Murray State University Athletics
Spring practices going well, but still some unsolved issues
4/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
With spring football practice halfway finished, head coach Joe Pannunzio believes this Murray State Racer team is making strides in progress.
"We're excited about the way spring practice has gone," Pannunzio said. "Our kids have worked hard and their effort has been great."
Pannunzio is pleased with the way the players' progress is moving, but still holds two main concerns that have not changed since the beginning of spring practice drills.
"Our biggest concern is leadership," Pannunzio said. "That has got to come from our seniors. Last year, our 19 seniors had great leadership. We need some players this year to step up into that role like I know they can.
"We also don't have as many defensive lineman as we need. We only have five right now, and they are having to do double the work in our scrimmages. Every year at this level, you miss something, and losing Marcus White, Brandon Dixon and Greg Archer really hurt us. You can't replace those guys. We need to find a way to get that problem solved, because it's critical to our plans. Without a good defensive line, you can't win; it's as simple as that."
One thing the fans can get excited about this season is the schedule, which is filled with several local rivalries as well as a trip to a Division I-A school from a Bowl Championship Series conference.
"We are excited about opening the season against Mississippi State," Pannunzio said. "It's always great fun for the kids when we travel to an SEC school. After that, we have two tough non-league games with Indiana State and Illinois State, so that will test our team's toughness right away.
"Our home schedule is also very attractive. We have Jacksonville State, the defending league champion, coming in here, as well as perennial powerhouse Eastern Illinois. Eastern Kentucky, who has been one of our biggest rivals in recent years, comes here, and another interesting team we will play at home is Austin Peay. They are coming into the OVC in 2007 after a recent absence from the conference, and they have always been one of our biggest rivals in any sport."
Fans can still catch the Racers in action during the spring, with seven more scrimmages scheduled:
Friday, April 15, 3:30 p.m
Saturday, April 16, 6:30 a.m.
Sunday, April 17, 3 p.m.
Wednesday, April 20, 3:30 p.m.
Friday, April 22, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 23, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 24, 3 p.m.
