Wofford Football Opens Practice
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford College football team opened practice for the 2009 season on Monday evening. Head coach Mike Ayers and his staff led the squad in a two-hour session in helmets only.
Ninety players reported to campus on Sunday afternoon, with a meeting in the evening. On Monday, the preparations began with players being issued equipment and meetings in the morning. Special teams meetings and position meetings were held in the afternoon. The first practice began a little before 6:15 pm. Most of the practice was spent on position work, with short seven-on-seven and team segments.
“I saw some real positive things,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “I think we definitely will have some young players that will have an opportunity to help us. The attitude was good and I thought that our execution for the first day was pretty special. I think the offense is a little ahead and I think defensively we got a better feel for what we are capable of doing. Hopefully our teaching progression will be better for some of the young guys to learn and learn in a hurry. In the kicking game, Chris Tommie being back is going to be a help to us and some of the other kickers kicked well today. When you look over it, we started at 12:01 with the conditioning run, had a little sleep, came back and had to practice. It was a tough day for them. Overall it was a positive day and anytime you can put it in that plus column you are making progress.”
The team will return to the field on Tuesday at 3:30 pm. The first full pads practice will be Friday at 3:30 pm and the first two-a-day will be Saturday, August 15.
Practice will be held on the intramural field next to Gibbs Stadium until the end of Carolina Panthers training camp. All practices are open to the public; however keep in mind that the schedule can change without notice.
The Terriers will open the 2009 season on Saturday, September 5 against South Florida. The home opener will be September 12 against Charleston Southern at Gibbs Stadium. Tickets are available by calling the Wofford Ticket Office at 864-597-4090.
GSU Fall Camp Practice #7
Eagles go through first two-a-day session of fall camp.
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern entered week two of fall camp working through its first two-a-day football practice on Monday. The Eagles worked for two and a half hours in the morning and again in the evening.
During both sessions the squad worked out in full pads. Overall head coach Chris Hatcher liked what he saw.
"I think we have progressed well. We still have a lot of work to do; we're not ready to play a game. But we're getting better and you can tell especially with the guys that were here during the spring that (they) picked up where we left off after spring practice, and the new guys that were here this summer, you can tell they actually came out and learned a lot. So I think if anything, we may be a little ahead," said the third-year head coach. "We were a little bit up and down; we were getting a little bit tired. We've had five really intense practices (heading into Monday morning). Today was good at times and at other times we were more businesslike. So that's not all bad. But all in all I thought it was a good day, we're getting better at the things we need to get better at. The further we go along in camp hopefully our execution will continue to improve."
Kickoff for the season-opener against Albany (N.Y.) on Saturday, September 5th is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Paulson Stadium. For ticket information call 800-GSU-WINS.
FALL CAMP PRACTICE TIMES
Tuesday, August 11: 1:30-4 p.m.
Wednesday, August 12: 8-10 a.m.; 2:15-4:15 p.m.; 7:15-8:15 p.m.
Thursday, August 13: 1:30-4 p.m.
Friday, August 14: 8-10 a.m.; 2:15-4:15 p.m.; 7:15-8:15 p.m.
Saturday, August 15: 1:30-4 p.m.
Sunday, August 16: Off
Monday, August 17: Off (First day of classes)
All sessions are tentatively scheduled to take place at the practice field complex and Herring Pavilion. Only media members are allowed to take pictures during any practice session. Day/time subject to change.
Practice Report #2: Catamount Football Continues Practice Monday
WCU dons helmets and shoulder pads in third practice of preseason fall camp
Monday's Fall Practice No. 3 - Photo Gallery
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina continued its preparations for the 2009 football season on Monday morning with the third practice of fall camp, donning shoulder pads for the first-time this preseason for a two and a half hour workout.
The Catamounts will continue workouts with a helmet/shoulder pad - or "hats and racks" - workout on Tuesday and Wednesday before going in full pads on Thursday, which also represents the first two-a-day practice session.
The WCU coaching staff continued the preseason system installation process, while also continuing the focus on fundamental techniques. On both sides of the ball, the coaches have a four-part system in relaying the schemes. It begins in the classroom with playbook and video study; continues in individual position work where the players learn their part of the play or scheme; that translate into unit work where all the pieces come together to execute the design.
Finally, the two units - offense and defense - run the play or scheme against one another to fully implement the scheme.
