University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Spring Football Report: Day One
3/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The sun was out and so was the Southern Miss football team on a Tuesday afternoon in March, signaling the beginning of spring football.
The Golden Eagles went without pads for its 20 periods, including a longer-than-usual individual period.
Head coach Jay Hopson
On what he saw out of Day One
"The first day is a learning day. It's about fundamentals. Thursday will be more of a routine spring day with a lot of teaching. I thought we finished pretty well and I can't wait to watch it on film. We have a lot of competition and by Saturday, we will put the pads on and really see who wants to take over some starting jobs."
On how the competition appears at different spots
"The wide receivers and quarterbacks are competition. Linebackers, safeties and defensive line too. You talk about a guy who's a starter, and he will have two great guys behind him. There's nothing that can really be learned today, but by Saturday we will see some guys jockey and separate. That's grading time for us."
Junior quarterback Kwadra Griggs
On what he gathered from his 2016 season, his first at Southern Miss
"I've learned that you have to work hard. I have to watch film more and study the game and do my job each time I step on the field."
On the competition between him and Keon Howard for the starting QB spot
"We make each other better. We tell each other what we did wrong and we follow each other to lead the team together. It's the competition of life and we continue to work hard with each other.
Defensive coordinator Tony Pecoraro
On Walden Davis' potential at linebacker
"We're just looking for a spot he can play. We saw some athletic ability in him and he's a smart, tough football player. That's why we decided to make the move. He's a guy that went from not playing at all to getting a whole bunch of snaps. He's a straight-A student, so he's very intelligent, and he works hard. It's not scary at all [that he has less experience]. If he's tough and smart, I'll make it work."
Sophomore quarterback Keon Howard
On his battle with Griggs for the starting nod
"Kwadra is a great quarterback. He knows I'm going to work and we know we are going to work together. At the end of the day, it's not about us and our competition, it's about how can we make Southern Miss better."
On his connection with offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson
"We've had a great relationship since I signed here and he arrived. He's a great person, great man and great father figure. We talk about life as much as we do x's and o's. He's going to push us on and off the field to be great men in the community."
