Racers host No. 2 South Dakota State Saturday night

Life in the Missouri Valley Football Conference doesn't get any easier for the Murray State Racers this Saturday.

Last week the Racers put up a good fight against the No. 9-ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision, Illinois State.

This Saturday night the Racers will host South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits are ranked second in the FCS, making their first ever visit to Roy Stewart Stadium. 

The Jackrabbits (6-0, 2-0 in MVFC) were the 2023 national champions, and finished 12-3 in 2024. 

Murray State (0-6, 0-2) goes into the game with good progress being made offensively. The Racers were competitive with the Redbirds last week into the fourth quarter, and their 32 points was the highest total so far this season.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Jim Ogle threw for 301 yards and a TD, his best effort of the year. Receiver Darius Cannon, grabbed 10 catches for 86 yards. He's in the top five of FCS pass catchers for receptions-per-game.

But the Jackrabbits come to Murray with the nation’s fifth-best scoring defense, and they're fourth in the country in total defense. 

On defense, the Racers' Dylan Rowsey's 79 tackles leads the conference, and is 21 more than the next-closest defender.

Gametime is 6 p.m. at Roy Stewart Stadium.