Furman
PALADINS FOCUS ON TWO-MINUTE OFFENSE IN THURSDAY PRACTICE
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman Paladins turned their attention to work on two-minute offensive and defensive packages on Thursday.
“It was a good day, and I was pleased with the tempo of our practice,” said head coach Bobby Lamb. “We made a lot of plays on both sides of the football ? something we talk about constantly.”
In addition to focus on its two-minute package, the Paladins concentrated on situational work, seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 play, and on punting and punt block teams.
Freshman cornerback Ryan Steed continued his strong work in the preseason with two interceptions in the three hour afternoon practice.
Junior Trent Hawk converted a 49-yard field goal during the two-minute offense session.
Furman will practice twice Friday in preparation for Saturday’s noon Purple-White Scrimmage in Paladin Stadium.
Wild Wings Cafe will offer a buffet lunch for $5 per person in the Paladin Stadium concourse beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Head football coach Bobby Lamb will welcome fans and introduce the 2008 Paladin co-captains. In addition, captains of Furman’s men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball teams will be introduced.
Special prizes are set to be given away to holders of numbered football scrimmage rosters. In addition official team posters and schedule cards will be available, and 2008 Furman Football media guides can be purchased for $20.
Georgia Southern
Fall Practice Report #14
Eagles go through final three-a-day practice of fall camp
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern worked through its final three-a-day practice of fall camp on Thursday (Aug. 14). Friday morning’s practice from 10 a.m.-12 noon marks the official end of the 2008 edition.
Head coach Chris Hatcher will give his team the weekend off then Monday as well for the first day of classes. Like the previous three-a-days, the Eagles worked out for two hours in the morning and afternoon, then another hour in the evening.
“I know the players are excited and as a coach you are a little tired and monotony has kind of set in somewhat and fatigued. The good thing about it for the coaches is that you get to worry about football for two weeks. You don't have to worry about the administrative stuff,” said Hatcher. “There is a little sadness as another camp comes to an end, then again with the end of camp it means that the season opener is drawing near.”
Hatcher noted the team’s improved play, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
“I think we are getting better defensively. We are really flying around and it’s good to see guys playing with a lot of emotion over there. Offensively all the young players are coming along and it didn't really strike until today how young we are, which is ok. There is nothing wrong with being young,” said Hatcher. “We are doing our bandit drills at the end of practice and defensively we had 11 true freshmen out there going against the ?1s’ and they were holding their own, and our offensive has been playing really good of late. The future looks good. The future is now. Our guys are excited and they believe. We just have to do a good job as a staff of not mentally or physically wearing these guys down so that they can be fresh each and every Saturday.”
During the morning session for the preseason 17th-ranked Eagles: Oliver Davis picked off a pass... Lee Chapple connected with Demarcus Watts for a long gain... Chapple found Tim Camp for another long pass reception over the middle... Watts and Kyle Collins connected on two passes, including one Watts caught before the ball hit the ground and scored a touchdown.
In the afternoon: Chapple hit Adam Urbano for a long gain down the sidelines... J.B. Shippy recorded an interception... Quentin Taylor and Dakota Walker broke through the offensive line for an impressive quarterback sack... Antonio Henton and Samair Baker connected on a short touchdown pass... Garryon Taylor made an impressive catch on a pass by Collins for a touchdown.
The Eagles open the 2008 campaign against preseason top-ranked Georgia on August 30th. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in Athens.
ROSTER CHANGES: Jermaine Murphy and David Morris left the team due to personal reasons. Redshirt-freshman kicker Adrian Mora joined camp as did Troy transfer Lennie Richardson. Mora did not play last year after recovering from an injury while Richardson, an Ashburn native (Tucker County HS), redshirted last year with the Trojans and will have four years of eligibility remaining.
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE: Season tickets for the six Georgia Southern football games at Paulson Stadium are currently on sale. To purchase the packages call the ticket office at 800-GSU-WINS.
STUDENT TICKETS FOR GEORGIA GAME ON SALE FRIDAY, AUG. 22: Georgia Southern student tickets for the August 30th Georgia Southern-Georgia football game will go on sale Friday, August 22nd at 4 p.m. Full-time Georgia Southern students will have the opportunity to purchase two tickets at $45 apiece at the ticket booth at Gate 4 of Paulson Stadium on Friday, August 22nd beginning at 4 p.m. Ticket purchasers will not be allowed to camp out and can line up no earlier than 2 p.m. Students must present a GSU student ID which will be scanned to verify current enrollment status. Tickets can be purchased with cash or Visa/Mastercard only.
Elon
Phoenix Preseason Football Practice Update #14
ELON, N.C. ? The Phoenix spent two hours and 45 minutes on the Hunt and Tucker Fields in full pads on a cloudy Thursday afternoon for the 14th session of the 2008 Elon preseason football practice schedule.
The Phoenix conducted an inside run period, one-on-one routes between the wide receivers and the defensive backs, two pass skeleton segments and two team periods ? one emphasizing blitz situations and one move the ball scrimmage. The special teams spent their time on punt blocking, punting, field goals and point-after-touchdown kicks.
