The 2004 football season ended Saturday afternoon much in the same way that it began: with a shutout on the road to a team with a horse as a mascot.

The Skyhawks dropped the first game of the season to the Western Michigan Broncos, 42-0, and the last to the Ohio Valley Conference member Murray State Racers, 38-0.

UTM, at the helm of back-up quarterback, freshman Drew Jacobs, was unable to put any points on the board, picking up only 124 total offensive yards, 89 rushing and just 35 passing. Murray had three 100-plus yard rushers for a total of 385 yards. The Racers also picked up 120 passing yards.

This is the first time that MSU has shutout UTM since 1979 and the first time at Roy Stewart Stadium ever.

The Racers scored four of their five touchdowns in the first half, and added one more plus a field goal in the second. On a positive note, freshman running back standout Donald Chapman succeeded in becoming the first Skyhawk to have a 1,000-yard rushing season since 1988.

With the 104 yards that Chapman racked up on Saturday, he also broke the school’s record for most rushing yards in a season with a total of 1,085.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Markeseo Jackson lead the team with 15 solo tackles and one sack for a loss of 10 yards.

Senior free safety and team co-capitan Russell Gambrell was close behind with 12 tackles and senior linebacker John Castillo finished the day with nine.

The Skyhawks end the year with a 2-9 (1-7 OVC) record. This is the third season in a row in which UTM has only had two victories.

The team looks ahead to the 2005 season when they are scheduled to open up against Gardner-Webb University at home on Saturday, September 3, 2005 at 6:30 p.m.