University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Football Practice Report: August 12
8/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Venue: Joe P. Park Practice Facility/M.M. Roberts Stadium
Format: Full Pads
Upcoming: Scrimmage (Closed to General Public, Saturday, Aug. 13)
Report: For the first time in fall camp, the Golden Eagles dealt with rain during a practice Friday morning In full pads for the third consecutive day, the squad started the workout at the Joe P. Park Practice facility before moving to the game field in the stadium over the final half, which included mostly team periods. Southern Miss will work through a closed scrimmage, its first of fall camp on Saturday.
Head Coach Jay Hopson
On Coach Dawson bringing continuity to the offense…
"Our guys picked up everything easily way back in the spring. Now we just have to go out there and do it every day - that is the reality of football. Every year, every team we got to keep working on the little things."
On how the defense performed…
"It was definitely a good day defensively. I'm not too fired up, yesterday or today, because I said, 'At the scrimmage I want to see it right down the middle. I want to see good [performances] on both sides.' Thursday, the offense had a really good day. Definitely today the defense had a really good day. I'm hoping it blends together tomorrow."
On how his coaching staff has come together…
"I got great men. Good coaches and even better men. I'm blessed they're with us."
D.J. Thompson, Wide Receiver
On working under a new Offensive Coordinator…
"It's the same but different. It's the same in a few ways and different in a few ways. There are a couple new routes, a couple of new plays that I have had to pick up. But once you pick up on it, it's all about repetition and working on it every day in practice."
On what he is wanting out of the first scrimmage…
"Receivers are the difference makers. We make those two or three big plays, aside from the rest of the team. It ignites the team, the team loves to see a receiver go up on a defensive back and make a contested catch."
Marquise Ricard, Wide Receiver
"We've got some new pieces and we're excited to put them on the field. We've got a new offensive coordinator, some different play calls, but it's not too big a change. Just a few sprinkles, here and there.'
Tickets: Season tickets for the 2016 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.
