Fall Practice Update #7: Catamounts Have Light Workout in First Practice Thursday Morning
Updates on the Georgia Southern game, video/scoreboard at Whitmire Stadium
AUDIO INTERVIEW With Offensive Lineman Victor Aquilina
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina continued preparations for its 2009 season on Thursday morning with a helmet-only practice session that included special teams work, as well as two-minute drill situations for both the offensive and defensive units.
Weather permitting, the Catamounts will again hit the turf for the second practice of the scheduled two-a-day at 4:00 pm in half pads, including helmets, shoulder pads and thigh pads under shorts.
"Every day we have two-a-days, we work on situational football. Today we worked a lot on our two-minute offense and two-minute defense. I felt we had a good practice this morning; we were sharp, we were crisp. We've got to have another one this afternoon," said second-year head coach Dennis Wagner.
He added, "We've got a lot of guys with `owies' and that are banged up. We are planning a scrimmage on Saturday, but will modify that based on our health and the weather situation. It is more important to have our guys ready the two weeks before Vanderbilt than it is for a scrimmage."
In an interesting twist at the end of Thursday morning's practice, six linemen - three from the offense and three defensive - were sent to midfield to field punts. Every caught punt took away one wind sprint. Five of the six linemen were able to field the punts, including a diving stab by offensive guard Matt Winter, while the fifth was boomed over the head of defensive tackle, Justin Collins.
Earlier this week, WCU worked through a two-a-day session on Tuesday, both in full pads with the second practice on the grass fields. Wednesday's practice was in half pads back on the turf.
Practice continues Thursday afternoon, with one session slated for Friday morning. On Friday evening, the WCU football team will partake in an "Etiquette Dinner" through Beth Tyson-Lofquist, WCU's Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, as a part of the team's Friday evening meal.
"As we continue to help make well-round young men of our players, we will have the Etiquette Dinner with our evening meal. It will be about a two-hour session on how to eat at a social event; procedures for eating h'or dourves; eating meals in courses and which silverware to use - all of the basics we often take for granted, there are a lot of guys that haven't had that training," Wagner added.
Saturday will mark the final two-a-day practice for the Catamounts this preseason with a morning workout and an evening controlled scrimmage set for 5:00 pm.
ASU Football Fall Camp Report: Thursday, August 20
BOONE, N.C. ? After one of its most action-packed practice days of the year on Wednesday, Appalachian State University football held a relatively mundane two-hour workout on Thursday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
The biggest news of the day was that the Mountaineers got to spend the entire practice outdoors. It appeared both on radar and by the cloud-cover that blanketed The Rock in the early portions of practice that the workout was destined to move to the Sofield Indoor Practice Facility for the second-straight day. However, the storm seemingly skirted around the stadium and barely a drop of rain fell during practice.
After a long day on Wednesday, which included a hard-hitting afternoon session, Appalachian worked out in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts on Thursday and live contact was limited to the trenches.
Friday promises to be more physical as the Mountaineers practice twice in preparation for Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage, which will be conducted as part of ASU’s annual Fan Fest activities at Kidd Brewer Stadium. For more information on Fan Fest, click HERE.
FORMER MOUNTAINEER’S HEROIC STORY RECOUNTED ON HARD KNOCKS: The heroic story of former Mountaineer Corey Lynch was recounted nationwide Wednesday night on HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals.
During Wednesday’s episode of the popular cable sports documentary, Lynch was reunited with a woman that he pulled from the wreckage of a car accident in June. The woman and her family met up with Lynch at Georgetown College in northern Kentucky, where he is going through training camp as a second-year defensive back for the Bengals.
Cincinnati selected Lynch in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. At ASU, Lynch was a three-time all-American, runner-up for the 2007 Buck Buchanan Award (given to the nation’s top FCS defensive player) and accounted for a school-record 31 takeaways (24 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries). Most famously, he blocked a field goal as time expired to seal Appalachian’s historic 34-32 win over No. 5 (FBS) Michigan in 2007.
As a rookie with the Bengals last season, Lynch had 13 tackles and an interception (of legendary quarterback Brett Favre) in seven games before suffering a season-ending leg injury.
