Murray State University Athletics
Players Mentioned

Racers Look For Fourth Straight Win Against #2 JSU
11/8/2016 10:29:00 PM | Football
Date (Time): Nov. 12 (1 p.m.)
Opponent: #2 Jacksonville State
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (Roy Stewart Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Color: Josh McKeel)
Web Stream: OVCDigitialNetwork.com
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball, @PGriffithMSU
MSU Record (Streak): 4-5, 4-2 OVC (Won 3)
JSU Record (Streak): 8-1, 5-0 OVC (Won 8)
All-Time Series vs. JSU (Streak): Jacksonville State leads 11-2 (Lost 2)
First Meeting: Won 23-17 (Oct. 4, 2003 in Murray, Ky.)
Last Meeting: Lost 42-20 (Nov. 21, 2015 in Jacksonville, Ala.)
MSU Last Game: Won 41-28 at Eastern Kentucky
JSU Last Game: Won 17-10 at Southeast Missouri
MSU Next Game: Nov. 19 at Tennessee Tech
The Game
A winner of each of its last three game and four of its last five, the Murray State football team will look to keep rolling Saturday when it hosts second-ranked Jacksonville State at Roy Stewart Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Saturday's Weather
Saturday should be a beautiful fall day in the MKY with the temperature around 55 F and sunny, no chance of precipitation and the wind minimal at just 7 mph out of the west-southwest.
Last Time Out
The Murray State football team used a 31-0 second-half run to overcome a 18-7 halftime deficit and beat Eastern Kentucky, 41-28, Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium in Richmond. The Racers have now won three consecutive games and four of their last five. After giving up a safety to begin the second half, Murray State scored 31 consecutive points to take a commanding 38-20 lead over the Colonels. Eastern Kentucky scored late in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 10 at 38-28, however a Connor Mitchell field goal with 1:38 left in the game pushed the lead to 41-28, virtually sealing the win for the Racers. The 31 consecutive points by Murray State included three touchdown passes from KD Humphries, two of which were to Jordon Gandy, a second Mareio McGraw Rushing touchdown and a Connor Mitchell field goal.
The Jacksonville State Series
The all-time series with Jacksonville State has not been kind to the Racers, as they have won just two of 13 total meetings. The Racers have won just once in Murray, in the first game between the two teams in 2003, and once in Jacksonville, the last MSU win in the series which was a triple OT thriller.
Scouting The Gamecocks
the second-ranked Gamecocks picked up a 17-10 win over Southeast Missouri Saturday at home to move to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in OVC play. Eli Jenkins threw for 144 yards to surpass Ed Lett JSU's all-time leading passer, while also tossing a touchdown pass. The Gamecock defense also proved why it's currently the best in the country by limiting the Redhawks to zero yards rushing and 206 passing while also picking off two passes. Jenkins is currently passing for 178.0 yards per game and rushing for additional 80.3 to also lead both categories with nine and eight touchdowns, respectively. The JSU offense currently averages 31.2 points on 434.6 yards per game, while its defense allows just 17.4 points on 253.7 yards per game. The Jax State defense has also forced 20 turnovers this season, while its offense has committed just nine. Marlon Bridges leads the way for JSU defensively with 61 tackles, while Darius Jackson has team-highs of 11.0 tackles-for-loss and 6.5 sacks. Jackson also has a team-leading 11 hurries on the year, while Jaylen Hill leads the Gamecocks in interceptions and passes defended at four and 11, respectively.
A New Member
With 25 yards Saturday, Jesse Blackburn became just the seventh receiver in Murray State history to eclipse the 2,000 yard plateau. He currently has 2,014 yards for his career.
Five For Five
Jordon Gandy's 218 yards Saturday marked the fifth 100-plus yard receiving game for him this season. He is just the fifth player in school history to record five in one season and is just one off Walter Powell's 2012 record.
Road Woes No More
The Racers are 3-2 on the road this season and 3-0 in road OVC games. The three wins marks the most away victories in a season for MSU since 2011, when it won four. With one road conference contest remaining, the Racers have a chance to end the season with an unblemished away record in OVC games for the first time since 1996.
Going For The Hart
Having already broken one field goal record this season, with two games left Connor Mitchell has a shot at one more. Mitchell currently sits at 17 made field goals on the year, needing just five to tie and six to pass the current record holder Rob Hart, who made 22 in 1996.
Chasing History
Senior QB KD Humphries has a chance to take over as all-time leader in all four major passing categories (attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns) this season, all four of which are currently owned by current MSU WR coach, Casey Brockman. Below is a chart showing where Humphries currently is and what he needs for the record.
Career Cur. Needed
Cat. # Rank. Record Per Gm.
Yds 9,942 2 9,990 24.0
Att. 1,348 2 1,405 28.5
Comp. 876 2 938 31.0
TD 70 2 71 0.5
OK, What's Next?
