Pulling Rank – Racers Take Down #15 EIU - Murray State University Athletics

Saturday, October 22

Charleston, Ill.

1 p.m.

Murray State

2-5 , 2-2

Eastern Illinois

5-3 , 3-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Murray State

Eastern Illinois

Photo by: Murray State Sports Information

Pulling Rank – Racers Take Down #15 EIU

10/22/2016 8:12:00 PM | Football

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Just The Facts
Senior kicker Connor Mitchell kicked six field goals, the defense forced six turnovers and the offense had its highest rushing output of the season, as the Murray State football team overcame an 18-point deficit to knock off 15th-ranked Eastern Illinois, 40-38, Saturday at O'Brien Field in Charleston.

The Turning Point
Down nine points in the fourth quarter, KD Humphries found Jesse Blackburn who went 87 yards to pull MSU within two, at 31-29, with just over 14 minutes to go. Two EIU turnovers later, Mareio McGraw broke off a 77-yard run to put MSU on top for the first time in the game, 35-31. On the two-point attempt, Mitch Stults found Blackburn in the end zone to extend the Racer lead to 37-31, on a play that would later prove crucial for MSU.

With 2:31 to play, Connor Mitchell made his sixth field goal of the afternoon, from 29-yards out, to give MSU a nine point lead. However, EIU answered on the next drive by going 66 yards on 10 plays in just over a minute to cut the lead to 40-38 with under a minute to play. On the ensuing onside kick, after seemingly minutes of bouncing around and touches by both teams, the Racers finally recovered the ball, sealing their first win over a ranked team since 2014.

Murray State finished the game with 236 yards rushing and 299 yards passing for 535 total yards. The Racers were also a perfect 6-for-6 inside the red zone on the day with five field goals and a touchdown.

About The Panthers
The Panthers threw three interception and lost three fumbles, but still managed to put up 566 yards of total offense. Mitch Kimble led three EIU quarterbacks by going 16-for-19 with 200 yards and two touchdowns, while Devin Church rushed for 155 yards and two scores. Seth McDonald led the Panther defense with a game-high 13 tackles.

Mitchell Doesn't Miss
Senior kicker Connor Mitchell set a Murray State record by making six field goals Saturday from 37, 36, 37, 49, 25 and 29 yards. With his six field goals and two extra points, Mitchell finished with 20 points on the afternoon, accounting for exactly half of MSU's total 40 points.

He Did Go All The Way
Jesse Blackburn put Murray State within two points in the fourth quarter when he went 87 yards for a touchdown on a pass from KD Humphries. The play marked the longest pass completion and reception, respectively, in the careers of Humphries and Blackburn. Humphries finished the day at 23-for-43 for 299 yards and a touchdowns, while Blackburn had 147 yards on four catches.

Super Mareio 2
With 139 yards Saturday, Mareio McGraw put together back-to-back 100 yards games for the first time in his career. In the fourth quarter, the freshman broke off a career-long 77-yard touchdown run to give MSU the first lead of the game, marking his third 60-plus yard touchdown run of the season. He finished the game with 15 carries for an average of 9.3 yards per carry.

A Clean Sheet
The Murray State offense was near perfect Saturday, as the Racers did not fumble, KD Humphries did not throw an interception and offensive line did not allow a single sack.

The Clean-Up Crew
Seven different players contributed to the six EIU turnovers in the win. Bishop Woods, Toby Omli and Marquez Sanford all forced fumbles, while Omli, Sanford and Derrick Shaw came up with the recoveries. For the interceptions, it was D'Montre Wade, Silas Owens and Greg Willard, with Owens reeling off a 36-yard return.

Big Day For The D
Marico Paige had a game-high 13 tackles, while Isaiah Foster had 11 with 1.5 tackles-for-loss and a pass breakup. Bishop Woods had a big game as he came up with nine tackles, the lone sack of the game, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry. Jonathan Jackson also played a big role with eight tackles, 1.0 tackles-for-loss, two breakups and a hurry, while Zachary Wade had nine tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss and a breakup.

Up Next
The Racers return to the friendly confines Saturday for Homecoming 2016 against the 25^th-ranked Tigers of Tennessee State. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.