Hard Knocks is replayed multiple times throughout the week. For listings, visit www.hbo.com.
The Citadel Football Fall Camp Report: Day 12
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Football was on the field for day 12 of fall camp on Thursday at the Maybank Triplets Practice Facility at Willson Field. The Bulldogs hit the field at 8 a.m. and worked out for three hours. No injuries were reported.
According to Bulldog Head Coach Kevin Higgins, Thursday's practice was the first time the team struggled on the field in terms of endurance and playing at a high level on every snap. Several players weighed in lighter than normally and Higgins said they must stay after them about drinking fluids. However, the team did have a good blitz period.
"Our defense continues to bring a lot of pressure which is really good for our offense because it gives us an opportunity to see various blitzes, allows us to make corrections, go through it again in walk through and come back and hopefully take care of that," Higgins said.
The Bulldogs will return to the practice field on Friday for their fourth and final two-a-day of fall camp. They will work out at 8 a.m. and then again at 3:15 p.m., both at the practice field. The team will scrimmage on Saturday for the annual "Meet the Bulldogs" at 1 p.m. The event will be held at the Maybank Triplets Practice Facility and will consist of refreshments and a player and coach autograph session. The event is free and open to the public.
Elon: A Conversation With...Jamal Shuman
ELON, N.C. -- Every Thursday during Elon football’s preseason camp we will sit down with Phoenix players to get their perspective on how camp is progressing and their thoughts on the upcoming season. This week we spoke with sophomore running back Jamal Shuman. The Phoenix hits the Hunt and Tucker practice fields again on Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.
This is your second preseason camp here at Elon. How does this one compare to last year’s for you?
JS: I’m definitely more comfortable this year. I know the plays now. I was a little edgy last year and everything was 10 times worse. This season I’m calm and confident.
How has camp been for you personally this year?
JS: I would say that camp’s been ok for me, but I’m hard on myself. I need to work on being more consistent.
In what area of your game do you feel that you have improved the most since last year?
JS: The most improvement has come in my ability to catch the ball. I used to think that I had to catch every ball or I would hear it from coach, but now I just focus on making the catch. I’ve also improved my ability to read defenses and holes.
Can you talk a little about the challenges you faced last year as a freshman adjusting to the college game?
JS: On the field it wasn’t that bad. The mental part was tough. You’re learning new plays every day. The hardest part was making sure you remembered what you learned the previous day as well as all the new stuff.
There are four running backs competing for the starting tailback spot (Shuman, A.J. Harris, Dontay Taylor and Brandon Newsome). How do you guys work together and how has that competition been?
JS: We each have our own advantages. Newsome is probably the most well-rounded, A.J. can catch and flat out run the ball, Dontay has the shiftiness to find holes and I’m the speed back. You practice that much harder to try and earn your spot. We know that the best players have to play. We help each other out all the time. We’re all in this together and are trying to get the ?W.” In high school I was worn out after every game, but now when someone is winded we can just send someone else in.
What are your expectations for the season, both as a team and individually?
JS: For the team, we just want be in a position to get into the playoffs. For myself, I want to stay consistent. I know I can play, but I want to keep it at a high level. I don’t want to look back at a game and have any regrets. I just want to do my part either on special teams or by running the ball.
ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S PRACTICE
In Wednesday night’s second practice session the Phoenix worked around thunderstorms, delaying for about an hour before getting back on the fields. The workouts featured game officials on hand for the first time this preseason.
Head coach Pete Lembo was impressed with the play of the defensive line, especially Eric Ludwig, David Hunt and Andre Campbell. Also on defense, freshman defensive back Alex Encarnacion recorded an interception.
Lembo added that tight end Andre Labinowicz had his best practice of the preseason and that tackle Chris Werden continued his solid camp performance. Thomas Wilson also completed a long touchdown pass to freshman receiver Rasaun Rorie.
Said Lembo, “I was pleased that we got the majority of our work completed despite the weather conditions and the delay due to storms in the area. It was also important to have officials on hand so the players could receive immediate feedback on their ability to play within the rules.”
