University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Two Practices Left; Bower Not Happy
8/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Two Practices Left; Bower Not Happy
Hattiesburg, Miss. - With just two days of practice remaining before Southern Miss opens the 2002 season against Jackson State, Head Coach Jeff Bower was not particularly pleased with his Golden Eagles' practice performance today.
"We got as much done as we could Monday, " Bower said. "The heavy rain just before practice left us with a wet, heavy football and slippery footing. Those weren't the conditions that we needed, and today I really wasn't pleased with the way we threw and caught the ball. We were rusty at it, lacked consistency, and we really need to have great practices the next two days."
Even with three weeks of fall practice behind them, Bower says Wednesday and Thursday are important practices. "We talk to the squad about eliminating missed assignments," he said. "We've had too many mental errors, even from some of our veterans, and that's not acceptable, first game or no first game. One of our goals the next two days will be to eliminate those errors.
"I'm sure our players are ready to play a game, but we're not where we need to be yet; If you saw us throw and catch today, you know that. We need the next two days. We've got some things to get better at, and not a lot of time to get it done."
The Eagles continued to work today behind sophomore quarterback Micky D'Angelo, who was named to the starting position Monday by Bower. Freshman Dustin Almond remains in the No. 2 spot, and sophomore Zac White continues to recuperate from mononucleosis.
Ticket officials also announced Monday that some tickets that had been held in reserve for late season ticket sales, had been released and would be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Southern Miss students exhausted their allotment of tickets Tuesday and additional end zone seats were made available to them. Ticket officials say only a limited number of scattered tickets remain on sale at the Ferlise Center Ticket Office, which is open daily from 8 a.m., until 5 p.m., or tickets can be ordered by calling 601/266-5418 or 1-800-844-TICK.
Following the Jackson State game, Southern Miss stays at home for games against Illinois, Sept. 7, and Memphis, Sept. 14, before hitting the road for the first time, Sept. 21, at Alabama.
