Murray State
Eastern Illinois
Players Mentioned
Racers Look To Bounce Back Against EIU
10/3/2019 4:37:00 PM | Football
Date (Time): Oct 5 (1 p.m.)
Opponent: Eastern Illinois
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (Roy Stewart Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Color: Jeff Waters)
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball
MUR Record (Streak): 2-3 [0-1 OVC] (Lost 1)
EIU Record (Streak): 0-5 [0-1 OVC] (Lost 5)
All-Time Series vs. EIU (Streak): Panthers lead 19-15 (Won 1)
All-Time Series in Murray (Streak): Racers lead 9-8 (Lost 3)
First Meeting: W 38-13 (Nov. 15, 1946; Murray, Ky.)
Last Meeting: W 48-41 (Oct. 6, 2018, Charleston, Ill.)
Last Five vs. EIU: 2-3 (WLWLL)
MUR Next Game: Oct. 12 at Tennessee State
MUR Next Home Game: Oct. 19 vs. Eastern Kentucky (Homecoming)
The Game
The Murray State football team will look to bounce back after falling in last week's OVC opener when it plays host to Eastern Illinois Saturday at Roy Stewart Stadium at 1 p.m.
Saturday's Weather
With a cold front finally providing some relief from the heat, Saturday's game, however, will still be warm. Kickoff temp will be around 86 F with zero chance of precipitation and winds of 5-6 mph coming out of the southeast.
Last Time Out
|UT Martin simply did not allow the Murray State football team to find its offensive rhythm Saturday night as the Skyhawks topped the Racers, 40-7, at Hardy M. Graham field in Martin, Tennessee in the OVC openers for both teams. The Skyhawks put up 500 yards of total offense in the game, while holding the Racers to just 267. The biggest key for UT Martin, however, was holding the Racers to just 17 yards rushing, while racking up 168 on the ground itself.
John Bacchus III was 26-for-40 on the night for an impressive 312 yards with one touchdown, while Terry Williams led the UTM receivers with seven catches for 84 yards. Peyton Logan averaged 6.8 yards per carry for the Skyhawks on the ground with 14 carries for 95 yards and a score.
For the Racers, Preston Rice was 17-for-29 for 250 yards, a touchdowns and an interception, while Rodney Castille had 84 yards on five catches with one touchdown. Defensively, Anthony Koclanakis put up a career-high 18 tackles with 2.0 for loss and a quarterback to lead Murray State on the night, while Kendrick Catis and Dior Johnson followed with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively.
The Eastern Illinois Series
Saturday will be the 35th meeting between the two teams with the Panthers holding a slim 19-15 lead in the all-time series. The Racers have won each of the last two meetings in Charleston, but have not beaten the Panthers in Murray since 2011 where MSU hold just a one-game margin in the series, 9-8.
Scouting The Panthers
Despite scoring more points in last week's game against Tennessee Tech that it had in its four previous games combined, Eastern Illinois fell to the Golden Eagles, 40-29, falling to 0-5 on the season. The Panthers are currently allowing 30.6 points per game, while scoring 9.6 themselves. Offensively, Eastern Illinois is averaging 97.6 yards per game on the ground and 159.2 yards per game in the air for 256.8 total yards per game, while opponents are averaging 372.2.
After playing the first four games with a two quarterback system, Harry Woodberry is now QB1 for the Panthers following the departure of Jonathan Brantley. Woodberry is 58-for-121 on year for 533 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Robbie Lofton has been the lead receiver for EIU this year with 209 yards on 20 catches for 41.8 yards per game.
On the ground, Jaelin Benefield leads the way with 153 yards on 38 carries with two touchdowns, while adding 148 yards on 22 catches as a receiver. Defensively, Dytarious Johnson leads the Panthers with team-highs of 28 tackles, 6.0 tackles-for-loss and 2.0 sacks.
Ladies Day
Saturday will be the inaugural Ladies Day at Roy Stewart Stadium. For $5 (which will be donated to local charities), fans can head to the end zone during the game to paint wine glasses and coffee cups, sample Ben & Jerry's ice cream and chocolate-covered strawberries and have the chance to win giveaways throughout the game. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the link on the this page.
Another Streak
After seeing its 156-game streak of not being shutout end earlier this season, with a lone touchdown the Racers did extend their consecutive game streak of not being in OVC play to an impressive 219.
One-Man Wrecking Crew
Anthony Koclanakis racked up a career-high 18 tackles last week at UT Martin which is currently the second-highest total in the FCS in this season. The 18 stops finishes just outside of the top-10 on the MSU single-game tackle list as six different players have recorded 19 on seven different occasions.
OK, What's Next?
The Racers take a trip to Music City next Saturday to battle the Tigers of Tennessee State at Hale Stadium at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
