Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Football holds first practice of fall camp
08/05/2012 | 12:00:00 | Football
Aug. 5, 2012
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois football team started its preparations for the 2012 football season with its first practice on Sunday morning. Players wore helmets and went through a battery of drills.
Coming off two losing seasons, head coach Dale Lennon emphasized leadership and togetherness in the offseason. The team was split into 10 smaller groups in the offseason. Lennon emphasized competition between the teams. Starting with today's first practice, Lennon gets to see if those adjustments will turn into wins on the field.
"We've been trying to build a culture of leadership in the program since January," Lennon said. "It's a continual process, but I like how it's coming together."
Lennon also had about eight players to his house for dinner each week--a change from the large groups in past years. The smaller groups helped foster a family atmosphere.
"It was just like a family sitting around the dinner table talking," Lennon said. "Every single Wednesday night -- it was about a 10-week commitment to get all the players, and it really allowed me to get to know the players well."
The expectations vary for the Salukis. Coming off a 4-7 season, SIU was picked sixth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but the team returns 15 regular starters and 26 players with starting experience.
"It's early, but we did a lot. We did a full-fledged practice, working on all the components we need to work on," Lennon said. "For the most part, it looked like we knew what we were doing. We had a few breakdowns here and there, but we're going to keep challenging them every day."
Lennon said it's hard to tell too much about a team after just one practice, but he's looking forward to watching the team develop until the first game on Aug. 30 at Eastern Illinois.
"We'll see how they challenge each other," Lennon said. "That's where that competitiveness comes in. Next Saturday we'll have our first scrimmage, and that's when we'll find out a lot about ourselves."
