TERRE
HAUTE, IN (9-28-2002) —
The Indiana State football team (2-3, 0-0
Gateway) took a thrilling, 34-31, double-overtime victory over Murray State
(1-3, 0-0 OVC) on a strength of a 54-yard field goal off the leg of Mike Megyesi
(Merrillville HS, '99) that glanced off the left upright and through the
crossbars.
Having
already drilled a career-long 52-yard field goal on the last play from scrimmage
of the first half to give the Sycamores a 10-7 halftime lead, Megyesi knew that
the end of the second overtime would come down to him. After both teams traded
touchdowns in the first extra period, the Sycamore defense was able to hold the
Racers scoreless, as Shane Andrus missed a 48-yard attempt wide right, leaving
the score tied at 31-all with the Sycamores taking control of the ball at the
Racer 25-yard line.
Quarterback Julian Reese moved the ball two yards on the first play, but tailback Soso Dede was dropped with a four yard loss giving the Sycamores a third and 12 situation from the Murray 27-yard line. On the next play, the Sycamores set up the field goal attempt, but were flagged for holding on the play, moving the ball back to the Murray 37. Reese was not able to complete a pass to receiver Chris Lewis, forcing Megyesi to take a stab at a game-winning 54-yard attempt.
 |
|
|
Megyesi layed all he had into the ball and the low, driving kick toppled end-over-end towards the goalpost, hooking slightly as it approached the upright. As the ball passed by the left upright, its end over end motion allowed the ball to be vertical as it passed over the cross bar allowing for a true bounce against the left upright and over the crossbar for the win.
Indiana State opened the scoring with 3:51 left in the first quarter when they put together a five play, 59-yard drive that took only 1:48, ending with Jake Shields one-yard touchdown run to give ISU the early 7-0 lead.
The Racers came right back to score on a Marcus Christon 5-yard touchdown run with 7:40 left in the second period to tie the contest at seven all. The Sycamores were able to move the ball 45-yards on eight plays over just 47 seconds to take the 10-7 halftime lead on a Megyesi 52-yard field goal.
Murray State came out of the gates strong in the second half when Ulysses Odoms scampered one yard for a touchdown on its opening drive of the third stanza to take a 14-10 lead. The Racers tacked on another three points when Andrus nailed a 30-yard field goal attempt to take the 17-10 advantage.
Indiana State moved the ball down the field with a vengeance, as Shields ran for his second touchdown of the contest, this time an 11-yard run to cap a 10-play, 72-yard drive and tie the score at 17 all with 1:34 left in the third quarter.
ISU opened up the scoring in the final period early when Dede took a ball straight up the middle from one yard out to give the Sycamores a 24-17 lead with 12:12 left in the game. Murray State was able to tie up the contest on the next drive as they went 72 yards, in eight plays with the last one being a one-yard Jamie Alexander touchdown run to knot the score at 24-all.
Murray State appeared to have something going late in the game, but a strong defensive stand by the Sycamores sent the game into overtime.
ISU opened the first overtime with a short nine-play drive that covered 25 yards and ended with a four-yard touchdown pass from Reese to Petrowski to give ISU the 31-24 lead. The Racers went right down the field during their half of the first extra period when Ron Lane moved into the endzone from four-yards out to tie the contest at 34 all.
Andrus missed a 48-yard attempt on the Racers drive in the second overtime, after an incomplete pass, a four-yard loss and a two-yard sack of the MSU quarterback by redshirt freshman Kyle Mitchell. When Andrus’s attempt sailed wide right, the Sycamores took care of business and Megyesi’s kick gave ISU the 34-31 win.
Leading the Sycamores in rushing was Shields who ran for 70 yards on eight big attempts, an average of 8.8 yards per play. In passing, Reese was 16-31 with two interceptions, 195 yards and one touchdown on the day. Dede was ISU’s leading receiver with three catches for 47 yards. Pat Jordan was also strong on punts as he nailed a 74-yard punt through the air in the second quarter. Megyesi was 2-2 on field goals, connecting from 52 and 54 yards on the day.
The Sycamores open up Gateway conference action
Saturday when they travel to Youngstown State for a 6:00 p.m. tilt. YSU is also
coming off a win, as they defeated Southwest Missouri State, 24-17 earlier in
the day.