University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Continues Fall Camp in Shoulder Pads
8/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 7, 2011
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. - For the first time in fall camp, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles practiced in shoulder pads for just over two hours at the Joe P. Park Practice Facility on Sunday evening.
It was the first time the players were able to put on the shoulder pads and practice later in the day - saving players and the coaching staff from the near 100-degree heat to which they have become accustomed.
"It was a great day," said head coach Larry Fedora. "We took the entire team to church in the morning and had a great service. We had some great walkthroughs and meetings and then had a great practice this afternoon. It was the first day with shoulder pads on and I thought the guys responded pretty well and I thought we got better."
With the introduction of pads, practice was more intense with more contact, giving linemen on both sides of the ball an opportunity to showcase their strength. Those chances also afforded the coaching staff an opportunity to see what kind of offensive line depth they will have heading into the 2011 campaign.
"For the past three years, we've been playing five or six guys and now we feel like we have eight or nine guys that can help us," added Fedora. "We've got four tackles that have started for us at different times of the season so you feel good about that situation. We're able to mix and mingle and move some guys around."
The preseason camp runs until Aug. 23 and the Golden Eagles will practice once each day with the exception of two-a-day workouts on Aug. 11, 16 and 23 with a scheduled off-day on Aug. 15.
The Golden Eagles, which have recorded a school-record tying 17 consecutive winning seasons and earned nine straight postseason bowl berths, begin the process of getting ready for its season opener with a Sept. 3, contest versus Louisiana Tech at Carlisle-Faulkner Field at Roberts Stadium.
Season tickets, as well as individual game seats, are available for purchase by going online at SouthernMiss.com, or by calling 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or visiting the Pat Ferlise Center Monday through Friday from 8 a.m., until 5 p.m.
