Aug. 4, 2016
On campus in Nashville — Minutes before taking the field Thursday evening for their first preseason workout, Head Coach Derek Mason told the Commodores he wanted to see plenty of energy, focus and competition. Two hours later, he got his wish.
With Mason’s constant encouragement, the Commodore squad pushed through a fast-paced, 75-minute session staged in the on-campus Indoor Practice Facility due of threatening weather in the area.
Mason welcomed 102 prospects, including 57 returning letterwinners, to the first of 29 practice opportunities leading to the home opener against South Carolina on Thursday, Sept. 1.
Afterward, Mason was pleased, and appreciative for the first chance to see his players on the practice field since Spring Ball ended in mid-March.
“Overall, I thought it was a good one,” Mason said. “To tell the truth, I didn’t want to come inside but the weather forced us in. Once the guys got rolling, I thought the energy was good. First practices are always pretty solid because guys are champing at the bit to get after it, and I also thought it was a continuation of a (excellent) summer.”
Mason and his staff focused much of the practice on individual fundamentals, position techniques and conditioning.
Practicing in limited gear, the squad also spent extended periods on scheme development and special teams, and staged several 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 segments.
Defense forces turnovers
Forcing more turnovers on defense has been one of Mason’s most frequent preseason topics. On Thursday, the aggressive unit accepted the challenge, recovering two fumbles and deflecting several pass attempts.
Junior Jalen Banks, a running back last year who has moved to safety, produced the most impressive turnover, stripping a running back after a long gain, and taking the fumble for a 40-yard return. Junior linebacker Oren Burks came up with the first turnover, recovering a fumble handoff early in the 11-on-11 workout.
Team drill highlights
Here’s some of the top individual plays from the squad’s 25-play 11-on-11 segment:
• Khari Blasingame (R-So., RB) showed speed and elusiveness, going 30 yards with an inside carry.
• Landon Stokes (R-Jr., OLB) displayed excellent range in coverage, knocking down a pass intended for Josh Crawford (So., RB) near the sideline.
• Using a blend of explosive speed and power, Dare Odeyingbo (So., DL) bull-rushed past a offensive lineman to register a quarterback sack.
• Dallas Rivers (Jr., RB) went for 20 yards on an off-tackle carry.
• Zaire Jones (Fr., safety) stuffed Crawford at the line of scrimmage.
• Jamauri Wakefield (Fr., RB) closed a brief 11-on-11 segment consisting of newcomers with an impressive rush netting 45 yards off left tackle.
Donning new jersey numbers
Three Commodore returnees — quarterback Shawn Stankavage, outside linebacker Charles Wright and tight end DeAndre Woods — wore different jersey numbers from a year ago: Stankavage in No. 3, Wright in No. 11 and Woods in No. 85.
Squad to stage open practices Saturday and Sunday
The Commodores will return to practice with another late session on Friday.
The team’s Saturday and Sunday workouts, both starting at 4:15 p.m., will be open to Commodore fans. The two dates at the only sessions of preseason camp expected to be open to the public.
