Murray St. Recap

Saturday’s game was an important one for our team. We needed to see how we could handle an opponent we knew little about who would come into Bloomington hungry for a win against a Big Ten team. I give Murray State credit. I felt like they played hard and I wish them the very best of luck the rest of their season. But we took care of business on Saturday.

The day began at 9:30a.m., as we were allowed to sleep in a bit due to the late game. After eating brunch at 11 a.m.,we all retired to our rooms for some time to relax and watch some football. My roommate, Trea Burgess and I, switched back and forth between the Michigan vs. Miami (Ohio) game and the Ohio State vs. Ohio game.I was mostly interested in watching Ohio play because my former prep school teammate, cornerback Mark Parson, plays for the Bobcats.They gave the Buckeyes quite a scare.

In the moments leading up to our game I did my best to keep my mind free of distractions while staying mentally loose at the same time. My entire football career, it is these types of games that have been the most trying on me mentally for the simple fact that we were “supposed” to win. I prepared the same way I would for any other opponent, but I sometimes tend to put undue pressure on myself for the simple fact that I’m afraid to fail. Therefore, I do my best to clear my mind.
As for the game itself, I am very proud of our defense. Holding the Racers to three points was outstanding. I have the utmost confidence in the defense every time it takes the field. I’m also very proud of my teammates on offense, especially the offensive line. The condition that they are in is second to none. I think you’d be hard pressed to find another offensive line in better shape than ours.

I was so happy to see Thigpen score two touchdowns. He deserved to have a great performance. He works hard and I know he will continue to have a great season. I was also excited to see D. McCray find the end zone after the trying year he had last season. Congratulations to Zach Davis-Walker on his first collegiate touchdown. Now, we need to get Trea in the end zone. Also, congratulations to Damarlo Belcher for scoring his first touchdown last week, to Tandon Doss for his first collegiate receptions and Ben Chappell for scoring the first rushing touchdown of his career.

Ofcourse, I was happy to find the end zone for the first time this season. Although, for a moment earlier in the game, I thought it wasn’t going to happen. On a run in the first quarter, I got the ball and tried to spin off a defender. As I did this the defender and another player corralled meand bent me backward. Both my knee and ankle were in a weird position and for a split second I thought to myself, “Well, my season’s over.” But thanks to the good Lord above, I got up okay.

I want to thank all of you who attended the game. You made your presence known and believe me, we all appreciate it. Encourage your colleagues and friends who didn’t attend the game to attend the Ball State game in two weeks. You all make a difference, so we need more and more of you.