“I would sum this practice up as good but not great,” Elon coach Pete Lembo said. “This was another strong showing by our defense, particularly in the move the ball scrimmage at the end of practice. In the first drive with the ones, the defense forced a three-and-out. In the second drive with the ones, the defense held the offense to a field goal.”
Junior safety Walker White turned in another solid performance, hauling in an interception during the first team period. Senior linebacker Corey Weaver, sophomore linebacker Brandon Wiggins and freshman cornerback Deven Persaud, who pulled down an interception during a pass skeleton segment, all put forth strong efforts.
“Walker has always played hard,” Lembo said. “But now he’s playing with more confidence and has a better handle on what we are doing schematically. Corey and Brandon continue to be very solid at linebacker while Deven stepped up nicely today.” Lembo was also complimentary of sophomore defensive end Brandon Ward, freshman safety Andrew Straus and junior Andre Campbell, who has been taking reps at defensive tackle as well as end.
Returning from a minor injury that held him out of practice for a few days, sophomore defensive end Jordan Gibson also made his presence felt ? especially during the inside run period. Offensively, redshirt freshman tailback A.J. Harris, sophomore wide receiver Lance Camp and sophomore tailback Dontay Taylor all turned in solid outings.
Backup quarterbacks sophomore Donny Kirby and freshman Thomas Wilson put in a lot of repetitions while starting quarterback Scott Riddle sat out with a minor injury. Riddle is expected to return to the practice fields Friday.
The Phoenix will return to the Hunt and Tucker Fields at 8 a.m. Friday for the 15th session of the 2008 Elon preseason football practice schedule. All sessions are open to the public and fans are encouraged to attend.
The Citadel
Practice Report: Day 11 of Fall Camp
Charleston, S.C. ? After practicing in inclement weather on Wednesday, The Citadel Football team was back in action on Thursday at the Maybank Triplets practice field for their 11th day of fall camp.
After having to cancel their second practice on Wednesday, the Bulldogs hit the field for two two-hour practice sessions.
“We majored in a backed up sequence, where the offense had the ball on the minus one yard line and we were able to execute our assignments well,” said Head Coach Kevin Higgins. “Our defense did a nice job on the last sequence of stopping the offense and forcing the punt. “Our guys are getting a better handle on their assignments and responsibilities,” Higgins added. “We are continuing to make good progress.”
No injuries were reported. The Bulldogs will return to the Maybank Triplets practice field in full pads on Friday, August 15 for one three-hour practice session at 8 a.m.
Appalachian State
ASU Football Fall Camp Report ? Thurs., Aug. 14
BOONE, N.C. ? After a grueling two-a-day session on Wednesday, which concluded with a 12-series scrimmage, Appalachian State University football practiced just once in helmets and shorts on Thursday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
In addition to Wednesday’s two-a-day, the Mountaineers are also scheduled to practice twice on Friday before another full-length scrimmage as part of Saturday’s annual Fan Fest at The Rock. Therefore, Thursday was used to work on fundamentals and correct mistakes from Wednesday’s scrimmage.
Due to not being in full pads, there was no full-contact, 11-on-11 work for the first time since the third day of camp. In limited team drills, the offense continued to look sharp, with quarterback Armanti Edwards completing the majority of his passes, including long gains to wide receivers T.J. Courman and CoCo Hillary and tight end Ben Jorden.
On the defensive side of the ball, tackle Anthony Williams broke through the pass protection to reach Edwards early in the 11-on-11 period and linebackers Pierre Banks and D.J. Smith teamed up for a stop behind the line of scrimmage late in the full-team drills.
Appalachian fans’ first and only opportunity to see the Mountaineers in person before the Aug. 30 season opener at LSU is just two days away, as ASU’s annual Fan Fest begins Saturday at 4 p.m. For full details on the free family event, click here.
Samford
Football Continues Fall Camp
The Bulldogs practiced for about two hours Thursday morning
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team practiced for about two hours Thursday morning in full pads at Seibert Stadium. The practice was the 14th practice of the fall for the Bulldogs.
"We started off really well, having a good physical practice, and then they kind of hit the wall," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "So, we decided to shorten it for about 10 minutes. But, they've given us great effort. It was a good practice, we just needed to shorten it a little and get ready for the scrimmage on Saturday."
Sullivan said he has been impressed with the work of the Bulldogs' offensive line so far this fall.
"The offensive line is doing well right now," Sullivan said. "Thomas Gray is nicked up and out a little bit. Some of the young ones are starting to gain some playing time. We've moved Kanon Burt to tight end (from defensive line), and he has really done an outstanding job."
"Jon Weber and Mitchell Waters have given us consistent leadership on the offensive line," Sullivan said. "Tommy Smith is doing a good job for us, and Paul Selmon has really had a nice camp."
Samford will practice twice on Friday. The team will practice at 8:20 a.m. in full pads and at 3:10 p.m. in shorts and helmets. The team will hold its second full scrimmage of the fall on Saturday. The scrimmage is scheduled to begin at 8:20 a.m. at Seibert Stadium.
Samford opens the 2008 season on Thursday, Aug. 28, when the Bulldogs play host to West Georgia. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium.