Story by Keith Jaco
Staff Writer
rjaco@murraystate.edu
Murray State Racer football knocked off Tennessee State 45-21 on Saturday afternoon, bringing the Racers to 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 1997.
After a slow start led to a 14-3 deficit in the first quarter, senior quarterback Drew Anderson remained calm and tried to find his groove.
“I think sometimes you come out a little too excited,” Anderson said. “One throw got away from me, but once you get into the flow of the game everything feels a lot more comfortable.”
Tennessee State controlled the tempo for much of the first half, scoring first on a 16-yard pass from freshman quarterback Michael Hughes to sophomore tight end Aaron Cauthen. Senior kicker Gabriel Vicente got the Racers on the board at the four-minute mark with a 46-yard field goal. TSU would follow up the Racer field goal with another touchdown, this time a two-yard rush from junior running back DeMarco Corbin.
Murray State put its foot on the gas pedal to open up the second quarter, as senior quarterback Anderson completed a one-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver LaMartez Brooks, bringing the Racers within four. Following a fumble recovery by junior linebacker Kendrick Catis, Murray State converted on a 19-yard run by Anderson, giving the Racers their first lead of the game.
Anderson would continue his solid performance with a nine-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Armani Hayes just before halftime, giving the Racers a comfortable 24-14 lead going into the second half.
During halftime, Murray State University recognized former Racer football head coach Frank Beamer on his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Beamer was overjoyed to be back in Murray receiving praise for his accolades.
“I’m deeply honored,” Beamer said. “I can tell you that some of my best days ever were right here in Murray, Kentucky.”
Beamer will join 1,200 other members this December when he is formally inducted in Atlanta, Georgia.
After back-to-back three-and-outs, the Racers struck again on offense, this time on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to junior wide receiver Jensen Feggins.
Tennessee State’s scoring drought continued throughout the third quarter, as Murray State tacked on another touchdown pass, a 12-yard dish from Anderson to junior wide receiver Malik Honeycutt. The Racers rattled off a 42-7 scoring run after being down 14-3 at the end of one quarter of play.
Murray State and TSU traded touchdown passes in the fourth quarter as the game was all but wrapped up. While turnovers plagued the Tigers last week in their loss to Austin Peay, costly penalties on either side of the ball were the difference in this week’s matchup. A pass interference call in the endzone extended a drive for the Racers and led to a touchdown during their scoring run.
Head Coach Mitch Stewart was exuberant after his team’s 45-21 home win on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m super proud of these guys,” Stewart said. “They deserve to feel the way that they do in the locker room right now. They’ve put a ton of work into this week in finding a way to be 1-0 this week. Hats off to Tennessee State that’s a really good ball club.”
The Racer defense held the Tigers to an opponent-low 21 points this week. Stewart attributed this success to his team’s gameplan and grit.
“We knew we had to try and eliminate [Chris Rowland],” Stewart said. “We didn’t do that and you’re not going to do that against him, we were all in for a treat today getting to watch him. We tried to maintain him best we could and we tried to put shots on the quarterback, and I think we were able to do that and ultimately I think that’s the reason they had the success they had.”
The Racers will square off against the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky University at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, in Richmond, Kentucky.