The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Let The Hitting Begin
8/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 12, 2001
?LET THE HITTING BEGIN:? The UAB Blazers' first full-pad workout of the preseason was every bit as spirited as the coaching staff hoped for and then some.? The team practiced for just over two hours Sunday afternoon, once again in relatively moderate temperatures (mid 80s, humidity around 63 percent, with cloud cover).? Most of the heat was reserved for the action itself.
"It was a very good, very physical practice," UAB Head Coach Watson Brown said afterward.? "They really got after one another.? It was very upbeat.? I saw a lot of things, this will be a great film to watch tonight and study with the kids tomorrow.? There were the usual problems - jumping offsides, some snap problems with our `gun' formation, the defense jumping offsides some, just some things that I think will improve as we go along.? We will probably do that some (jump offsides), we do a snap count here that really is non-rhythmic and it takes some getting used to.? I think that will get a little better.?? I thought today's practice was better than yesterday.?? We're finding some players, we're finding more and more young players - that concerns me, because that means we're throwing another young one out there, but if he's the best one, we've got to get him out there and get him ready to go.? We're so much younger on offense than defense - there's a lot more to study with those kids than with our defensive players.?
INJURIES:? The first day in full gear is never without its problems, and Sunday was no different.? Several Blazers felt the sting of battle a little more than they would have liked to, most notably offensive linemen Kirk Tuck (hamstring pull) and Larry Coachman (knee).?? Running back Bernard Anderson sat out the practice with a hamstring pull suffered in Saturday afternoon's workout, and receiver Kenny Borders is out for at least two weeks with a shoulder separation.
"We're having too many injuries," said Brown after Sunday's practice. "Hopefully most are not serious, but we are having to take some guys off the field for a week, 10 days, whatever.? So we've got to get it stopped here pretty quickly.? It was pretty physical out here today.? We can't do this every day or we will be in all kinds of trouble."
BACK IN ACTION: Linebacker John Humphries was back after missing time Friday and Saturday because of dehydration, and offensive tackle Artavious Williams returned to full-speed practice for the first time since tearing a hamstring on the final play of the LSU game last September.?
OTHER NOTES:? Defensive end Marvin Nickson had a couple of big hits in his first full-pads workout as a Blazer...sophomore receiver Jason Southall made a pair of nifty catches in traffic during drills vs. the linebackers and secondary...freshman running back Kendal Gibson, a 230-plus-pound bruiser, was very impressive, holding his own in several big collisions and flattening linebacker Zac Woodfin with a spectacular hit on the final play of practice.
MONDAY'S SCHEDULE:? Morning practice (shorts, helmets) at 8:45 am.?? Afternoon practice (full pads) at 4:45 pm.
