Of The Free
Several Murray State players earned preseason All-America honors for 2015. Pokey Harris led the way with five total honors, while Jonathan Jackson and KD Humphries earned two and one, respectively.
Up Next
Murray State will hit the road for two straight games against BCS opponents. Next Saturday, the Racers travel to DeKalb, Illinois to face off with Northern Illinois at 2:30 p.m.
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Opponent: Kentucky Wesleyan
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (Roy Stewart Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Commentary: Josh McKeel)
Web Stream: OVCDigitalNetwork.com
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball, @PGriffithMSU
MSU Record (Streak): 0-0 (---)
KWC Record (Streak): 0-0 (---)
All-Time Series vs. KWC (Streak): MSU leads 3-0 (W3)
Last Meeting: MSU 86, KWC 29 (Oct. 25, 2014 – Murray, Ky.)
MSU Last Game: ---
KWC Last Game: ---
MSU Next Game: Sept. 12 at Northern Ill.
MSU Next Home: Sept. 26 vs. Tennessee Tech
The Game
The Mitch Stewart era begins Thursday when the Racers begin their 2015 campaign at The Track against Kentucky Wesleyan. Kick-off is at 6 p.m., and can be heard locally on Froggy 103.7 FM. A free live video stream is also available and can be found at OVCDigittalNetwork.com.
Thursday Weather
While the high during the day Thursday will reach 89° F, with a real feel of 102° F, the night is scheduled to be significantly cooler at around 66° F. There is just an 8% chance of rain with wind coming out of the ENE at gusts of up to 5 mph
vs. Kentucky Wesleyan
Thursday marks the fourth meeting between the two teams with Murray State leading 3-0 with all three occurring in Murray. The Racers won last season's meeting 86-29, marking the highest offensive production in the series by each team. The 86 points also marks the most points score in the modern era of MSU football.
Â
2014 Recap
Murray State went 3-9 last season and just 1-8 in OVC. Despite their record, the Racers had several bright spots including having the third-ranked passing offense in the nation with 327.2 yards of offense in the air and a starting quarterback in KD Humphries that led the nation in completions at 26.58 per game.
Defensively, Jonathan Jackson ranked fourth in the FCS and led the OVC in tackles at 12.2. However, the biggest accolades went to Pokey Harris who was named an All-American by eight different media outlets. The junior returned not one, but two kick returns 100-yards for touchdowns in back-to-back weeks.
Following the season, head coach Chris Hatcher departed for Samford, giving then offensive coordinator Mitch Stewart the chance to become head coach. Stewart is now the 18th head coach in program history and is the youngest Division I football coach in either FBS or FCS.
Scouting Kentucky Wesleyan
Kentucky Wesleyan is coming off of a 7-4 season in which it averaged 39.0 points per game, while only allowing 31.8 points per game. The Panthers averaged 454.9 of total offense last year with 348.9 of those yards coming through the air.
Junior Myles Walker led the rushing attack last season with 511 yards and two touchdowns, while Keelan Cole returns to lead the receiving corps after racking up a nation-leading 1,557 yards with 21 touchdowns. While Xavier Mitchell also returns after tallying 1,152 yards and nine scores a year ago.
At quarterback, Dalton Oliver returns after going 215-for-364 in 2014 for 3,510 yards and 35 touchdowns with just nine interceptions. Defensively, Tyler Hermann made seven interceptions last season, finishing seventh in Division II. Senior Cody Mills also comes back for 2015 after racking up a team-high 65 tackles to go along with team-highs in tackles-for-loss and sacks at 13.0 and 5.5, respectively.
MSU Debuts
Mitch Stewart was named as the 18th head coach in Murray State history last December, after the departure of Chris Hatcher. In their first games as head coach at MSU, the previous 17 coaches have had mixed results going 9-7-1. The last coach to win his debut was Joe Pannunzio in 2000, when the Racers blasted Southern Illinois at home, 42-20.
Â
Out Of The Gates
As it begins its 91st season of football, Murray State is currently 48-38-4 all-time in season openers. In home openers, the numbers are even better at 61-25-4. On 44 occasions, the Racers have begun the season at home and in those games they have done very well going 32-12.
Â
Number Changes
As the year changes, so do the numbers. Several Racers will be wearing new numbers for the 2015 season.
Â
Name                        Old   New
Jonathan Jackson       32       4
John Morris               44       46
T-Ray Malone            46       8
John Welsh                68       43
Landon Stratton         81       37
Grant Lowrance         83       87
Troy Marshall            92       63
Warren Conway         97       92
                     Â
New Helmets
For the seventh consecutive season, the Racers will be wearing new head gear. The 2015 helmet will be different than anything the Racers have ever worn. This year's helmet shifts to a matte navy finish, rather than the glossy navy of last season. The new "Racer M" returns in 2015 on the left side of the helmet, but the right side will now feature the player's number. In addition, checkerboard stripe that runs down the center of the helmet, now comes to a point in the back, rather than a straight line.
OVC Accolades
Murray State was well represented in the preseason All-OVC awards with three players being named to the list. Pokey Harris and Janawski Harris made the cut after earning 2014 All-OVC honors and were joined by Jonathan Jackson.
Land Of The Free
Several Murray State players earned preseason All-America honors for 2015. Pokey Harris led the way with five total honors, while Jonathan Jackson and KD Humphries earned two and one, respectively.
Up Next
Murray State will hit the road for two straight games against BCS opponents. Next Saturday, the Racers travel to DeKalb, Illinois to face off with Northern Illinois at 2:30 p.m.
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