Story by Keith Jaco
Staff writer
With many lessons learned against the University of Kentucky in week three, Murray State looks to kick off OVC play with a home win against UT Martin on Saturday.
Murray State will host family weekend Sept. 28-29, with the home football game capping off the festivities Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Roy Stewart Stadium.
The Racers left Martin, Tennessee, with a last-second victory last season, as junior kicker Gabriel Vicente knocked in a 32-yard field goal as time expired. With a larger crowd than usual in attendance, Head Coach Mitch Stewart and his team are poised to make it back-to-back victories against UT Martin.
“UT Martin is as good as they’ve ever been,” Stewart said. “They’re always a consistent ball club. They’ve lost some guys from their team last year, but they’ve also added guys that are just as good, if not better. We’re approaching this game like we always do and our biggest concern is Murray State.”
The Racers have experienced numerous hardships as they’ve battled with top contenders from both the FCS and FBS in the early weeks of the season. Murray State will have a chance to wipe the slate clean as it heads into OVC play in hopes of securing a statement win at home on Saturday.
UT Martin has run into similar problems, starting the season 1-3 with its first victory coming from a 37-7 win over Austin Peay at home last weekend. The Skyhawks have faced the likes of Missouri and Middle Tennessee State this season, and while they came up short against each opponent, they were able to put some points on the board in preparation for their future OVC matchups.
Murray State is coming off a bye week in which the team saw little pad-to-pad practice but lots of recovery and treatment. Senior defensive end Tyler Stepney feels like the break in action came at the right time for him and his teammates.
“This is a good time for us mentally and physically,” Stepney said. “A good time to get a ice bath, get a couple lifts in and stretch out. A couple of guys on defense I know for sure need this after a big game the week before against Kentucky.”
UT Martin got the job done on both sides of the ball last Saturday against Austin Peay. The Skyhawks limited the Governors to just 10 first downs on defense, putting up 367 total yards of offense. While the Racers will have their hands full, Stewart believes focusing on the present will ensure his team comes out on top Saturday.
“We’re going to worry about this week right now,” Stewart said. “That’s the best part of what we have going on right now, our approach is working on this week and not about the previous three weeks. We’re talking about finding a way to win this game and finding a way to have a great practice today. Ultimately, Murray State cannot beat Murray State, if we can limit turnovers and limit some of the things that have held us back offensively, then you’ll begin to see that progress in our offense.”
Murray State will host the UT Martin Skyhawks at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, at Roy Stewart Stadium.
