Southern Miss Resumes Bowl Workouts In Memphis
12/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Southern Miss Resumes Bowl Workouts In Memphis MEMPHIS, Tenn.
Southern Miss practiced for a little more than two hours on Friday at the University of Memphis' Billy J. Murphy practice facility.
Golden Eagles' Head Coach Jeff Bower said that the team practiced a little better than expected after coming off a four-day rest.
"It was a little better than I thought it would be," Bower said. "We were a little rusty, but we have a few days to knock it off of us. We felt like we needed to come out and work hard, but we will put the full gear on tomorrow. Then we will get pretty physical."
Bower expects the team to have a good week of practice in preparation for the bowl game and its opponent Utah, which according to Bower, presents a challenge to the Golden Eagles.
"Utah is a good team," Bower said. "You don't win nine games without doing a lot of things well. They really spread it around offensively. Their defense is very physical. They are a good team and are playing well."
Bower said that the team is doing relatively well on the injury front, with the exception of a few injuries.
"We are not too bad," Bower said. "We have a couple of ankle injuries that bother me, but we should be able get (those players) ready.
The team returns to practice on Saturday and will practice every day until Wednesday, Dec. 31, when Southern Miss faces Mountain West Conference Champion Utah in the 45th Annual AXA Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m., and will be televised nationally by ESPN.