Murray State University Athletics
Pannunzio Says Racers Ready For Sunday's Scrimmage
8/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
By the time Sunday rolls around, the Murray State football team will have had 15 practices under its belt. Head coach Joe Pannunzio is anxious to see where his team stands when the Racers hold their first scrimmage of the summer on Sunday.
"We've had a great couple of weeks and I'm pleased where we are right now as a team," said Pannunzio, who is entering his fourth season with the Racers. "We'll find out a lot more about our team on Sunday when we put them under live situations for the first time."
Sunday's scrimmage will begin at 3:45 p.m. at the intramural fields between Waldrop Drive and 16th Street. It is open to public and admission is free.
Thus far, the Racers have benefitted from the unseasonably cool August temperatures. But the workouts have been no less grueling for the players.
"We're almost through two-a-days and we're starting to hit the spot you normally do at this time; the kids are tired and we're getting some nagging injuries," said Pannunzio. "But I'm proud of the way they've worked through it and continued to work hard."
Unfortunately, the two areas hit hardest by injuries just two weeks into camp are the offensive and defensive lines. Three key players from each side of the ball have missed practice time due to injuries. Although none of the injuries are of a serious nature, they have hampered the development of two key areas.
"We're missing some very key players on the offensive and defensive lines and that concerns me," he said. "None of the injuries are serious enough that they'll miss the opener, but it sets you back as a team.
"I think we've had more injuries this year than ever before," Pannunzio continued, "but this is a tougher two-a-days than we've had in the past. I'm working them harder because we have some talented kids out here and I want them to understand the kind of work ethic you have to have to be successful."
During his media day press conference on Monday, Pannunzio said he felt the Racer defense had a chance to be much improved over last season when the unit gave up nearly 30 points per game. Everything he's seen in the past week confirms his statement to the press.
"I really like the way the defense has come together," he said. "They're flying around and showing a lot more speed and athletic ability than we've shown in the last few years. Tyrone Parks has stepped up and had a great camp and is playing well since we've moved him from outside linebacker to inside linebacker."
Parks, a 6-foot-2, 220 pound senior who started the last six games of 2002 at outside linebacker, has been working with the No. 1 defense at inside linebacker. "He was good last season at outside linebacker and we feel he can be as good, or better, inside," the Racer coach explained.
The Racers will conduct two-a-day workouts on Saturday and Monday before the start of school on Wednesday. The Racers' last scrimmage prior to the season opener on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Valparaiso will be next Saturday at 9 a.m.
