Murray State Raiders 0-0
Head coach: Jody Wright Alma mater: Jacksonville State (2005)

Record in the state of Murray: 0-0 (1st season) MVFC record: 0:0

Career balance: The same

Record against Missouri: 0:0

Missouri Tigers (11/11) 0-0
Head coach: Eliah Drinkwitz Alma mater: Arkansas Tech (2004)

Missouri Record: 28-21 (5th season) SEC filing: 17-17

Career balance: 40-22 (6th season)

Record against Murray State: 0:0

Racer Radio – WFGE Froggy 103.7FM
On-line: GoRacers.com

Move by move: Neal Bradley Analyst: Chip Adams

SEC Network
Move by move: Matt Barrie Analyst: Daniel Mullen Part-time job: Harry Lyles, Jr.

Storylines of the game

• The Murray State Racers travel to Columbia to face the Missouri Tigers (August 29), which also marks the start of the 100th season in MSU history with the first meeting between the Racers and Tigers since 2013.
• Kickoff time for the Racers and Tigers at Memorial Stadium-Faurot Field is 7:00 p.m. CT.
• Mizzou offers a unique halftime light show with 300 drones and pyrotechnics.
• Murray State had two players receive honorable mention in the preseason. Canyon Walkera safety from Leesburg, Florida, and offensive lineman Ashton Flinn by Jackson, Mo.
• MSUs KaVan Reed (DB) and CJ Barnes (DL) were recently named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List.
• New MSU head coach Jody Wright was hired in January as the 20th head coach in MSU history.
• Wright comes to the Racers after a standout career that saw him work with some of the biggest names in college football, including Nick Saban, Shane Beamer and Billy Napier.
• The Racers have a rebuilt roster with 65 players who played elsewhere before the season.
• MSU has 46 transfer players in 2024. 26 of them come from FBS or FCS programs.
• The new quarterback of MSU is Jayden Johanssonis a former North Dakota State signee.
• The racers have a real newcomer as tailback in Jordan Washington from Helena, Alabama.
• When he faces Missouri, it will be the first time Murray State has started a freshman in the backfield since DJ Penick started 11 games in 2017.
• The Racers have previously played nine games against current SEC teams and are 0-9.
• This is the third time the Racers have faced the Tigers, having faced Mizzou in Columbia in 2006 and 2013.
• MSU has one more game against an FBS team (Nov. 16) when they travel to Lexington to play the Kentucky Wildcats.
• The two teams are linked by famous coaches Don Faurot (coach at Missouri (1935–42, 1946–56)) and his brother Fred Faurot (coach at Murray State 1948–55).
• Both are in their school’s Hall of Fame: Don Faurot was inducted into the Missouri HOF in 1990 and Fred Faurot into the Murray State HOF in 1974.
• The Racers have seven players from the Show Me State on their roster.
• MSUs (71) Ashton Flinn and Tigers (55) Connor Tollison were teammates at high school in Jackson, Missouri.
• MSU is looking for its first 1,000-yard runner since Mike Harris became the 10th to do so in 2011.
• The Racers are entering their second season in the country’s best FCS league, the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
• The MVFC has five teams in the preseason top 10 poll, including defending champion South Dakota State (1), North Dakota State (2) and South Dakota (5).
• In total, the MVFC has seven teams in the STATS Perform Preseason Top-25.