Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Gridders Practice in Full Pads for First Time
8/9/2007 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 9, 2007
Football Practice Photo Gallery -- 8/9/07
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- After enduring three straight days of stifling heat, the Bucknell football squad got a reprieve in the form of overcast skies and an occasional light shower for its first practice in full pads on Thursday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
The team's fifth session of preseason camp was a spirited one, particularly for the defense, which punctuated its day with a fast-paced tackling drill complete with post-hit celebrations.
Earlier in the day, there were a number of impressive plays during 7-on-7 drills, including a long touchdown pass from QB Marcello Trigg to WR Daniel Zvara. QB Andrew Lair connected with his brother, freshman TE Alex Lair, on a deep out pattern, and freshman QB Greg Hyman displayed a strong throwing arm as well.
Defensively, LB Greg Jones brought an interception back for a score, and DB Brandon Simmons forced a fumble after a completed pass.
"Things worked out well with the weather today," remarked head coach Tim Landis. "It was extremely hot yesterday, but I think everyone is dealing with it very well. For our first day in full pads, having a cooler day allowed us to get a lot of good work done."
Landis, who personally coaches the Bison special teams, spent the latter part of practice working on kickoff coverage, an area in which Bucknell excelled a year ago. Strength and conditioning coach Mike Kamal concluded the day by putting the entire squad through a long series of wind sprints.
Less than a week into camp, Landis conceded that the 34-man freshman class is still a bit "on overload" when it comes to X's and O's, and that the staff is preaching toughness and consistency every day.
"At times we have seen some very good things, and at other times we have been a little sloppy," said Landis. "Two-thirds of the team is freshmen and sophomores, so we are very young and we expect to have some ups and downs at this point. But we have to become a much more consistent football team. Last year, quite frankly, we were inconsistent even though we had a winning season at 6-5. It seemed like we either won the game or really got beat. So we are working on building that consistency and toughness, both mentally and physically."
Landis did single out a handful of first-year players on both sides of the ball after Thursday's practice.
"Offensively [offensive lineman] Hesham Abdelaal has been very impressive and has a good chance to open the season on the two-deep," Landis said. "At wide receiver, Josh Lovett and Shaun Pasternack have done some very nice things, and in the backfield Isaih Bell and Ryan Smith have stood out. Smith has shown a lot of versatility already and has been excellent on special teams.
"Defensively we moved Ahkiel White from cornerback to safety, and he has a chance to contribute quickly there. He's a tremendous athlete. Travis Nissley at linebacker and Marlon Woods at corner have also been strong so far."
Friday marks the first of four double practices, with a morning session scheduled from 8:15-10:30 a.m. and an evening workout from 7:15-9:30 p.m.
"Even though it's a two-a-day the guys will have plenty of time to get off their feet in between," said Landis. "We need to come out strong in the morning and work hard, then duplicate the effort in the evening."
Over the weekend, the Bison will practice once on Saturday (2:15 p.m.) followed by another double session on Sunday.
NOTES: Defensive coordinator Andrew Cohen has instituted a "player of the day" system, where one standout defender gets to wear a game jersey to practice ... LB Peter Salvatore wore the jersey on Thursday, while DL Brandon Friday had it on Wednesday ... Salvatore is back in the mix at linebacker after missing all of last season with an injury ... two freshmen have switched from offense to defense since the start of camp ... C.J. Passeri moved from wide receiver to defensive back and Marlon Woods from running back to defensive back ... former QB Ryan Ahern, unable to continue playing due to injury, is working with the team as a student assistant coach.
