University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Media Day, Meet The Eagles Set For Sunday
8/10/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Media Day, Meet The Eagles Set For Sunday
Hattiesburg, Miss. - The Southern Miss football Golden Eagles ended their first week of preseason workouts Saturday, and ended the week with a pair of quality practices, as the team heads into Sunday's Media Day/Meet The Eagles activities.
Players and coaches have an hour of photos scheduled from 1-2 p.m., in Roberts Stadium. Fans and media then will meet with players and coaches from 2-3 and coaches then will meet with the media from 3-4.
"I think you can tell that all the work we did in the spring has really paid off in helping us be as far along as we are at this point," said Head Coach Jeff Bower. "We've got a lot of players coming back who played a lot last season, and I think that has helped us make quicker progress this fall. We're further ahead than we've been in the last few years, with the exception of the quarterback position, but those guys have picked up what we're doing quickly."
The Eagles worked hard on the kicking game Saturday, and Bower says the time spent on that phase of the game has been evident. "We never worked harder on the kicking game than we did in the spring, and that has shown this week," he said. "We've got experience returning at most of the kicking game positions, and the work we did in the spring gives those players a better understanding of what we're trying to do."
Bower also says putting in the team's entire offensive and defensive schemes in just three days means there's a lot to learn, but that it has been easier this year because of the number of experienced players returning, along with the productive spring. "It sure makes it easier," he said. "We've been able to get a lot done. As I said, we're further ahead than we've been in awhile, because of those returning players. The younger guys are a little confused, but that's to be expected."
The practice schedule will change somewhat for next week's final week of two-a-day workouts. The Eagles will work twice Monday, twice Tuesday with one of those set for Tuesday night, and then scrimmage at 1 p.m., Wednesday. The team then will work twice Thursday and Friday and scrimmage again at 11 a.m., Saturday, following a morning rules clinic with C-USA game officials meeting with players and coaches.
Classes start Aug. 19, and the Golden Eagles open the 2002 season Aug. 31, at home, against Jackson State. Southern Miss follows that with two more home games, against Illinois, Sept. 7, and Memphis, Sept. 14, before hitting the road for the first time, Sept. 21 at Alabama.
