Facing a Murray State team that went 2-9 in one of the worst D-IAA conferences in the nation, Missouri expected a big win, and a big win is what they got. The Tigers intercepted Racer quarterback Jon Ringenfeldt three times, and held the offense to just 173 yards in a 40-3 win in Columbia.
Jay Burgett was the lone bright spot for the Racers, as the sophomore runningback ran for 88 yards, but used 27 carries to get there. For the Tigers, it was the first time in three games, dating back to last season, that they held a runner to under 100 yards. "Missouri has a tough, quick defense," said Murray State head coach Brian Henson. "We actually did a nice job of getting some running lanes opened up in the first half, but they just closed too quickly."
Chase Daniel had a memorable first career start, as the sophomore was 22 of 36 for 240 yards, and rushed for 69 yards on thirteen carries. "I'm proud of the way Chase went out there and took care of business," said Tiger coach Gary Pinkel. "He showed us that he can do some things not only passing, but running, so that will add a nice little dimension to the offense."
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| Will Franklin led the Tigers with eight catches and 75 yards on Saturday. |
The only points that Murray State was able to muster was a 29-yard field goal by Jacob Russell, who was a I-AA All-American last season. The only reason that was able to happen was an interception by Daniel deep in Tiger territory that was returned to the eight yard line of Mizzou, but the defense held, getting two incomplete passes, then a sack from Lorenzo Williams.
"I know the competition gap between the two teams is rather large," said Pinkel, "But I thought that they had some good, solid athletes on that team, and we did a good job against them."