Results Mixed At Thursday Furman Scrimmage
Running Game Shines, Turnovers Disappoint
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman's fan day scrimmage in Paladin Stadium Thursday evening could have borrowed the title of Clint Eastwood's classic film, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," according to head coach Bobby Lamb.
"We did some good things, some bad things, and some ugly things out there," said Lamb following his squad's 70-play scrimmage under the lights. "We've obviously got to be more consistent on both sides of the football, and we had way too many turnovers."
The Paladins turned the ball over four times, including a fumble at the defense's 1-yard line going in.
Bright spots included the strong running of freshman Jerodis Williams and sophomore Tersoo Uhaa, who rushed for 74 yards and 39 yards, respectively. Uhaa, who carried the ball only four times, scored the scrimmage's first touchdown on a 2-yard run to complete a 7-play, 70-yard opening drive. Williams, meanwhile, displayed a bruising running style in his 11 carries, including three runs for over 10 yards.
"That's what we did best -- run the football with Tersoo and Jerodis," said Lamb. "I also thought our receivers looked pretty sharp, especially Tyler Maples, R.J. Webb, and Adam Mims."
Maples, taking part in only his second practice of the preseason after an early hamstring strain, caught two passes for 32 yards, including a 33-yard hook-up with quarterback Cody Worley. Mims, meanwhile, caught three passes for 32 yards, including a 19-yard strike from Jordan Sorrells, and Webb had two grabs for 32 yards.
Freshman Kevivn Allman scored on a 21-yard strike from quarterback Dakota Derrick.
Freshman safety Derrick Murray recorded the first interception of the evening off Dakota Derrick, and cornerback Ryan Steed had the other off Sorrells.
All-Southern Conference rover Max Lerner pounced on the first of two fumbles by quarterback Chris Forcier, and his backup, Mitch McGrath, had the other. Forcier ran the ball 10 times for 46 yards but threw only one pass, a 20-yard completion to Will King to the 1-yard line. On the next play, however, he fumbled away the snap.
"Our quarterbacks were really inconsistent. That was pretty obvious. They'll get better. We'll get better. We've got a long way to go yet, but I liked the enthusiasm I saw. The guys are competing."
Sorrells completed 8-of-13 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown and one interception. Worley connected on 3-of-7 passes for 62 yards, and Derrick 2-of-3 for 30 yards and touchdown. He was also intercepted once.
In addition to praising the work of his running backs and receivers, Lamb also complimented the play of senior defensive end Shaun van Rensburg, tackle Pete Sanders, and linebackers Kadarron Anderson and Chis Wiley.
Starting nose tackle Justin Brown and defensive end Kyle McKinney did not participate in the scrimmage due to injuries. Both players are expected to be ready for the Paladins' season opener on Sept. 5 vs. Presbyterian.
Football Practices Through Rain And Heat To Prep For Scimmage
Bulldogs will practice once more Friday morning before Saturday's scrimmage
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team practiced for about three hours Thursday in full pads at Seibert Stadium as it continued preparation for the upcoming football season that kicks off on Sept. 5.
The Bulldogs practiced a little earlier than scheduled, beginning around 1:30 p.m., to hopefully avoid the rain showers. Still, the rains came but the Bulldogs kept practicing while the sun eventually made an appearance and heated up the field.
"Well, we moved practice up because of the rain but then it ended up being a lot hotter," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "I think the defense had a good day. They got some turnovers from the offense. We still have some people hurt, but it was good to see Bryce Smith having a really nice day today."
The team's final preseason scrimmage is scheduled for Saturday at 9 a.m., at Seibert Stadium. Sullivan hopes that this scrimmage will solidify the chemistry that has not quite been evident in the team so far. He hopes some live action within the team will strengthen that weakness.
"The biggest thing is getting in game condition," Sullivan said. "We still have some people hurt and it's hard to get the chemistry going. Hopefully, by Saturday we will get a few more people back. It's time to start getting some chemistry because we will break down the scout teams in the following week."
The Bulldogs will practice at 9 a.m., Friday at Seibert Stadium.