Murray State
Georgia
Players Mentioned
Racers Face Tough Road Test at #3 Georgia
9/4/2019 3:11:00 PM | Football
Date (Time): Aug. 7 (4 p.m. ET)
Opponent: #3 Georgia
Site (Venue): Athens, Ga. (Sanford Stadium)
Audio: Froggy 103.7 FM (PxP: Neal Bradley; Color: Josh McKeel)
TV: ESPN2 (PxP: Beth Mowins; Booth: Anthony Becht; Field: Rocky Boiman)
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersFootball
MUR Record (Streak): 1-0 (Won 1)
UGA Record (Streak): 1-0 (Won 1)
All-Time Series vs. UGA (Streak): UGA leads series 1-0 (Won 1)
All-Time Series in Athens (Streak): UGA leads series 1-0 (Won 1)
First Meeting: L 0-49 (September 22, 1945, Athens, Ga.)
Last Meeting: L 0-49 (September 22, 1945, Athens, Ga.)
Last Five vs. UGA: 0-1 (L)
MUR Next Game: Sep. 14 at Toledo
MUR Next Home Game: Sep. 21 vs. Morehead St.
The Game
The Murray State football team will travel to Athens, Georgia Saturday for a battle "between the hedges" with FBS No. 3 Georgia.
Saturday's Weather
Saturday will be a scorcher with a high of 96 and just 3-percent chance of a rain. Fans shouldn't expect much relief from the heat in the form of a breeze with winds at just 4-5 mph out of the ESE.
What To Know For Fans Who Go
Please note that Sanford Stadium enforces a clear bag policy (see PDF in the "Links" box) and that each fan is allowed to bring one (1) UNOPENED bottle of water that is no more than 20 oz. Please see the "Links" box for additional information on parking and game day policies.
Last Time Out
For the 52nd time in 95 seasons, the Murray State football team opened its annual campaign with a win, beating Pikeville, 59-20, Thursday night at Roy Stewart Stadium. Pikeville was first on the board in the contest with a 42-yard field goal by Zaniel Phillips less than four minutes into the game. However, the Racers immediately answered with a 95-yard kickoff return by Quinaz Turner and never looked back. Preston Rice was 20-for-31 in his debut as Murray State's QB1 for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Jacob Bell, LaMartez Brooks, and Brion Sanchious, in his Racer football debut, had each of MSU's receiving touchdowns, while Jared McCray and Rodney Castille each scored twice on the ground. Defensively, Edmond McGhee had five tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble, while Anthony Koclanakis had a game-high six tackles and a sack..
The Georgia Series
The two teams have met just on one previous occasion in September of 1945. On the Racers' last trip "between the hedges," the Bulldogs blanked Murray State, 49-0.
Scouting The Bulldogs
Georgia opened its season with a 30-6 win Saturday at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. The Bulldogs racked up 330 yards on the ground with two touchdowns, while also adding 156 yards and a score in the air. D'Andre Swift led the rushing attack for UGA against Vandy by averaging 9.3 yard per rush with 149 yards on 16 carries. At quarterback, Jake Fromm was 15-for-23 for 156 yards and one touchdown. Mark Webb and Monty Rice paced the Georgia defense Saturday with seven tackles each, while Azeez Ojulari was just behind the duo with six including 0.5 for a loss of six yards.
Homecoming
Murray State boasts 10 players from the state of Georgia this season, including Edwin Summerour who is from Athens and the aptly named Christopher Georgia from Warner Robins.
It's A Small World
While, Saturday will be the first time MSU head coach Mitch Stewart and UGA head coach Kirby Smart have squared off against each other, it won't be the first time they have been on a football field together. Smart served as the defensive coordinator in 2001 at Valdosta State, which was also Stewart freshman year as a student-athlete.
A Game Of Firsts
Preston Rice's nine-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of Thursday's opener was not only the first of his career, but it was the first for receiver Brion Sanchious, who is playing football for the first time since high school after playing for years for the Racer men's basketball team. Backup quarterback Brendan Bognar also got his first career touchdown on the night when he found LaMartez Brooks from 46-yards out in the fourth quarter.
No Freebies
Murray State finished the game with zero turnovers, marking the first time the Racers have achieved that feat since Oct. 29, 2016 against Tennessee State.
Recovering Assests
Thursday, Tay Carothers became the first Racer since Derrick Townsel against Eastern Illinois in 2007 to recover two fumbles in the same game.
To The House
Turner's 95-yard touchdown on a kickoff return in the first quarter Thursday was the longest by Racer since Pokey Harris put up 100-yard touchdown returns in back-to-back games in 2014.
OK, What's Next?
The Racers travel north to the historic Glass Bowl to take on the Rockets of Toledo on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. ET.
