University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Football Practice Report: September 29
9/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Venue: Joe P. Park Practice Facility
Format: Helmet, Shoulder Pads, Shorts
Upcoming: Practice (4:15 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 30)
Report: The Golden Eagles returned to the practice field on Tuesday afternoon. Southern Miss worked at cleaning up mistakes from Saturday's game as well as preparing for the upcoming home contest against North Texas. The practice lasted two and a half hours with the team working with position groups, as well as offense vs. defense drills. As always, special teams and ball security was an emphasis during practice. Practice finished up just before the rain in Hattiesburg began to fall.
Head Coach Todd Monken
On the North Texas secondary...
"I think they're are good players. They have a couple of safeties that will come down and hit you. They are missing one of their best players with a back injury. He was with Coach Dan McCarney when they came down to Boca Raton. I think the other guys have played well. I think it has been a combination of things. The biggest thing is they haven't caught their stride yet and that is something that we need to work on. That is something that we can control and not let them get their stride."
Is there anything that you have seen on film that intrigues you about North Texas?
"Offensively, I think they are doing really good stuff. They are doing run hybrid stuff, which is what a lot of people do and they are good at it. They have moved the ball. Moving the ball has not been an issue. Now, they have had some trouble finishing drives but they have moved the ball. They have good skill players. The quarterback is an older veteran guy that played against us last year so he know where to go with the ball. Defensively, the have an active front. You have to know where (Jarrian) Roberts is at because he is active. Safeties are downhill guys. Coach (Dan) McCarney is a defensive guy so we have our work cut out for us. All we have is two wins and that's all we have. We have to keep working."
Defensive Lineman Xavier Thigpen
Does the big game last week help your confidence?
"My very first college game was at Mississippi State so after every game I just keep getting more comfortable out there. If it weren't for my teammates, I wouldn't have gotten that batted down pass. It was great coverage, which made the quarterback hesitate and I was able to get my hand on it. The play when I got the sack, it was a great rush up front by Dylan Bradley and Darian Yancey, which made the quarterback roll my way. I just thanked my teammates when I came off the field. We are just doing it for each other."
Next Game: vs. North Texas (6:00 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, Fox College Sports)
Tickets: Season tickets, as well as single game tickets, for the 2015 Southern Miss home season can be purchased by going online at SouthernMissTickets.com, or by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-844-TICK (8425) as well as visiting the Pat Ferlise Ticket Center on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
