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Day 10: Saturday Scrimmage Last Chance For Fans To See Team Until Opener 8/15/2003
Day 10: Saturday Scrimmage Last Chance For Fans To See Team Until Opener
On campus in Nashville, Tenn. – The Commodores will conduct a scrimmage Saturday afternoon in the final preseason practice open to the public. Head Coach Bobby Johnson pushed the squad through a 2-hour, 30-minute session Friday morning in preparation for the Saturday scrimmage. The morning practice also featured a brief, 17-play goaline scrimmage. The squad also was expected to conduct a second practice Friday, starting at 6:15 p.m. Johnson said the practice/scrimmage on Saturday will be held on the John Rich Practice Facility. The team will be on the field at 2:00 p.m. After Saturday, the staff will close practices to the public as the squad moves its primary focus toward the game plan for the season opener. The Commodores host the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, August 30. Kickoff is 11:30 a.m. The squad was greeted by warm, humid weather Friday morning for the first time in camp. The weather forecast calls for similar conditions Saturday. Neither unit was able to control the brief red-zone scrimmage that concluded the morning practice. After starting with a quick touchdown run by tailback Kwane Doster (So., Tampa, Fla.), the offense was held out of the end zone until the fifth possession when quarterback Steven Bright (R-Fr., Greer, S.C.) scored on a five-yard keeper. Tailback Norval McKenzie (Jr., Powder Springs, Ga.) added another touchdown in the last possession. A number of defenders contributed solid individual plays, including linebackers Otis Washington (So., Saginaw, Mich.) and Marty Morgan (So., Canton, Miss.), cornerback Bill Alford (Jr., Brunswick, Ga.), safety Ronnie Swoopes (So., Athens, Ga.), and tackles Matt Clay (Jr., Powder Springs, Ga.) and Trey Holloway (So., Edmund, Okla.). Placekickers Shine in Practice While the team’s kicking chores remain up for grabs, several candidates have improved their status in recent days. Sophomore Patrick Johnson (Athens, Ala.) and walk-on Tolga Ertugrul (So., Bixby, Okla.) have kicked with authority this week, with Ertugrul showing prehaps the best range among the candidates. Both Johnson and Ertugrul made all four of their attempts at the conclusion of practice. Johnson and Ertugrul also are in competition for the team’s kickoff role with a trio of walk-ons – senior Abtin Iranmanesh (Madison, Ala.), sophomore Nathan True-Daniels (Fayetteville, Ark.) and junior Shawn Bercuson (Palm Harbour, Fla.). Iranmanesh is also competing for the squad’s punting responsibilities with freshman Kyle Keown (Jesup, Ga.) and freshman Bill Robertson (Winter Park, Fla.). |
