Story by Keith Jaco, staff writer

The Racers opened up their first spring scrimmage on Saturday, April 7, with snow flurries and 20 mph wind gusts.

With temperatures dipping below 30 degrees, Head Coach Mitch Stewart ran a loaded scrimmage in which both the offense and defense showed signs of improvement. Despite the bitterly cold chill, the Racers displayed fiery explosiveness and a competitive drive.

Murray State is coming off a 3-8 season in which they suffered sizeable losses at Louisville and Jacksonville State. With an equally challenging schedule looming in the future, the Racers are using all the time they have to improve and prepare.

Stewart and his staff hope these early spring scrimmages will ignite a fire on the field and in the locker room.

“We’re just trying to compete a little bit,” Stewart said. “Just putting the boys in competitive situations, not only offense versus defense but more so competing against the standard at which their coach sets for their position.”

Considering the weather the team was dealt on Saturday, Stewart said he was pleased with how his team reacted once they got on the field.

“I thought the boys handled the weather conditions pretty well,” Stewart said. “I mean you’re talking about snow in April. I thought for the most part they came out and they competed and they played hard.”

As the semester winds down and spring comes to a close, the Racers plan to hold a few more scrimmages before hosting their official spring game on Saturday, April 21, at Roy Stewart Stadium.