Story by Keith Jaco
Staff writer
The summer heat is slowly beginning to dissipate and classes are well underway on campus. This can only mean one thing: Murray State football is ready to kick off the new season.
The Racers are coming off a 3-8 season where disappointment was a common motif. This fall, Head Coach Mitch Stewart hopes to flip the script on the Racers’ recent woes by implementing a few changes to the program.
Where there have been many doubts about the next Racer football season, there is one shining beacon of hope: senior quarterback Drew Anderson. Anderson was thrust into the Racer spotlight the minute he stepped onto campus as a transfer athlete, with rumors surrounding his possible role as QB1 on the Racer depth chart.
Although Stewart has been impressed with Anderson in workouts in the previous weeks, he is still reluctant to name his starting quarterback.
“We’ll see about 5:59 or so we’ll make that decision,” Stewart said. “Whoever trots out onto the field, that’ll be our decision at quarterback.”
Murray State has made a number of additions to the coaching staff in the offseason including offensive coordinator Nick Coleman. Coleman formerly coached quarterbacks at fellow OVC school Tennessee Tech and plans to take the reins and run the Racers to success.
In addition to the Racer newcomers, Stewart has returned wide receivers coach Carson Hunter, placing him with the running back corps as the Racers look to make drastic improvements to their running game. Hunter has worked with his players throughout the spring and into the summer, including sophomore running back D.J. Penick, who will serve a vital role in the run game for Hunter and the Racers, as they start the season against SIU-Carbondale.
Stewart expects Penick to thrive with the running backs that have been placed around him this season. Penick ran for 431 yards and scored three touchdowns in his freshman campaign.
“I think [Penick’s] development after last year going through all of the ups and downs and the things that happened, as well as last year’s run game are going to help him this year,” Stewart said. “Plus, obviously some of the guys and the depth we have at that position now will help him as well.”
The Racer defense will be taking a bigger hit this season than in years past as the void left by former Racer defensive back D’Montre Wade will be felt throughout the secondary.
Stewart sees the void as a great chance for his players to earn their opportunity.
“Somebody’s gotta step up,” Stewart said. “Anytime you lose guys to graduation and those types of things, it’s just a great opportunity, that’s what it is. It’s not a challenge, it’s not an issue, it’s not a problem and it’s not a concern. It’s just a great opportunity for somebody else to step into that leading role.”
Murray State hasn’t seen a matchup with SIU-Carbondale since the 2016 season when the Salukis hosted a 50-17 rout of the Racers.
Stewart is going into the Saluki matchup this season with more optimism and experience than in previous seasons.
“I think they’re a good mix of size and speed,” Stewart said. “Two years ago, I went into that game thinking it’s a Missouri Valley team and size wise that was going to be our biggest deficiency, but as we got into that first quarter that didn’t really take me by surprise as much as how much speed they had.”
SIU-Carbondale is coming off a similar experience to the Racers in 2017, posting a 4-7 overall record. Both teams are poised with senior quarterbacks who will be looking to make a name for themselves come first snap Thursday night.
Murray State will host its season opener at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30 at Roy Stewart Stadium.
