Preview: Murray State

Next on the schedule is Murray State, BG's FCS opponent in 2021.

This, however, is not your normal FCS game.

Last year, they went 5-2 for only their third winning season since 2005.  They were ranked in the Top-25 of the FCS polls last season, finished 17/18.  They have not beaten an FCS team since 1994 and they are 1-29-1 all-time against the FBS.  They lost to BG in the only meeting between the two teams.

They return all 22 starters from that team and are picked to win the OVC.  They are not ranked right now in FCS.

This year, they beat MississippiValley State, an FCS team from the SWAC.  

Then, they played #8 (FBS) Cincinnati to a 7-7 tie in the first half before losing 42-7.

Their coach is Dean Hood.  They were 4-8 before he arrived and he upgraded them to 5-2 (as noted above).  Before that, he was on the staff at Kentucky for 3 years and at Charlotte for one year before that.  For 8 years before that he was at Eastern Kentucky, where he won 2 OVC titles and earned 3 FCS tournament bids.  He was OVC Coach of the Year once.  He did coach at OU for a couple years.

Dean Hood....appearing here as sales manager
Of the local Chevy dealership

They placed 13 players on the All-OVC team last year.

The pre-season OVC team includes the following Racers:

QB Preston Rice

WR LaMatrez Brooks

WR Jacob Bell

OL Levi Nesler, Jacob Vance

DE Ethan Edmondson

LB Scotty Humpich

LB Eric Samuta

CB Marcis Floyd

PR Malik Honeycutt

Racer1.

Offensively, they were very effective.  They were #13 in scoring offense in FCS last and #2 in total offense (yards).  They were first in passing yards and #5 in pass efficiency.  Obviously, everyone is back from that team including the top 2 WRs.  However, they did not run the ball, finished #85 in the country.

Defensively, their specialty last year was interceptions.  They had 11 picks in 7 games, #5 in the nation and #1 in the conference.  They were also listed as the #5 defense in the country in pass defense efficiency.  They did not have a great rushing defense.  Which doesn't make a great matchup for the Falcons, who'd prefer it to be the other way around.  

On special teams, their kicker has missed both of his FG attempts and the punter is kind of below average.

This is one of BG's better chances to win a game but this is not a gimmee.  Let's hope they put it together.

Class of '11