Fall Football Camp complete, starting positions up for grabs

    After three weeks of battling extreme heat and intense conditioning, Fall Camp has come to an end for the high-spirited Murray State football team.
    With 17 seniors returning from last season, leadership and experience are not lacking on the turf and in the locker room. But where seasoned veterans are found, intense, but healthy competition also exists.
    “The competition level, because of our depth, is excellent,” Head Coach Matt Griffin said. “There are seniors battling for jobs. We will put the best player out on the field at every position. This, by far, is the best competition we’ve had across the board in my time here.”
    After going winless in Ohio Valley Conference play his first year as head coach, Griffin led the Racers to a 4-4 OVC record for the 2008 season and looks to continue the improvement in his fourth year.
    And it is the aforementioned competition amongst teammates that has Griffin so optimistic. With athletes battling to start every week, performances will reach their highest potentials.
    One of the positions being fought for is the core of offensive play.  Senior Nico Yantko, who missed most of last season with an ACL injury, won the right to start as quarterback for the Racer’s season opener against the Kentucky Wesleyan team.
    Junior Jeff Ehrhardt, who started nine games last year, will fight to reclaim the quarterback spot.
    “It all goes back to the battle and the struggle for a starting position,” Griffin said. “Our best guy will be out there. I’m excited about both those guys. Both guys are battling, but it’s still day-to-day.”
    No matter who will take the snaps from center each game, the offensive line, led by Coach Dave Wheeler, is confident they have what it takes to win.
    “The strength of the offensive line is experience,” senior lineman Eric Ornella said. “Everyone’s had so much playing time. Really, pass or run, it doesn’t really matter. We’re strong in both of those. Wins and losses, that’s all that matters.”
    The defensive line, under direction of a new coach  Mark Lister will  combine simple schemes, strong brotherhood and love of the game to dominate this season.
    “We’ve been working on making things as simple as possible,” Lister said. “Keep thinking at a minimum and just let them play the game. Our job is to go out there and just create chaos on the field. To do that, we have to have fun. The more fun (the defensive line is) having, the more chaos they can create out there.”
    The Racers will showcase their best athletes when they open non-conference play against Kentucky Wesleyan at 7 p.m. Sept. 3 at Roy Stewart Stadium.
    Elizabeth Johnson can be reached at
elizabetha.johnson @murraystate.edu.

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