Troy University Athletics
Trojans Survive First Practice in Heat
8/7/2008 5:00:00 AM | Football
Notes & Quotes
Thursday, August 7
Trojans Survive First Practice In Heat
On a day that was hot enough to make the devil sigh, the Troy Trojans took to the practice field Thursday morning to get ready for their first scrimmage of the fall.
The Trojans ran their daily drills before ending practice with a full speed, full contact 11-on-11 mini-scrimmage in the heat of the noon-time sun.
"If we can get everyone on board with what we want to do here, we have a chance to be good," coach Larry Blakeney said. "If we can stay healthy and if we can play up to our ability, I think good things can happen."
One thing about the morning practice was that this was the first time the players have been out in the heat during the middle of the day. The training staff and coaches were telling the players to drink as much water as they could to stay hydrated.
The end of practice was very intense and very physical. For the first time, the players got to truly hit somebody. There were no cheap shots or dirty hits, but it was very intense.
Potential quarterback starter Jamie Hampton converted 10-of-15 pass attempts for 99 yards. He hooked up with Tebiarus Gill for a 6-yard touchdown pass. Hampton's long passes went for 26 yards to Gerald Tate and to Zack Marcum for a gain of 13.
Levi Brown connected with Chris Anderson for a gain of 41 on his first play during the scrimmage. Anderson punched it into the endzone on the very next play from three yards out.
Mykeal Terry, Tate, Patrick Cherry, Kennard Burton, Fred Turner, Garry Williams and Rob Byrd each hauled in a catch during the practice.
Sam Glusman hit a 42-yard field goal to wrap up the morning practice. The pressure was on the entire unit as the coaches made the players come in from the sidelines with only 15 seconds to get the snap and the kick off.
The Trojans will again battle the heat tomorrow afternoon when they practice at 2:30. The practice will be scaled back a bit due to a full scale scrimmage Saturday morning.
Coach Blakeney told the team to suck it up in the heat. He made the point that every team in the country is practicing right now. “If you give up a day, that is one day that your opponent outworks you.”
● The Trojans will take part in their annual "Watermelon Day" on August 20th after practice.
● Media Day will be held after the scrimmage on Saturday. Several members of the local and national media will be on hand to learn more about the Trojans.
● Barry McKnight, the "Voice of the Trojans", along with the entire Troy ISP Sports Network staff will be on hand to get their first glimpse of the team they will spend the next four months talking about. They will also film the player interviews that will be seen on the Trojan Football Report, a weekly recap of the previous week's game.
Til next time,
Jason
