Sophomore QB Logan Kilgore to start against Minnesota

MTSU senior quarterback Dwight Dasher's suspension on Friday left football fans inquiring about which one of his teammates would take the snaps.

Head Coach Rick Stockstill answered Sunday when he placed sophomore quarterback Logan Kilgore in the starting lineup for the Blue Raiders' season opener Thursday against Minnesota. Kick off is at 6:30 p.m. at Floyd Stadium.

"Logan was named over (junior quarterback) Jeff Murphy because he simply has had more practice time and was able to go through spring ball," Stockstill said. "I have a lot of confidence in both guys, but Logan has about 40 practices under his belt compared to 25 for Jeff."

Dasher was declared ineligible for competition and suspended indefinitely Friday until the NCAA finishes its investigation of reports that he accepted a $1,500 loan. The type of penalty for this violation is a 30 percent reduction in the number of games this season, which can be mitigated either higher or lower.

Kilgore is a 6-foot-3 Rocklin, Calif. native, who threw 2,512 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2009 at Bakersfield College before arriving at MTSU.  He has earned National Northern Conference Offensive MVP honors and is the third quarterback in Bakersfield history to exceed 2,000 yards in a single-season.