PSU football kicks off 2-a-day practices

For Pittsburg State junior Jared Witter, Tuesday was just like any other night.
The Pitt State kicker spent his practice at Carnie Smith Stadium doing drills and taking punt snaps.
His compatriots, on the other hand, were busy during the first day of 2-a-day practices.
“I don’t have to do as much but, I find time to do what I need to do,” said the 6-foot-3 kicker from Lenexa.
His teammates are more than willing to let Witter know just what he is missing out on.
“I get a lot of ‘Gosh, I wish I was the kicker and could just stand around all day,’” Witter said. “But, I do what a kicker needs to do.”
While the start of the second practice Tuesday was somewhat routine, it just got more interesting as the team got deeper into the night session.
Things got amped up as the team started ‘Oklahoma,’ or 1-on-1 drills and even more so upon the start of ‘Gorilla,’ or 3-on-3 drills.
“It seems to get better every year because these guys aren’t getting a lot of time off,” said Pitt State defensive coordinator Dave Wiemers. “They, for the most part, come in very good condition and you can get a lot done.”
Some of the veteran players felt it as soon as the ‘Oklahoma’ drills started.
“It’s been rough and I feel a little old,” PSU senior center Jay Nuñez said.
But, it seemed that the players got more excited about football as the night pressed on.
“You hate it while you’re doing it but, you miss it when it is over,” Gorilla quarterback John McCoy said. “If we could play today, I think all of these guys would.”
For players like Bryan McMurtrey and Rashad Pittman, the road back to 2-a-days has been rough, but well worth it.
“Everything is going pretty good,” McMurtery, a 5-11 senior from Kansas City, said. “Just getting a handle on things is a little rough.”
McMurtery took a medical redshirt last season after tearing his Achilles’ prior to the start of the season.
Pittman, a 6-2 defensive end from Tulsa, Okla., tore his MCL prior to the start of last season but said that the start of 2-a-day practice is beneficial, even for the coaches.
“They’ve been working us hard and this has probably been the hardest we’ve been pushed,” Pittman said. “They see the potential and want to get that out of us.”
Witter, a former quarterback and wide receiver at Shawnee Mission West High School did have some sympathy for his teammates as they sweat through drills most of the night.
“I fee bad a little bit,” Witter said. “I feel for them on those hot days.”
The Gorillas will continue practice this week leading up to their first scrimmage at 8 p.m. Saturday at Carnie Smith Stadium.