Western Carolina will open the 2009 season under second-year head coach Dennis Wagner on Saturday, Sept. 5 in Nashville, Tenn., at 7:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm CT live on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast.
Samford Football Practices In Full Pads
The Bulldogs worked out for about two hours Monday morning
Practice Photo Gallery
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team practiced in full pads for the first time Monday morning at Seibert Stadium. The practice lasted about two hours.
Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said, despite the high temperatures and humidity, he liked what he saw from his team on Monday.
"I thought we had a good first day in pads," Sullivan said. "It was hot, but they pushed themselves through it. I don't think we got anyone hurt, so that was good."
Sullivan said sophomore starting quarterback Dustin Taliaferro was one of the players who caught his eye during Monday's practice.
“I thought Dustin had a good day," Sullivan said. "He has been playing well so far, and he kind of stood out today."
Sullivan said the coaching staff has used the early days of fall practice to work on fundamentals.
"At this point in camp, it is mainly fundamentals," Sullivan said. "We have to get back into the fundamentals. We may go through a few different schemes, but that's mainly what we do during these early practices."
Samford will hold its first two-a-day workouts on Tuesday. The Bulldogs will practice at 8:30 a.m. in full pads, and again at 4 p.m. in shorts and helmets.
Samford opens the 2009 season on Saturday, Aug. 5, when the Bulldogs travel to Orlando, Fla., to take on the UCF Knights. The game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. (CT) start from Bright House Networks Stadium.
Paladins Conclude Day Two Of Fall Practice
Special Teams Work Highlights Monday Session
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Special teams, offensive and defensive schemes, and 7-on-7 work highlighted Furman football's second practice of the preseason Monday afternoon.
"We covered a lot of areas today, including work on field goal, field goal block, and punt teams, what we call our `score' and `swat' teams," said Lamb following the two-hour and 45-minute practice in mid-90-degree heat. "We also continued to insert a lot of our offense and defense and got in some good 7-on-7 work. The enthusiasm was good early, but we didn't finish very strong, probably due to the heat. That was disappointing."
Lamb complimented the work of the squad's punters Trent Hawk and Chas Short. Hawk, the top returning punter in the Southern Conference, averaged 40.9 yards on 42 punts in 2008.
Another area that also earned mention was linebacker.
"We're pretty young in the linebacking corps, but I think our two guys there, sophomores Kadarron Anderson and Chris Wiley have a chance to be pretty good, as does Rick Furman. He came back in great shape and has put on some weight and strength."
As for the 7-on-7 session, the highlight was a long pass completion from quarterback Cody Worley to David Hendrix, who pulled the ball down over a defender and ran in the end zone.
"We'll be able to do a little more tomorrow with the shell work (shorts, shoulder pads, and helmets). Every day is very important to this football team, and I think our guys realize that."
Tuesday's practice is set for 2:30 p.m.
Bulldog Football Fall Camp Report: Day Three
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Football returned to the field for a split practice on Monday morning for day three of fall camp at the Maybank Triplets Practice Facility at Willson Field.
The ones and twos took to the field first at 8 a.m. as the remainder of the team came out approximately one-hour-and-twenty-minutes into practice for the first day of helmets and pads. According to Higgins, the split practice gives the coaching staff an opportunity to get a better evaluation of the younger players.
"We like to start camp off with everyone together, allowing our younger guys learn from the older guys as far as tempo and in terms of speed," Higgins said. "So today was the first time we really had a chance to look at our younger guys. For the most part they did a good job but I was a little disappointed with our offense with our veteran guys. We dropped some balls and we didn't play with as much intensity and focus that I would have liked.
"On the other side, our defense really stepped up and played well this morning, which is good to see. They were flying around and making plays. They seem to have a pretty good understanding of their assignments," Higgins added.
The staff also introduced the punt return on Monday and did a lot of technique work to help get punt returners free. According to Higgins, the players understand the urgency of setting up blocks in the correct way.
The Citadel training staff reported that Mel Capers suffered a sprained knee, Scott Harward suffered a hamstring injury and Sherrod Croom suffered a shoulder sprain. All injuries reported to be mild.
The Citadel will return to the practice field on Tuesday for an 8 to 11 a.m. practice at the Maybank Triplets Practice Facility. The Bulldogs' season-opener will take place on Saturday, Sept. 5 at North Carolina.
