Jakob Milani
Sports Editor
jmilani@murraystate.edu
Football season got off to a rough start for Murray State as the Racers were beat by the Texas Tech University Red Raiders 63-10 on Saturday, Sept. 3.
The Racers threw for just 208 yards and rushed for 50, scoring just one touchdown through the four quarters. With a handful of injuries thrown in throughout the game, Murray State’s season kicked off in unfortunate fashion.
Sophomore running back Damonta Witherspoon got the game started with a pair of rushes with freshman running back Cortezz Jones picking up the first down on a 2-yard rush. However, the Racers were unable to go any further and senior punter Lewis Halton came out to punt the ball away.
Senior quarterback Tyler Shough opened the Red Raiders drive with a 39-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Jerand Bradley to move them up to the Texas Tech 45-yard line.
After a false start penalty on Texas Tech, Shough completed a 23-yard pass to senior tight end Henry Teeter, then a 30-yard pass to junior wide receiver Loic Fouonji for the first touchdown of the game. The Red Raiders went up on the Racers 7-0 with 10:34 left in the first quarter.
The Racers came back out and punted the ball again on their following drive, giving the Red Raiders another chance to score. Shough again opened the drive with a big gain, throwing a 33-yard pass to Fouonji to move the Red Raiders up to the Murray State 26-yard line.
Three plays later, junior running back Tahj Brooks took the handoff 14 yards for the touchdown, his first of the game. WIth the extra point up and good, Texas Tech was up 14-0 with 7:28 left in the first quarter.
With the ball back in the Racers hands, they started their drive down the field. On third down with seven yards to go for the first down, sophomore quarterback DJ Williams let a deep ball go and found senior wide receiver LaMartez Brooks for the 51-yard gain.
Despite the gain, the Racers settled for a 31-yard field goal from senior kicker Aaron Baum to give the Racers three points.
After a number of passes to move the Red Raiders up the field, the first quarter came to an end with Texas Tech up 14-3.
To start the second quarter, sophomore quarterback Donovan Smith took over for Shough and completed a 30-yard pass to Bradley for another touchdown.
The Racers were quick to answer on their following drive. After a sack and an incomplete pass, Williams found senior wide receiver DeQuan Dallas for a 24-yard gain, then threw the longest pass of the game to junior wide receiver Jacob Bell for a 54-yard receiving touchdown.
Following Bell’s touchdown catch, the Red Raiders led the Racers 21-10 with 13:9 left in the first half.
Texas Tech picked up a touchdown in just one play on the next drive with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Fouonji, then scored again on their next drive with a 3-yard rush by Brooks, his second touchdown of the game.
Brooks struck one more time on a 23-yard rushing touchdown to put the Red Raiders up 42-10 in the second quarter.
The Racers made their way down on their final drive of the half, making their way up to the Texas Tech 8-yard line. On fourth down, with five seconds left in the half, they decided to go for the touchdown.
On the play, Williams rolled out and fell without contact, holding his right leg. As the game went to halftime, Williams was helped off the field and did not return, with redshirt freshman quarterback Lucas Maue taking over for the remainder of the game. Williams is expected to be out for a significant amount of time.
The Red Raiders started the second half with an 11-yard pass from Smith to Bradley, then a 15-yard pass to senior wide receiver Xavier White. They finished it off with a 30-yard passing touchdown to senior running back SaRodorick Thompson.
On their next drive Smith led the Red Raiders to a touchdown in just three plays with back-to-back passes to junior wide receiver Myles Price, then finished the drive with a 14-yard pass to Bradley to put Texas Tech up 56-10 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter started with a 21-yard passing touchdown from redshirt freshman Behren Morton to sophomore tight end Mason Thorp for the final score of the game.
When the game came to an end, the Red Raiders had defeated the Racers 63-10.
Texas Tech’s quarterbacks combined for 472 passing yards and six passing touchdowns, with Smith leading the way with 221 yards and four touchdowns. Brooks led the way with 50 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Williams threw for 207 yards and a touchdown, while Maue completed just one pass for a single yard. Witherspoon led the Racers in rushing with 36 yards.
Murray State starts the season with an 0-1 record. The Racers kick off their home schedule on Saturday, Sept. 10 against Jacksonville State. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.