Skyhawks overcome Murray State, 66-59

The Skyhawks took flight against OVC rival Murray State on Saturday Oct. 13, in which they defeated the Racers 66-59 at Stewart Stadium.

The game came with epic proportions, as each team’s quarterback recorded one of the best performances of all time in OVC history. UTM quarterback Derek Carr would finish the day going 42-46, 560 yards and 7 touchdowns. In addition, Murray State quarterback, Casey Brockman, threw for 537 yards, 8 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Ironically, the first score of the day came from UTM’s defensive squad. Thad Williams intercepted Brockman’s pass and took it to the house, thus giving the Skyhawks an early 7-0 lead.

Both teams took turns marching back and forth down the field, with virtually no defensive resistance. At the half, the score was already UTM 42, Murray State 31.

The two major highlights for the game come from the record books. Carr’s touchdown and passing yard totals were records for the Skyhawks; in addition, he now holds the UTM career record for touchdown passes with 54.

As for the Racers, Brockman broke his own record for most touchdown passes thrown in a game. He set the original record back in 2010, where he threw 7 against Missouri State. He also passed Michael Proctor as the Racers’ all-time leader in passing yards, reaching 8,932.

The receivers for both squads also need to be commended. UTM had three wide outs go over 100 yards. Jeremy Butler finished with 8 receptions, 177 yards and a school record of 4 touchdowns in a game by a receiver. Quentin Sims ended the day with 12 catches, 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. The final 100-yard man was Chris Thompson, with 7 catches, 116 yards and 1 score.

Murray State’s primary wide outs posted similar numbers to the Skyhawks. Walter Powell hauled in 14 receptions, 196 yards and 3 scores, while his counterpart, Dontel Watkins finished the day with 7 receptions, 149 yards and 1 touchdown.

Even though the first half had plenty of numbers, the second half was where the game was decided. In the third quarter, the Skyhawks would outscore the Racers 17-7, so the score sat with UTM leading 59 to 38.

Jeremy Butler hauled in a 42-yard bomb early in the third, and Chris Thompson would follow suit with a 34-yard touchdown with 7:37 remaining. Cody Sandlin would stay perfect on the day, connecting with a 22-yard field goal to give the Skyhawks a commanding lead.

The fourth quarter was all Murray State. With only 3 minutes off the clock, Brockman connected with his wide out, however he fumbled the ball forward into the end zone. Murray State receiver Jeremy Harness pounced on the football to give the Racers the go ahead score.

Both teams saw defensive stands for the next 6 minutes of the ball game, but the Racers would not be denied the end zone. With 6:32 to go, Brockman connected with Ja-Vonta Trotter for a 9-yard score, splitting the defensive backs in the back of the end zone. With the score, UTM would only be up by one touchdown.

The Skyhawks remained poised, and easily drove down the field, to set up what would be the game-winning score. DJ McNeil took the rock up the middle, and punished the Racer defensive front for a 9-yard touchdown.

In a match filled with high-powered offense and little defensive play, the rivalry between Murray State and UTM came to a close for 2012. The win gave the Skyhawks a second homecoming victory in two weeks. This was Murray State’s homecoming match up, and UTM had defeated Eastern Illinois just a week before for theirs.

The Skyhawks will return to action next Saturday, Oct. 20, as they travel to South Eastern Missouri State to take on the Redhawks. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.