North Carolina State University Athletics
2002 Football Preseason Diary, Day 7
8/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 5, 2002
Practice was a little short-handed this morning, as more than a dozen guys were in class. Practice didn't start until 10:30, so an even larger group went to 8:00 a.m. classes and then came out to practice. Several other players trickled in during the course of the two hour workout - in fact I saw a couple of them staying after everyone else had left the field to get some extra work in.
Tailback Josh Brown was one of the late arrivals because of his class, so Greg Golden was getting a lot of work during his second day on offense. Greg is definitely not a quiet guy - even last year as a freshman, he made his presence known during practice and games (I'm sure everybody remembers him exhorting the crowd when he went back to return kicks). Well, Greg is obviously having a good time playing tailback. Whenever he makes a big play or scores, he runs through the defense, sometimes waving the ball in their faces. Whenever a wide receiver makes a big catch or somebody makes a good block, you can hear his encouragement over the din of the team. In fact, this morning, I heard one of the defensive players yell, "Remember where you came from, Golden!" when he was celebrating a big offensive play.
Today marked the return of the board drills. For those of you who don't remember, this is when an offensive player and defensive player line up in front of each other, with either leg straddling a board that is on the ground. When the whistle is blown, they meet in the middle with a thud and try to push each other back off the board. I watched the group that had the linebackers, defensive ends, tight ends and running backs. Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay got a couple of good reps in - I think this drill will get more heated when the freshmen get used to the idea of the boards.
The team was out for about two hours and with the late start, the heat was pretty brutal, so they took plenty of water breaks and took their helmets off when necessary. During breaks, they all go and sit under tents with fans blowing water - it's actually pretty pleasant under there, but I can imagine it's difficult to leave when the whistle blows to start the next period. With a later start tonight, the heat shouldn't be an issue and by the time they put pads on this Wednesday, the temperatures are supposed to be lower.
A familiar face was helping coach the quarterbacks today. Olin Hannum is going to help Coach Canales with the quarterbacks while he finishes school. I think he's also competing on an eastern rodeo circuit, so he's certainly keeping busy.
Cornerback Marcus Hudson didn't practice today because of a mild ankle sprain, but x-rays are negative and he hasn't had any swelling, so he should be back in time to put on full gear on Wednesday. He's wearing a walking boot, but I think it might be more of a fashion statement than a medical necessity.
Once again, I'm copping out of writing a late night diary entry. But count on me, if anything newsworthy happens tonight, I'll let you know.
Diary, Day 1
Diary, Day 2
Diary, Day 3
Diary, Day 4
Diary, Day 5
Diary, Day 5, Part 2
