Tag: murray state

Nov 16, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Brock Vandagriff (12) is forced out of bounds by Murray State Racers linebacker Justice Cross (7) during the second quarter at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky scores early, often to beat Murray State for fourth victory

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Jamarion Wilcox rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries to help lead Kentucky to a 48-6 win over Murray State in Lexington on Saturday.

Brock Vandagriff went 12-of-19 passing for 183 yards for the Wildcats.

Kentucky (4-6) snapped a four-game losing streak and kept its hopes for bowl eligibility alive entering games at Texas and home to Louisville to end the season.

Jim Ogle went 10-of-24 passing for 156 yards and an interception in defeat for Murray State (1-10), which lost its eighth straight game.

James London hit field goals of 32 and 36 yards to provide the only points of the game for the Racers.

The Wildcats amassed 582 yards of total offense, 269 rushing yards and 31 first downs and scored at least 20 points for the fifth time this season.

The game was filled with penalties. Murray State committed 15 penalties for 112 yards, while Kentucky had nine penalties for 87 yards.

Kentucky got going on offense in the first quarter, taking a 14-0 lead on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Vandagriff to Hardley Gilmore with 11:09 remaining and a 3-yard TD run with 1:00 to go by Demie Sumo-Karngbaye.

Following Alex Raynor’s 32-yard field goal with 5:27 left in the second quarter, Kentucky took a 24-0 lead with 11 seconds before halftime on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Vandagriff to Ja’Mori Maclin.

Kentucky had 318 yards of total offense in the first half.

The Wildcats kept it rolling in the second half, taking a 31-0 lead with 11:42 remaining in the quarter on Wilcox’s 4-yard touchdown run.

In the fourth quarter, Kentucky went up 48-6 on a pair of touchdown passes from Cutler Boley to Anthony Brown-Stephens, one from 22 yards out and another from 14 yards.

The Racers’ JK Carter finished with seven receptions for 130 yards, an 18.6-yard average.

–Field Level Media

Nov 2, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Brock Vandagriff (12) takes the snap against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Saul Young/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Kentucky tries to get right vs. FCS foe Murray State

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Ever since a win at playoff contender Ole Miss on Sept. 28, the sky has fallen on Kentucky’s season.

The Wildcats (3-6) have lost four straight since then and will have to win their last three games just to gain bowl eligibility, starting with Saturday’s nonconference home game against Murray State in Lexington, Ky.

Coming off a bye week, talk of late has centered more on head coach Mark Stoops’ future rather than the last three games of the season.

At his weekly news conference on Monday, Stoops quickly debunked any rumors that he will step down after this season.

“Zero percent chance I’ll do that,” Stoops said.

The biggest issue for Kentucky this year has been its offense, given the Wildcats are last in the league in points scored and yards per game. Brock Vandagriff threw for just 123 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Wildcats’ last game, a 28-18 loss to then-No. 7 Tennessee.

Kentucky has scored 20 or more points in just four of its games this year, but Stoops believes there is still time to salvage something out of the season.

“We still have a quarter of the season left,” he said. “It’s up to us how we decide to finish. I trust in our team and I believe in our team.”

Kentucky figures to at least get on track against an FCS-level Murray State team that comes in 1-9 under first-year head coach Jody Wright.

The Racers have lost seven games in a row since recording a 59-8 win over Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 14.

In a way, Saturday’s game will be a matchup of weakness vs. weakness. While Kentucky has had trouble scoring points, Murray State has surrendered an average of 45 points a game this year.

“The main thing that keeps showing up on us is we are still missing too many tackles on some run fits,” Wright said. “We’re going to continue to practice physical and try to find guys who can do that. We definitely know we’ll have to have instant-impact guys to come in and help us for next year. But we’ve got to get the best we can for the last two games of football from what we have on this roster currently.”

Jayden Johannsen leads the Racers with 1,405 passing yards and seven touchdowns, but he has thrown 10 interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Aug 29, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) celebrates after scoring against the Murray State Racers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

No. 11 Missouri shuts out overmatched Murray State

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Brady Cook passed for one touchdown and ran for another as No. 11 Missouri routed FCS opponent Murray State 51-0 on Thursday in Columbia, Mo., in both teams’ season opener.

Cook completed 19 of 30 passes for 218 yards. He added 22 rushing yards on four carries.

Luther Burden III caught a touchdown pass and Nate Noel, Marcus Carroll and Jamal Roberts rushed for touchdowns.

Backup Missouri quarterback Drew Pyne finished 10 of 11 for 82 yards.

The Tigers outgained the Racers 489-85 in total yardage and built a 29-5 edge in first downs.

Missouri got rolling immediately. After recovering Murray State’s onside kick to open the game, the Tigers needed just 2:18 to score their first touchdown on Cook’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Burden.

After another failed Racers gamble — a fourth-and-inches conversion attempt on their own 34-yard line — the Tigers exploited the short field to score again. Noel’s 9-yard touchdown run pushed Missouri to a 14-0 lead 5:12 into the game.

On Murray State’s first play on its second possession, Toriano Pride Jr. intercepted Jayden Johannsen’s pass into the right flat and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.

Missouri’s first lengthy drive, 70 yards on six plays, resulted in Carroll’s 1-yard TD run and a 28-0 lead with 3:38 left in the first quarter.

