Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Defense has upper hand in Football's first live scrimmage
08/16/2009 | 12:00:00 | Football
Aug. 16, 2009
By Adam Longueville
www.SIUSalukis.com
Daily Camp Blog -- Daily Photo Gallery
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Saluki defense held the upper hand in the team's first, live scrimmage of training camp Sunday at McAndrew Stadium. The two units went head-to-head for 40 plays under the glaring sun.
What are your overall thoughts about how the scrimmage went?
It was good. We needed it to see where we we're at, and what we need to work on. When you go through the early phases, all you end up doing is going through the motions. It was good to get a live look, and now we can make some accurate evaluations.
What impressed you in today's scrimmage?
I definitely think defense had the upper hand. I liked the way our defense flew around, and the tempo that they bring. Offensively, it was a little more difficult to see. I didn't really see any individuals step up. There was more inconsistency than I was looking for.
Heading into the second week of camp, what does the team need to work on?
Well, we now have the foundation. The install is done. We really just need to work on the finer points of the offensive and defensive gameplan. And hopefully our guys improve.
Now that training camp has entered two-a-days, is there any tricks you use to keep the players feeling fresh?
The big thing is variety. The temperature has obviously picked up, so we like to throw some curveballs in there to keep the guys on their toes. You just try to keep them guessing what's next.
Has the construction in between the Mac and practice fields affected training camp at all?
It's been business as usual. We haven't had anything that's hindered us in accomplishing what we need to accomplish, which is having a great season.
