University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Football Practice Report: August 17
8/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Venue: Joe P. Park Practice Facility
Format: Full Pads
Upcoming: 8 a.m. (Thursday, Aug. 18)
Report: The Golden Eagles went through their second two-a-day practice this week, both in full pads, enjoying a morning and late afternoon practice session. Unlike the previous couple of days in which they experienced intermittent rains, the squad return to typical hot temperatures in which they started camp. Under first-year coach Jay Hopson, the Golden Eagles continue to get ready for its season opener at Kentucky, Sept. 3, as well as its second scrimmage on Saturday.
Head Coach Jay Hopson
On practice…
"I thought we had a good tempo today, competed pretty well. All in all, this morning was good. The last couple of days I've seen some strides, which is always good. These are kind of the dog days - two-a-days - right now where you have to push through. The guys have really executed on a better level this week so it's good to see."
On what needs to improve upon prior to Saturday's second scrimmage…
"Just all the execution stuff. I want to make sure, like always, that Saturday is hard fought, a fundamentally good day that we have good timing on offense, defensively we play with good numbers and tackle well. That's what I'm looking for."
On any concerns at this point in camp…
"Everybody's battling through. We had a tough summer and everyone has continued to battle and that's what it's all about."
Allen Fails, Jr., linebacker
On why he came to Southern Miss…
"I had a few other options but I wanted to come closer to my mom, and I wanted to still play football. I always dreamed of playing at Southern Miss, so I decided to walk-on. I believe I can do anything with God so I walked on and worked hard and it's gotten me a long way."
On getting acclimated to a new role and new position….
"I know my role, I am doing my job. Being patient. Coach Pecoraro and Coach Nicholson are being patient with me. I've never played the position that I am playing, but I'm learning from a lot from the guys. People like Elijah (Parker) are teaching me to know my role and do my job and I'll get noticed by the coaches."
Elijah Parker, Sr., linebacker
On what's been the key of fall camp...
"Definitely a lot of conditioning. Coach Hopson said we would be the best conditioned team in the nation. I had my questions at first but now I believe he was telling the truth."
On what makes the conditioning so strong...
"The amount of plays that we run and the half-gassers and full-gassers we run afterwards. The tempo is high-speed and it gets the defense ready too."
On where the team's strength can be found...
"This year I believe we have the best depth at linebacker. We have guys from the 1's to 4's that can play. Our 2s are as good as our 1's in that they make plays and you never know when you're going to have to step up.
Defensive Coordinator/Inside linebackers coach Tony Pecoraro
On the linebackers being one of the deepest positions on the team...
"I think it's definitely a very deep group and I'm very excited about them. I've got a lot of players in that room which is a good thing to have. I think C.J. Perry has done a great job. Elijah has been a great player here and I think he's got a really good year. Jeremy Sangster is an extremely hard worker, an extremely intelligent football player. (Sherrod) Ruff has had a great camp, explosive. We've got some younger ones too with Isaiah and Paxton. They've done a great job, continuing to get better. I'm excited about the group, I really am. They're all pretty much, most of them are going to play."
Getting everyone going in the mornings...
"You just have to have fun. It's a blessing to be out here and you have to teach it like that. If you're going to be out there you might as well have fun doing it. That's how I preach it in the morning: bring the energy and bring the juice. Just have fun with it and worry about your practices."
On if it's a natural effort...
"That's a concerned effort by the entire staff. The funner you have… At the end of the day it's a game. It's a little bit more serious than that, we understand that, but at the same point we want them to go out there have fun, execute and just have a good time when they're doing it."
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.
