Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Morehead State
Players Mentioned
Racers Renew Regional Rivalry With Morehead
9/19/2019 3:34:00 PM | Football
Date (Time): Sept. 21 (6 p.m.)
Opponent: Morehead State
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (Roy Stewart Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Color: Josh McKeel)
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball
MUR Record (Streak): 1-2 (Lost 2)
MOR Record (Streak): 2-1 (Won 1)
All-Time Series vs. MOR (Streak): Racers lead 40-16-1
All-Time Series in Murray (Streak): Racers lead 22-6
First Meeting: W 14-7 (Oct. 3, 1936; Morehead, Ky.)
Last Meeting: W 63-13 (Oct. 14, 1995, Murray, Ky.)
Last Five vs. MOR: 3-2 (WWWLL)
MUR Next Game: Sep. 28 at Morehead St.
MUR Next Home Game: Oct. 5 vs. Eastern Illinois
The Game
The Murray State football team face-off against in-state rival Morehead State Saturday for the first time in 24 years Saturday at Roy Stewart Stadium at 6 p.m. The game will also feature Murray State's annual Family Weekend Festivities
Saturday's Weather
Saturday night's weather will be warm, cloudy and humid. The temperature at kickoff is forecasted to be 82 F, with 56-percent humidity and wind of 6-9 mph. Â
Last Time Out
The Murray State football team had over 300 yards of offense Saturday night at Toledo, however it just could not find the end zone, as the Rockets shutout the Racers, 45-0 at the Glass Bowl in Toledo. The Racers went toe-to-toe with the Rockets for the first half trailing just 3-0 after the first quarter and just 17-0 at the break. Murray State actually outgained the Rockets, 238-237 in the first half, however Toledo scored four touchdowns and held the Racers to less than 100 yards in the second half to seal the shutout win. Despite two interceptions, quarterback Preston Rice once again turned in a very gritty performance going 26-for-36 for 180 yards with 87 additional yards on the ground. Defensively Davonta Wilson led Murray State on the night with 11 tackles, while Anthony Koclanakis followed with 10.
The Morehead State Series
Murray State and Morehead State will meet Saturday for the first time since 1995, the Eagles' final year as a football member of the Ohio Valley Conference. Prior to the 23-year hiatus, the Racers had a commanding lead in the series, 40-16-1. In Murray, the two teams have met on 28 previous occasions with Murray State winning 22 of those contests.
Scouting The Eagles
Morehead State is off to a 2-1 start to the season with wins over a pair of NAIA opponents and a loss at No. 16 Illinois State. The Eagles are currently averaging 43.7 points and 453.3 yards per game, while allowing 26.7 points and 399.7 yards per game. The Morehead State offense is almost perfectly balanced with 223.0 yards on the ground and 230.3 yards in the air per game. Offensively, Issiah Aguero is averaging almost 100 rushing yards per game at 291 total, while Landon Hurst leads the receiving corps with 12 catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns. At quarterback, Mark Pappas is 46-for-83 on the season for 613 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Defensively, the Eagles are led by Justin Benvle who has 20 tackles on the season, while Vaughn Taylor, Jr. follows with 18 and team-highs of 5.5 tackles-for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Leading the Way
Currently, the Racers lead the OVC as a team in four statistical categories and individually lead in four categories. Murray State currently leads the league in blocked punts allowed (0), completion percentage (69.2), turnover margin (0.33) and in turnovers gained (5). Individually, Preston Rice leads in completion percentage (71.7), Quinaz Turner in kickoff return TDs (1), Tay Carothers in fumbles recovered (2) and Anthony Koclanakis in sacks (0.7).
You Complete Me
Preston Rice is currently 66-for-92 on the season for a completion percentage of 71.7 percent. He has completed over 70-percent of his passes in two of three games including 80-percent at Georgia. If he continues to complete passes at this rate, he would break the current single-season completion percentage record of 69.4-percent set by Casey Brockman in 2012.
Family Matters
The Racers will celebrate their annual family weekend against Morehead State. In addition to Saturday night's game, there will be several events that take place throughout the weekend. In addition, the famous MSU $5 Family Weekend t-shirts will be on sale all weekend at various events including the game.
Sept. 20
7 p.m. - Watch "Secretariat" on the field. Admission is free.
Sept. 21
7-9 a.m. - Pancake breakfast on the field for just $5.
8 a.m. - Racer 5K. Race begins at the wellness center and ends on the field.
2-6 p.m. - Take a tour of the Burton Family Hall of Champions attached to the CFSB Center.
4:30 p.m. - Dunker's Kidz Zone opens on the 4th level concourse of Stewart Stadium. All activities are free.
Sept. 22
1 p.m. - Watch the 4x OVC Champions Racer women's soccer team open league play against SIUE with special "Racer In Paradise" promotions.
OK, What's Next?
The Racers open OVC play on the road at rival UT Martin next Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