ASU Football Fall Camp Report: Monday, August 10
BOONE, N.C. ? Appalachian State University football held its fourth practice of the young season on Monday afternoon at balmy Kidd Brewer Stadium.
With temperatures in the mid 80s, the Mountaineers worked out on the KBS turf for two hours and 45 minutes in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts. The session was ASU’s second in shoulder pads ? the Apps will don full pads for the first time on Wednesday, which is also the first day of two-a-days.
As usual, Appalachian dedicated approximately 25 minutes near the end of practice to 11-on-11 work. Highlights included:
? what appeared to be a sure interception by Brandon Olsen on the first offensive play turning into an acrobatic catch by Matt Cline when the senior wide receiver plucked the ball from Olsen’s grasp when it momentarily popped out of the linebacker’s hands.
? a very nice pass break-up by sophomore cornerback Ed Gainey on an out route to the left sideline. Gainey later
? back-to-back completions from DeAndre Presley to true freshman receiver Tony Washington.
? a pair of impressive scrambles by true freshman quarterback Jamal Jackson on consecutive plays. On the first, Jackson picked up 10 yards and on the second, he alluded several would-be tacklers in the backfield to turn a sack into a short gain.
? Cline making several tacklers miss after hauling in a short swing pass from Jackson, en route to a long gain.
? 285-pound defensive tackle Anthony Williams chasing down Jackson for a sack deep in the offensive backfield.
? a pretty pass-and-catch from Presley to sophomore Brian Quick on a slant pattern. True freshman cornerback Demetrius McCray wrapped up Quick from behind to save a the play from going for a touchdown.
? linebackers D.J. Smith and Jeremy Kimbrough and defensive ends Lanston Tanyi and John Rizor all snuffing out quarterback keepers for stops behind the line of scrimmage.
? long runs by Robert Welton and Rod Chisholm near the end of 11-on-11 work. Welton made several moves in traffic to break into the secondary for a substantial gain before Chisholm used some superb blocking to break off a 60-yard touchdown run.
SOUTHERN FRIED FOOTBALL TOUR TO RETURN NOV. 21: Primetime with the Packman host Mark Packer will bring his Southern Fried Football Tour to Kidd Brewer Stadium on Nov. 21 for the Battle for the Old Mountain Jug between Appalachian and Western Carolina.
This year’s SFF Tour stop at ASU marks the fifth-straight season and seventh time overall that Packman and his crew will take in the gameday experience at The Rock. Most notably, the SFF Tour was on hand for the “Miracle on the Mountain” 16-15 win over Furman in 2002, the Apps’ 79-35 rout over archrival Western Carolina in 2007 (ASU’s 79 points are by far the most scored by any team in Southern Fried Football history) and last year’s SoCon title-clinching 24-16 triumph over Elon.
Elon Football Practice Report: Day Two Brings the Heat
ELON, N.C. ? The Elon football team took the field for the second day of preseason workouts under a scorching sun and nearly triple-digit temperatures on Monday afternoon. Per NCAA rules, the Phoenix worked out in helmets for the second straight day and was on the field for about two and a half hours.
Day two again featured an emphasis on position specific techniques and fundamentals. Head coach Pete Lembo and his staff continued the installation of schemes on offense, defense and special teams.
“We weren’t as crisp as yesterday,” Lembo commented. “As installation builds it becomes mentally taxing on young players. There tend to be more mental mistakes which is to be expected.”
The practice included had three team periods of offense against the defense, which were run at a slower tempo than normal due to the “just helmets” rule. The wide receivers again competed against the defensive backs, testing various one-on-one routes. Elon ran two pass skeleton segments and special teams continued to work on punt protection and PAT/field goal protection.
Being that the Phoenix return 18 starters from last year, Lembo has noticed a new twist to preseason practice this season. “A few years ago, everyone on the field was starting at the same level,” Lembo explained. “We now have a mix of experience and youth which can make for a balancing act as a coach. You want to get more sophisticated with your installation for your veterans without leaving your younger guys behind.”
Lembo was impressed with sophomore tailbacks Jamal Shuman and A.J. Harris who both had productive runs during the practice session. He also mentioned the strong performances of sophomore linebacker Zack Henderson, sophomore nose guard Khiry Walker and senior defensive end Jordan Daniel.
Elon will be in helmets and shoulder pads for the first time tomorrow during its 2:15 p.m. practice at Hunt/Tucker Fields.