The Murray State football team had over 300 yards of offense Saturday night at Toledo, however it just could not find the end zone, as the Rockets shutout the Racers, 45-0 at the Glass Bowl in Toledo.
The Racers went toe-to-toe with the Rockets for the first half trailing just 3-0 after the first quarter and just 17-0 at the break. Murray State actually outgained the Rockets, 238-237 in the first half, however Toledo scored four touchdowns and held the Racers to less than 100 yards in the second half to seal the shutout win.
Despite two interceptions, quarterback Preston Rice once again turned in a very gritty performance going 26-for-36 for 180 yards with 87 additional yards on the ground. Defensively Davonta Wilson led Murray State on the night with 11 tackles, while Anthony Koclanakis followed with 10.
The Racers return to action next Saturday at Roy Stewart Stadium when they take on Morehead State in the annual Family Weekend game. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
Game Notes
- Saturday put an end to a streak of 156 consecutive games without being shutout for Murray State and it will go down as the ninth longest such streak in FCS history. Previous to Saturday, the last time Murray State was shutout was September 24, 2005 when it lost on the road at Illinois State, 42-0.
- Rice’s 87 rushing yards led the Racers Saturday. It was the most by a Murray State quarterback since Maikhail Miller rushed for 134 against Jacksonville State in 2013.
- With 11 and 10 tackles, respectively, Wilson and Koclanakis put up MSU’s first double-digit tackle performances of the season. Koclanakis was also part of the last time a Racer duo had 10-plus tackles when he and Quincy Williams had 12 and 11, respectively, last season at Austin Peay.
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