Murray State University Athletics
Racers hold next-to-last practice before leaving for Mississippi State
8/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
After three consecutive gloomy and moist days, the Racers returned to the practice field today to sunny, mid-80's weather. The Racers continued to work on game situations in preparation for their season opener against Mississippi State on Sept. 3.
"Today, we worked on goal-line defense and goal-line offense," Racer head coach Joe Pannunzio said. "We also continued to work on our blitz, and we winded down all our special teams drills."
The Racers will hold just one more practice tomorrow (Thursday) at 3:15 p.m. before leaving for Starkville, Miss. The team plans to leave on Friday at 8 a.m. The Racers will then have a walk-through at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field at 2 p.m.
CAMP NOTES: The season-opener at Mississippi State marks the eighth consecutive season the Racers have played a Division I-A opponent. Since 1998, the Racers have traveled to Brigham Young (1998), Wisconsin (1999), Middle Tennessee (2000), Mississippi (2001), Minnesota (2001), Memphis (2002), Kentucky (2003) and Connecticut (2004). The tradition will continue for at least two more seasons, as the Racers tentatively have scheduled Missouri for 2006 and Texas A&M in 2007.
"Our kids want to play the best teams in our country, so we'll continue to try and schedule games against top Division I teams each season," Pannunzio said.
FUEL-ISH THOUGHTS: Racer fans planning on traveling to the game on Saturday might want to fill up their gas tanks a little bit early. Reports out of Starkville are that the gas stations there are running out of gas and will only service emergency vehicles. Cities that are located north of Starkville like Corinth and Tupelo are the best options for Racer fans to fill up before entering Starkville.
KATRINA HITS HOME: Junior running back Chad Cook is feeling the effects of Hurricane Katrina on his hometown of New Orleans. Cook said his family fled the storm to stay with family in Shreveport, La., and are doing fine, but he fears his home is lost.
"Right now, I'm worried about our house," said Cook, the Racers' top returning rusher from 2004. "I know I can't, but right now all I want to do is go back home and help. We all grew up being taught about how bad it could be if a hurricane hit New Orleans. I guess it was all true. It's hard to think that the place I grew up in might be gone."
INJURY REPORT: For the second consecutive practice, the Racers reported no injuries and had everyone dressed out on the field.
