Murray State University Athletics
Defense shines in first live scrimmage
8/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
One concern Racer head football coach Joe Pannunzio had coming into this season was replacing most of the spots on the No. 1 defense in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2004. From the looks of things today, Pannunzio and defensive coordinator Dennis Therrell might have found the right combination.
In the first live scrimmage of the fall, the defense showed signs of 2004 form, holding the offense to only three plays of 10 or more yards.
Senior linebacker Rick Schultz led the attack with four tackles, while junior safety Michael Sturgis added three tackles, two in the open field behind the line of scrimmage. Senior defensive lineman Barry Thomas forced two fumbles, both recovered by senior safety Tony Ryan. Ryan also added a sack, as did sophomore Madison Taylor, and freshmen Rance Powell and Vincent Coley.
On offense, junior quarterback Ken Topps went 4-for-10 for 26 yards. Backup Ryne Salyer went 2-for-5 for 12 yards, and third-string quarterback Brad Frost, who also lined up as a wide receiver in a few offensive sets, went 1-for-3 for 10 yards. Combined, the quarterbacks went 7-for-18 for 48 yards.
Topps led the rushing attack, running seven times for 43 yards, while senior Nick Turner rushed twice for 36 yards. Third-string running back Dante Woods rushed 13 times for 19 yards, and freshman Robbie Wize ran five times for 17 yards. Murray State's leading returning rusher, Chad Cook, was held out for precautionary reasons and only rushed once for three yards. Two other rushers gained negative yards, and the total rushing statistics were 35 attempts for 104 yards, or 2.97 yards per rush.
The top receiver was freshman DeAngelo Nelson, who caught three balls for 22 yards. Akeem Lofton caught two passes for four yards, while Turner (15 yards) and Rumley (seven yards) each caught one apiece.
There were only two penalties, an offensive false start and a defensive offsides.
CAMP NOTES: Said Pannunzio, "It was a typical first scrimmage. I was disappointed with the offense; we need to get stronger, and the offensive line needs to protect better. Naturally, on the other side of the ball, I was very pleased with the defense, especially since we lost so many guys. The defense played together and really stepped up today. I've always said, 'You can't win championships without having a great defense.' We're still in the innate stages of building. We have a lot of work to do between now and Sept. 3 (the Racers' first game at Mississippi State)."
INJURY REPORT: Wide receivers Lee McGinnis (ankle sprain) and Rod Harper (hamstring) and linebacker Sederick Eichelberger (dehydration illness) did not practice today.
The Racer practice scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. has been changed to 6 p.m.
