Oct. 15—BROOKINGS — Murray State came to the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2023 and promptly defeated Indiana State 30-28 in their first game as members of the FCS’s most prominent league.
They haven’t beaten a Valley opponent since, a streak of 17 straight losses. They’ve also lost 15 in a row overall — they’re 0-6 this year after losing their final nine games last year in a 1-11 campaign.
Neither of those streaks is likely to end this Saturday when the Racers host No. 2 South Dakota State.
For the Jacks, this would seem to be the quintessential trap game. SDSU will host arch-rival North Dakota State next week in a nationally televised No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle. Much of the media is already talking about that game. Surely fans and players’ families are, too.
The perfect opportunity for SDSU to get caught looking ahead to the Bison, right?
Well, probably not.
The Jacks have designs on a national championship this season, and their past experience has taught them that playing to the level of their opponent isn’t a good way to reach that goal. It requires playing at an elite level week in and week out regardless of the opponent, and that’s something the Jacks have done only sporadically so far, even as they’ve begun 6-0.
“I know we’re not close to it yet, which is really exciting,” said Jacks coach Dan Jackson. “That’s been the consistent message — to get better, find solutions, continue to find ways to pull out your best. Thinking about two weeks from now isn’t gonna be worth anyone’s time.”
Additionally, it’s possible Murray State simply lacks the talent to beat SDSU even if the Jacks did show up and play lazy or disinterested football. The Racers are not just 0-6; they’ve lost all six by at least two scores. Last year eight of their 11 losses were by at least 35 points.
That said, Jody Wright, Murray State’s second-year coach, remains upbeat, because, he says, his players’ spirits are high. They scored 32 points last week against No. 8 Illinois State, fighting back from a 28-3 deficit to make it interesting. It was the fourth time in the last five games the Racers scored at least 21 points, which for them counts as a positive.
Jackson credited the Racers offense, but more pointedly likes the way the whole MSU team has continued to play hard despite not having wins to show for it.
“They don’t have any quit in them,” Jackson said of the Racers. “They’re a team that believes in their head coach, and I think that says a lot about their staff, to have the record they have and to watch film and see the energy and the effort and the belief they play with — that makes them dangerous. They’re trying to put it all together. They haven’t had the results yet but it is a dangerous team.”
Wright is well aware the odds are stacked against his team.
“They look like the same South Dakota State, possibly even better than last year,” Wright said. “They’ve done a great job of developing talent and bringing in talent and maintaining the South Dakota standard, which is as good as anywhere in FCS football.
“We’re gonna have to find a way to play our best football in all three phases to have a chance,” Wright added. “You always try to look for weaknesses to attack and there aren’t too many weaknesses with the Jackrabbits. We’ll have to execute at a very high level.”
