Aug. 5, 2016
On campus in Nashville — The Commodores prepared for a weekend of open practices with a crisp, fast-paced session Friday night.
With Head Coach Derek Mason frequently urging to push the pace, the Commodores pushed through a 90-minute workout in the indoor facility that seemed markedly better than a strong first-day session on Thursday. The offense and defense took turns producing one big play after another — much to the delight of Mason and his staff.
“The energy was up throughout practice,” Mason said. “That’s because the older guys know how we want them to practice and we’re educating the young guys exactly what we expect.
“I saw a lot to like tonight, guys really working hard, giving great effort. Both sides of the ball were making plays. I thought the practice had very good tempo.”
Open practices Saturday and Sunday await the squad. Both Saturday and Sunday sessions will start at 4:10 p.m., and are scheduled at the John Rich Practice Complex off Natchez Trace barring inclement weather.
The Commodores will add shoulder pad shells to their practice attire this weekend, then stage their first session in full gear on Monday.
Highlight plays during team drills
Here are some of the highlights from 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 team segments of practice:
• Torren McGaster (Sr., CB) reacted quickly on the first play, deflecting a deep pass over the middle.
• Wade Freeback (Jr., QB) showed excellent touch on several passes, hitting Jared Pinkney (R-Fr., TE) for 20 yards, and connecting with Latevius Rayford (Sr., WR) over the middle that resulted in a 40-yard touchdown.
• Nigel Bowden (R-Jr., ILB) displayed excellent range and athleticism in coverage, diving to knock down a pass attempt.
• Tre Herndon (Jr., CB) nearly produced an interception after breaking up a sideline pass attempt.
• Ralph Webb (Jr., RB), Davis Rivers (Jr., RB) and Khari Blasingame (R-So., RB) ran impressively inside the tackles, each produces rushes that resulted in first downs.
• Zaire Jones (Fr., safety) capped one team segment with an interception that he returned for a score.
SEC Network crew on campus
A three-person SEC Live crew spent the practice shooting a behind-the-scenes feature on Mason that will expected to air in late August on the SEC Network. The crew is producing short all-access pieces from each of the 14 Southeastern Conference campuses.