Murray State University Athletics
Racers picked third in OVC poll; MSU gets three on pre-season team
7/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Murray State Racers, second-place finishers in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2004, were selected third in the OVC pre-season poll, according to a release issued at OVC Media Day, held today at The Coliseum in Nashville, Tenn.
Voting was done by the league's coaches and sports information directors.
Two-time defending league champion Jacksonville State was picked first with 127 total points and 15 first-place votes, while Eastern Kentucky was selected second with 108 points and one first-place vote. Murray State (94 points, two first-place votes) was selected third, followed by Eastern Illinois (81), Tennessee Tech (72), Samford (49), Tennessee State (47), Southeast Missouri (45) and Tennessee-Martin (25).
"I would say Jacksonville State is the best team in our league," said Racer head coach Joe Pannunzio. "They have won it the last two years, so until someone knocks them out of that top position, they have to be the team to beat."
Three Racers were named to the All-OVC Pre-Season Team, led by senior offensive lineman Eugene Russell (an All-OVC Second Team selection in 2004), senior defensive back Onsha Whittaker (an All-OVC Second Team selection in 2004), and senior linebacker Rick Schultz.
The Racers return 10 starters, seven on offense (WR Dan Rumley, RB Nick Turner, RB Chad Cook, FB/TE Bo Baxter, OT Richard Deutch, Russell, FB Matt Webber), two on defense (LB Tony Ryan, Whittaker) and one specialist (PK Morgan Riley). The Racers also return two of the OVC's top five returning rushers in Cook (third, 834 yards, 11 touchdowns in 2004) and Turner (fifth, 746, seven), and a top-five returning receiver in Rumley (578 yards, six touchdowns in 2004). Cook also is the OVC's fourth-leading returning scorer (66 points), while Turner is the top returning leader in the OVC with 1,353 all-purpose yards in 2004. Whittaker is the OVC's top returner in interceptions, with seven interceptions in 2004.
"My main concern is about our defense right now," Pannunzio said. "We lost nine starters, and our team knows we have to stop people to win championships. We also have a very competitive schedule this season. We need to take care of business at home, where we have had a good record the past several years. We go through a tough stretch early where we go to Illinois State, then to Tennessee Tech, then come back home to face Jacksonville State. That's a critical stretch right there."
Pannunzio also has concern about his team's aggressiveness coming out of the gate in the first month of the season. In Pannunzio's five seasons at Murray State, his teams have struggled to a 5-12 record in September, only to rally down the stretch and boast a 10-4 record in the last month of the season, November.
"We need to figure out how to get better from the start," Pannunzio said. "If we can somehow start the season the way we've been finishing the season, we have something to talk about.
Pannunzio also announced the decision that he will not call the offensive plays this season, handing the reigns over to new quarterbacks/wide receivers coach Bobby Hall. Hall, a passing guru who is a legend in Mississippi high school football history, has credentials that speak for themselves. Hall led his team in Amory, Miss., to an impressive 86-8 record, including a 37-game winning streak and state titles in 1994, 1995 and 1998. Hall also led his team from Louisville, Miss., to a state title in 1991.
As a coach at Northeast Mississippi Junior College, he took a program that had won just six games in five years, and turned it into a playoff team with a 7-3 record in his second year in 2002. In 2003, Hall was the head coach of the Tupelo Fire of the IFL, and he led that franchise to its only winning record to date (8-6).
"I thought a lot about the play calling, and I think we would be better off with Bobby calling the plays," Pannunzio said. "I tend to get very conservative, and I think this is the right thing to do. Bobby is one of the best offensive minds I've ever met, and I know he'll do a great job calling the plays."
Murray State kicks off the season on Sept. 3 at Mississippi State, and the home opener is scheduled for Sept. 17 vs. Indiana State at 6 p.m.
2005 ALL-OVC PRE-SEASON TEAM
(selected by OVC football head coaches
and sports information directors)
OFFENSE
Maurice Mullins, Jacksonville State
(QB, 6-0, 198, Sr., Camilla, Ga.)
Donald Chapman, Tennessee-Martin
(RB, 5-10, 190, Soph., Marietta, Ga.)
Vincent Webb, Eastern Illinois
(RB, 5-10, 206, Jr., St. Louis, Mo.)
Ryan Voss, Eastern Illinois
(WR, 6-4, 200, Jr., Punta Gorda, Fla.)
Taurean Stephens, Tennessee-Martin
(WR, 6-1, 185, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio)
Patrick Bugg, Eastern Kentucky
(TE, 6-4, 215, Jr., Harrodsburg, Ky.)
Sean Dumford, Eastern Kentucky
(OL, 6-5, 295, Soph., Washington Courthouse, Ohio)
Pascal Matla, Eastern Illinois
(OL, 6-5, 309, Sr., Voorburg, Holland)
Rod Olds, Jacksonville State
(OL, 6-3, 281, Sr., Panama City, Fla.)
Steve Sobolewski, Eastern Illinois
(OL, 6-4, 287, Jr., Blue Island, Ill.)
EUGENE RUSSELL, Murray State
(OL, 6-3, 285, Sr., Queens, N.Y.)
Josh Foster, Tennessee Tech
(PK, 6-0, 204, Sr., Marietta, Ga.)
Craig Agee, Jacksonville State
(RS, 5-10, 170, Jr., Taylorsville, Miss.)
DEFENSE
Almonte Duncan, Tennessee State
(DL, 6-2, 295, Jr., Atlanta, Ga.)
Kory Lothe, Eastern Illinois
(DL, 6-4, 253, Sr., Sun Prairie, Wis.)
Yusuf Sharif, Tennessee Tech
(DL, 6-3, 223, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.)
Andre Plummer, Tennessee-Martin
(DL, 6-4, 250, Jr., Memphis, Tenn.)
Jerome Jones, Eastern Kentucky
(LB, 6-2, 220, Sr., Decatur, Ga.)
Markeseo Jackson, Tennessee-Martin
(LB, 6-0, 220, Jr., Memphis, Tenn.)
RICK SCHULTZ, Murray State
(LB, 5-11, 208, Sr., Louisville, Ky.)
Craig Simonton, Tennessee Tech
(LB, 6-2, 225, Jr., Covington, Tenn.)
ONSHA WHITTAKER, Murray State
(DB, 5-10, 188, Sr., Tuskegee, Ala.)
Cortland Finnegan, Samford
(DB, 5-9, 180, Sr., Milton, Fla.)
Ben Brown, Eastern Illinois
(DB, 6-0, 171, Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Jason Coleman, Tennessee-Martin
(DB, 5-11, 175, Sr., Fairburn, Ga.)
David Simonhoff, Southeast Missouri
(P, 6-2, 200, Jr., Coral Gables, Fla.)
(Four linebackers were chosen due to a tie in the voting.)
2005 OVC FOOTBALL PRE-SEASON POLL
(selected by OVC football head coaches and sports information directors; first-place votes are given in parentheses, followed by total points; teams were awarded eight points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, etc.)
1. Jacksonville State (15 first-place votes) 127 points
2. Eastern Kentucky (1) 108
3. MURRAY STATE (2) 94
4. Eastern Illinois 81
5. Tennessee Tech 72
6. Samford 49
7. Tennessee State 47
8. Southeast Missouri 45
9. Tennessee-Martin 25
