Finally ... a word the Skyhawks are glad to hear this season.

Finally, they shook off the doormat of the conference moniker.

Finally, they beat Murray. Finally they got rid of the first half scoring problems. But most importantly, they finally got their winning season.

For the first time in 12 years, the Skyhawk football team defeated Murray State, and they did it with a vengeance, 49-20, to pick up their sixth victory of the season.

“It’s hard to put into words,” said senior free safety and team co-captain Chad McMahan of the victory. “It was a big win for us because it gives the program momentum headed into the off season for recruiting.”

Things started out the same way they have all season for UTM, with the other team scoring first. The Racers took an early 7-0 lead with eight and a half minutes left in the first.

But sophomore tailback Don Chapman capped of a nine-play drive with an 8-yard run to the end zone to put the score at 7-all.

This was just the fifth first-quarter TD for the Skyhawks of the entire season.

In the second quarter, UTM dominated play on both sides of the ball, scoring four touchdowns two of which were defensive.

The first points of the quarter came with just under two minutes off the clock by senior quarterback and team co-captain Brady Wahlberg.

The second came when a Racer punt was blocked by receiver Brian Kissell and recovered by cornerback Jason Coleman and ran back for the touchdown.

The defense continued to impress when on the next Murray drive, cornerback Jack Greenwood intercepted a pass at the Murray 15-yard line and returned it nine yards.

Chapman then ran it back the final two yards on the next play to put the Skyhawks up 28-7.

Murray couldn’t seem to get any sort of play off as their next punt was also blocked, this time by linebacker Wade Peters and taken to the end zone by Kissell.

With only 1:34 left in the half, the Racers were finally able to put more points on the board to pull the score to 35-14.

A little more than half way through the third quarter, the Skyhawks put another nail in the Murray State coffin when Chapman ran in his third touchdown of the game to end an impressive 85-yard drive. Murray answered back early in the fourth quarter with their last points of the game. Coleman blocked the extra point attempt and the Racers were held to 20 points on the night.

Not to be outdone, the Skyhawks managed to run in yet another touchdown. Chapman picked up his fourth of the game, matching his season high, and sealed the game at 49-20.

This victory marked the first time the Skyhawks have been able to finish with a winning record since 1995.

UTM finished fourth in the conference with a 6-5 record overall and 4-4 in the conference.

Wahlberg picked up a total of 82 yards on the night, 60 in the air and 22 on the ground.

Chapman had an impressive 229 rushing yards on a school-record 47 carries. Chapman managed to break his own rushing record from last season with 1396 total yards.

Leading the receivers against MSU was Taurean Stepehns with 30 yards on 3 catches.

The Skyhawk defense didn’t have a lot to deal with against the Racers, but it was only fitting that McMahan lead the team in tackles on senior night with 10.

Coleman followed him with eight and Markeseo