COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's an old cliche, but the Tennessee Tech football team goes from the frying pan into the fire this weekend, opening a stretch of eight consecutive Ohio Valley Conference games with a 6 p.m. contest Saturday at Murray State. The Golden Eagles own an edge in the all-time series between the two teams, but Murray State has had the advantage at home lately with wins each of the last four times Tech has visited.

Tech comes into the contest on the crest of its first win of the season, a 29-22 victory over Mercer last Saturday night. The Racers, meanwile, are 1-0 at home but have lost their last two games on the road with both being against Football Bowl Subdivision foes from the Mid-America Conference.

The game, which will be shown on the American Sports Network as well as the OVC Digital Network, features the top two passing teams in the OVC directed by the two leading quarterbacks in the league.

For Tech, it's a strange transition between opponents. The Golden Eagle faced their newest opponent last week with a first-time game against Mercer, and this week battle their oldest rival. It's the 81st meeting between the two teams.

There should be fairly pleasant weather in Muray, Ky. for the game Saturday evening. During the day, the temps will reach the mid-80's before cooling down to a the low-60's to mid-50's for game time. The skies are expected to be clear with the winds light and variable coming out of the east at 4-5 mph.

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (1-2, 0-0 OVC)
at Murray State Racers (1-2, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Sept. 26 • 6 p.m. CT
Stewart Stadium (16,800) • Murray, Ky.

QUICK HITS: 
* Jared Davis now has 2,499 yards in total offense.  On the career passing charts, Davis owns 2,481 yards, and can move ahead of Darian Stone and move into 10th place in school history with 273 more passing yards.
* Jared Davis has now led Tech on four fourth-quarter scoring drives that either won the game, or forced an overtime that led to a Tech victory.
* Ladarius Vanlier ranks third in career all-purpose yards with 4,107, passing Michael Penix on the all-time list.  
* Tech owns a 43-36-1 advantage in the all-time series with Murray State, but the Racers have won the last four meetings on the turf of Stewart Stadium.
* Saturday’s game will feature the two top quarterbacks in the Ohio Valley Conference and the two top passing attacks in the league.
* Tech’s opens Ohio Valley Conference play on the road for the eighth time in Watson Brown’s nine seasons as Golden Eagle head coach.
* Junior Krys Cates became the second Golden Eagle receiver in the first three weeks of the season to put up sensational numbers and earn OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Brock McCoin did it in the opener at Houston. Cates had career-highs of seven catches, 197 yaards and two touchdowns in the 29-22 win over Mercer.
* Three Golden Eagle defenders reached double figures in tackles against Mercer, led by Tra’Darius Goff with a career-high tying 16. Jay Rudwall added 13 and Jordan Patrick had 10 stops for the second week in a row in double figures.

THE TTU SENIOR CLASS — The 2015 senior class includes 17 players who are playing in their final season for the Golden Eagles. The seniors, in alphabetical order, are: Radir Annoor, Stephen Bush, Willie Davis, Brett Dillard, Demario Donnell, Tra'Darius Goff, Justin Ivory, Jimmy Laughlin, Steven Lillard, Jibrin Linge, Blake Luevano, Jordan Patrick, Daniel Pierce, Jay Rudwall, Josh Smith, Ladarius Vanlier and Steve Wilson.

Fans who cannot attend in person can listen to the game on the Golden Eagle Sports Network with Roger Ealey and Buddy Pearson in the press box and Dylan Vazzano reporting from the sidelines. The broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. CT on 98.5 KISS FM.

GAME NOTES: Tennessee Tech and Murray State bring identical 1-2 records in Saturday’s Conference opener for both squads. The game is a matchup of the top two passing teams in the OVC. The two teams have played 80 previous times with Tech holding a 42-37-1 advantage in the all-time series. Murray State had won four in a row in the series until Tennessee Tech pulled out a 30-27 victory in overtime a season ago. That contest was a back-and-forth affair that saw the game tied at 3, 10, 17, 24 and 27, as John Arnold nailed a 41-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining to force the extra period. After MSU missed a field goal to begin the overtime period, Tech ran eight seven plays before Arnold connected on a 20-yard field goal to win the game; that marked Arnold’s third field goal of the game as he earned OVC Specialist of the Week honors. TTU’s Ladarius Vanlier had a 99-yard kickoff return for a score in the game while also rushing for 33 yards and catching three passes for 27 yards. Murray State’s KD Humphries completed an OVC record 48 passes for 404 yards and a score; he connected with Jeremy Harness 19 times for 164 yards and a touchdown. Trey Thompson had 15 tackles to lead the Golden Eagles while Jonathan Jackson had 12 stops for the Racers.

SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech picked up its first victory of the season with a 29-22 come-from-behind victory over Mercer on Saturday. The Golden Eagles scored first and held a lead until late in the third quarter when Mercer surged ahead 22-21. But Tech would drive 77 yards in 12 plays and go ahead for good with 1:47 to play when Jared Davis connected with Krys Cates for an 8-yard touchdown pass. The duo also hooked up on the ensuing two-point conversion to account for the final score. Cates also scored the first touchdown of the game, a 74-yard reception, and was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week after snagging seven catches for 197 yards and two touchdowns (all of which were career-highs). The 197 receiving yards were the seventh-most in a game this season in the FCS, giving Tech two of the top seven receiving games in the country (Brock McCoin had 264 receiving yards the first week of the season). Davis, in his first year as the full-time starter, completed 18-of-26 passes for 301 yards and the two scores to Cates. Senior Tra’Darius Goff matched his career-high with 16 tackles while Jay Rudwall added 13 stops.
 
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State dropped its second consecutive game to an FBS opponent, falling 52-20 at Western Michigan last Saturday. The Racers gained 367 yards of total offense against the Broncos but allowed 628 yards, including 237 on the ground. Quarterback KD Humphries completed 25-of-41 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 24 yards and an additional score. Humphries enters this week ranked second nationally in total passing yards (970, fourth in passing touchdowns (8), fifth in completions/game (27.0), sixth in passing yards/game (323.3) and eighth in total offense (336.0 yards/game). Jeremy Harness recorded his third-straight 100-plus yard receiving game, catching seven passes for 114 yards; Harness ranks fourth nationally in total receiving yards (375) and eighth in receiving yards/game (125.0). Junior newcomer Toby Omli had a season-high 15 tackles (the third-most by an OVC player in a game this season) in the game. Punter Landon Stratton was named OVC Specialist of the Week after punting five times for an average of 46.6 yards/punt.