The Tigers closed the first half with a 14-play, 68-yard drive capped by Cook’s 3-yard touchdown run for a 35-0 lead.

Missouri’s final possession with the first-team offense ended with Blake Craig’s 39-yard field goal. That increased the margin to 38-0 with 8:50 left in the third quarter.

Pyne took over for Cook at quarterback and kept the Tigers rolling. Roberts’ 2-yard touchdown run increased the margin to 45-0.

Craig hit a 22-yard field goal to make it 48-0 and a 26-yarder for the game’s final points.

–Field Level Media

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) celebrates throwing a touchdown pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

No. 11 Missouri draws overhauled Murray State in weeknight opener

Posted on | by Field Level Media

At least Murray State has the element of surprise on its side when it faces No. 11 Missouri.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz admitted that his staff doesn’t have a great read on the Racers heading into their game Thursday night at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo.

“It’s going to be a difficult challenge, probably the most difficult opening game that we faced since I’ve been here,” Drinkwitz said. “They have a whole new staff. Around 60 new players that they acquired, whether they were from high school or through the transfer portal. So, it’s a real challenge to have any idea of what they’re going to do schematically.”

The Racers hit the reset button after finishing 2-9 last season playing at the FCS level in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Murray State hired South Carolina tight ends coach Jody Wright, who set out to rebuild the roster.

“There’s really no way to watch Murray State film because they’ve got brand new offense, defense and special teams coordinators,” Drinkwitz said of the overhaul.

By the same token, Missouri won’t be a mystery to Murray State. Wright competed against the Tigers in the SEC during his time with the Gamecocks.

“We played them both years I was at South Carolina,” Wright told the Valley First and Goal podcast. “We came up short both times. But they did an amazing job there.”

The Tiger return third-year starting quarterback Brady Cook, who completed 244-of-367 passes for 3,317 yards and 21 touchdowns last season for an 11-2 squad. He also ran for 319 yards and eight TDs.

Cook’s primary target will be preseason All-America receiver Luther Burden II, who caught 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine TDs last season.

Missouri’s big offensive challenge will be replacing workhorse running back Cody Schrader. Transfers Nate Noel (834 yards, five touchdowns at Appalachian State) and Marcus Carroll (1,350 yards, 13 TDs) at Georgia State will try to fill the void.

“Nate Noel will go out there first and Marcus will rotate through,” Drinkwitz said. “I think those guys have good, complementary football skills and they know how to play off each other. I think we understand we’re not going to have somebody that going to be able to carry it as many times in the game as Cody. so we’ll have to do a good job of making sure we allow the starter to get into rhythm, but also make sure they’re fresh.”

Murray State is expected to start South Dakota Mines transfer Jayden Johanssen at quarterback. In four seasons at the Division II level, Johanssen threw for 8,199 yards and 74 touchdowns and rushed for 1,635 yards and 24 TDs.

He was nominated in 2022 for the Harlon Hill Award, D-II’s version of the Heisman Trophy.

Among the top returning Racers is running back Q’Daryius Jennings, who totaled 476 all-purpose yards last season.

Murray State is a 46.5-point underdog in this game, but Wright promoted the matchup while attracting players for his first season.

“It really helped us in recruiting, letting guys know ‘Hey, you want try to play in the NFL, do things, you get a chance to play on national TV Thursday night to open the season,’” Wright said.

“We’re going to have fun. It’ll be a great opportunity. It’ll definitely be a good SEC Thursday night atmosphere. Nothing better than a SEC night game.”

–Field Level Media

Texas Tech's wide receiver Loic Fouonji (19) runs for a touchdown against Murray State, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Texas Tech opens in style, smashing Murray State 63-10

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Reserve quarterback Donovan Smith threw four touchdown passes and Tahj Brooks ran for three touchdowns as Texas Tech hammered visiting Murray State 63-10 in Saturday night’s season opener for both teams at Lubbock, Texas.

The outcome made a winner of Joey McGuire in his first game as a collegiate head coach. The Red Raiders have won four consecutive games with a head coach making his debut with the team.

Smith completed 14 of 16 passes for 221 yards without an interception. Starting quarterback Tyler Shough and reserve Behren Morton also threw a touchdown pass. The three Texas Tech quarterbacks combined to throw for 472 yards.

Shough started strong with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Loic Fouonji for the game’s first points less than 4 1/2 minutes after kickoff on a drive that covered 94 yards on four plays. But Shough exited with an injury and was on the sideline in the second half with a sling holding his left arm. He missed the last eight games of 2021 because of a broken collarbone.

Jerand Bradley, who gained 108 yards on six catches, and Fouonji both caught two touchdown passes. SaRodorick Thompson and Mason Tharp also made touchdown receptions.

DJ Williams of Murray State threw a touchdown pass to Jacob Bell for the Racers’ only touchdown.

That play came 1:31 into the second quarter and trimmed Murray State’s deficit to 21-10.

But the Red Raiders scored three more touchdowns before halftime. Smith hooked up with Fouonji on a 39-yard touchdown strike and Brooks ran for scores from 3 and 23 yards, creating a 42-10 margin at halftime.

Earlier, Brooks scored on a 14-yard run.

Fourteen Texas Tech players caught at least one pass.

Murray State, which competes in the Football Championship Subdivision, was held to 50 rushing yards. Texas Tech has won 20 straight meetings with FCS foes.

This was the first matchup between the teams.

–Field Level Media