The Racers head to Cookeville for their final game of the season. Kickoff at Tennessee Tech is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Opponent: #2 Jacksonville State
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (Roy Stewart Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Color: Josh McKeel)
Web Stream: OVCDigitialNetwork.com
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball, @PGriffithMSU
MSU Record (Streak): 4-5, 4-2 OVC (Won 3)
JSU Record (Streak): 8-1, 5-0 OVC (Won 8)
All-Time Series vs. JSU (Streak): Jacksonville State leads 11-2 (Lost 2)
First Meeting: Won 23-17 (Oct. 4, 2003 in Murray, Ky.)
Last Meeting: Lost 42-20 (Nov. 21, 2015 in Jacksonville, Ala.)
MSU Last Game: Won 41-28 at Eastern Kentucky
JSU Last Game: Won 17-10 at Southeast Missouri
MSU Next Game: Nov. 19 at Tennessee Tech
The Game
A winner of each of its last three game and four of its last five, the Murray State football team will look to keep rolling Saturday when it hosts second-ranked Jacksonville State at Roy Stewart Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Saturday's Weather
Saturday should be a beautiful fall day in the MKY with the temperature around 55 F and sunny, no chance of precipitation and the wind minimal at just 7 mph out of the west-southwest.
Last Time Out
The Murray State football team used a 31-0 second-half run to overcome a 18-7 halftime deficit and beat Eastern Kentucky, 41-28, Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium in Richmond. The Racers have now won three consecutive games and four of their last five. After giving up a safety to begin the second half, Murray State scored 31 consecutive points to take a commanding 38-20 lead over the Colonels. Eastern Kentucky scored late in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 10 at 38-28, however a Connor Mitchell field goal with 1:38 left in the game pushed the lead to 41-28, virtually sealing the win for the Racers. The 31 consecutive points by Murray State included three touchdown passes from KD Humphries, two of which were to Jordon Gandy, a second Mareio McGraw Rushing touchdown and a Connor Mitchell field goal.
The Jacksonville State Series
The all-time series with Jacksonville State has not been kind to the Racers, as they have won just two of 13 total meetings. The Racers have won just once in Murray, in the first game between the two teams in 2003, and once in Jacksonville, the last MSU win in the series which was a triple OT thriller.
Scouting The Gamecocks
the second-ranked Gamecocks picked up a 17-10 win over Southeast Missouri Saturday at home to move to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in OVC play. Eli Jenkins threw for 144 yards to surpass Ed Lett JSU's all-time leading passer, while also tossing a touchdown pass. The Gamecock defense also proved why it's currently the best in the country by limiting the Redhawks to zero yards rushing and 206 passing while also picking off two passes. Jenkins is currently passing for 178.0 yards per game and rushing for additional 80.3 to also lead both categories with nine and eight touchdowns, respectively. The JSU offense currently averages 31.2 points on 434.6 yards per game, while its defense allows just 17.4 points on 253.7 yards per game. The Jax State defense has also forced 20 turnovers this season, while its offense has committed just nine. Marlon Bridges leads the way for JSU defensively with 61 tackles, while Darius Jackson has team-highs of 11.0 tackles-for-loss and 6.5 sacks. Jackson also has a team-leading 11 hurries on the year, while Jaylen Hill leads the Gamecocks in interceptions and passes defended at four and 11, respectively.
A New Member
With 25 yards Saturday, Jesse Blackburn became just the seventh receiver in Murray State history to eclipse the 2,000 yard plateau. He currently has 2,014 yards for his career.
Five For Five
Jordon Gandy's 218 yards Saturday marked the fifth 100-plus yard receiving game for him this season. He is just the fifth player in school history to record five in one season and is just one off Walter Powell's 2012 record.
Road Woes No More
The Racers are 3-2 on the road this season and 3-0 in road OVC games. The three wins marks the most away victories in a season for MSU since 2011, when it won four. With one road conference contest remaining, the Racers have a chance to end the season with an unblemished away record in OVC games for the first time since 1996.
Going For The Hart
Having already broken one field goal record this season, with two games left Connor Mitchell has a shot at one more. Mitchell currently sits at 17 made field goals on the year, needing just five to tie and six to pass the current record holder Rob Hart, who made 22 in 1996.
Chasing History
Senior QB KD Humphries has a chance to take over as all-time leader in all four major passing categories (attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns) this season, all four of which are currently owned by current MSU WR coach, Casey Brockman. Below is a chart showing where Humphries currently is and what he needs for the record.
Career Cur. Needed
Cat. # Rank. Record Per Gm.
Yds 9,942 2 9,990 24.0
Att. 1,348 2 1,405 28.5
Comp. 876 2 938 31.0
TD 70 2 71 0.5
OK, What's Next?
The Racers head to Cookeville for their final game of the season. Kickoff at Tennessee Tech is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
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