Murray State University Athletics
Football Earns Off Day With Physical Sunday Practice
8/10/2008 5:00:00 AM | Football
With a day off on the line, the Murray State football team came out on Sunday afternoon and went through a very physical workout on the turf at Stewart Stadium.
"I thought we came out very fast and I thought we finished even faster, which was real important after the first scrimmage," said head coach Matt Griffin. "Especially with the heat, it would have been a great opportunity for some guys to take a day off and pack it in and go through the motions. We didn't do that and I was really, really pleased."
After starting practice by working on their return game, both punt and kickoff, the Racers went through a small individual period before coming together for a short team period. The intensity carried over from yesterday's scrimmage as the two units got after each other with both sides of the ball coming up with big plays.
The units would come together one more time at the end of practice as they went through a simulated third down drill where the offense had to convert on third down against a blitzing defense. The offense converted early as Kenny Benjamin and Patrick Robertson hauled in long passes before the defense battled back to get a deflection from Blake Booth and a sack from Zach Kutch on the final play.
The team will not take the practice field on Monday, but will return to the field for two practices on Tuesday. The morning practice is scheduled for 8:15 a.m., while the afternoon practice is slated to begin at 4:05 p.m. Both practices will be held inside Stewart Stadium.
Head Coach Matt Griffin
On the players battling it out for starting positions:
There position is on the line everyday and we met for quite a while this morning as a staff evaluating every position and player. We made some changes and there are some guys that are a little ticked off today, and I am glad. The message is going to be clear and consistent and fair, that the best players are going to play.
On which group has stepped it up in practice:
The group that is probably playing a lot better than they were a year ago is the defensive line. You have a group of guys that are going into their third year starting and playing significant reps and that makes all the difference in the world. They have developed physically and have matured. That in turn will make our offensive line better. When those two groups start playing well, even if you skill pool is very limited, you can be a very good football team.
