Fourth-Largest Stewart Stadium Crowd Watches Racers vs Salukis on Homecoming Day

Saturday, October 14

Murray, Ky.

2 p.m.

Murray State

Southern Illinois

Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics

Fourth-Largest Stewart Stadium Crowd Watches Racers vs Salukis on Homecoming Day

10/14/2023 6:28:00 PM | Football

Box Score

In their first meeting as MVFC members, the Racers battled Southern Illinois in a 27-6 defeat

The Murray State Racers' 87^th homecoming football game ended in a 27-6 loss to the Southern Illinois Salukis Saturday at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Ky.

The Racers (2-4) fell to 1-2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference as they hit the road Saturday (Oct. 21) in Springfield against the Missouri State Bears.

The announced homecoming crowd of 15,868 marked consecutive seasons of a top-10 all-time crowd at Stewart Stadium which is in its 51^st year as the home of MSU Football. Today's crowd was the fourth-largest in Stewart history just behind the all-time mark of 16,600 when the Racers hosted Eastern Kentucky in 1981.

The Racers had two great chances to score in the first half, but came up empty in both instances. After falling behind 7-0, the Racers drove the ball from their own 24-yard line to the SIU nine, but DJ Williams' pass was intercepted in the end zone.

MSU's Matt Maldonado booted a 44-yard field goal to make it a 10-3 SIU lead at the end of the first quarter.

With 6:45 before half, SIU fumbled the punt snap and MSU's Dylan Appleton's recovered it at the SIU 26. With a short field, the Racers drove to the SIU 2-yard line, but could not score on four running tries.

The Salukis tacked on a field goal for a 13-3 lead at the halftime intermission.

Michael Fox's 36-yard catch from Williams led the Racers to another good scoring chance at the SIU 11 in the fourth quarter, but MSU stalled and settled for a second field goal from Maldonado from 29 yards to make it a 20-6 SIU advantage with 10:04 left.

Rushing offense was hard to come by for the Racers against a stingy SIU front seven as MSU was held to 33 yards on 27 carries. Through the air, Williams was 12-of-29 for 157 yards.

Game Notes

Ryan Batsch (LB) Sr., Loveland, Ohio and Jacob Bell (WR) Sr., Vero Beach, Fla., took the coin toss as captains for the Racers today.
The announced crowd of 15,868 was the fourth-largest in the 51-season history of Roy Stewart Stadium.
Three of the top 15 crowds have come in the last two seasons at the famous stadium.
Today was the 23rd meeting between the Racers and Salukis as SIU edges in front of the all-time series tied 11-10-2.
MSU is 52-35 (.602) all-time in homecoming.
Murray State's game in Springfield next Saturday against Missouri State Bears marks the 12^th meeting in their series that the Racers lead 8-3.
The game marks Murray State's first visit to Plaster Stadium since a 28-21 loss there in 2018.