University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Coaches Get First Look At Golden Eagle Freshmen
8/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Coaches Get First Look At Golden Eagle Freshmen
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Southern Miss coaches got their first on-the-field look at the incoming freshman class of Golden Eagles during a pair of Monday workouts that signalled the start of fall football practice at The University of Southern Mississippi.
The morning practice went on as scheduled in rain that got heavier throughout the workout. Despite the rain, Head Coach Jeff Bower was pleased with what he saw from his first-year group. "We had a fundamental practice, but a good one," he said. "We ran them through some physical tests, showed them a lot of our drills and did a lot of orientation work that will be beneficial once we start full-squad workouts.
"We made a lot of progress with them. They're an athletic group, just what we thought they would be."
The players worked on offense during the morning workout and defense during the afternoon, something Bower says has paid dividends for the Eagles in past years. "Down the road, if you ever get into a situation where injuries are a problem, the coaches at least know what the players can do on either side of the ball," he said. Bower also said the coaching staff would evaluate the two Monday practices and make decisions regarding where some of the incoming players will play. "We have some players already set in positions where we knew they would play; but others, that we thought have the ability to play on either side of the ball, we'll talk about."
Bower says summer renovation work on the practice fields paid dividends in that the field drained well following the morning session and was, in Bower's words, "in much better shape than I thought it would be in for the afternoon practice." The fields were recrowned, work was done on the underground drainage and watering systems and the fields were resodded during the summer months.
Tuesday workouts are scheduled for 8:15 a.m., and 3:30 p.m. Varsity players will report from 1-4 p.m., Tuesday, and Wednesday will be devoted to running and strength physicals before full squad, two-a-day practices start Thursday.
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.
