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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Football Squad Goes Through First Practice Monday Night
8/4/2003 | Football
Aug. 4, 2003
OXFORD, Miss. - After a day of meetings, orientation sessions and media day activities, the Ole Miss football squad took to the field for its first preseason practice Monday night. The Rebels practiced on the new AstroPlay surface in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and fifth-year head coach David Cutcliffe was pleased with what he saw.
"That was a good start," Cutcliffe said. "I thought the work got better as we went on. We had a lot of young people learning and that was interesting to see. I was really pleased with the tempo. We threw and caught the ball well. For the first day, you can tell they have done some work."
The Rebels went through a 2 ? hour workout Monday, and despite practicing a little longer than usual, Cutcliffe was excited about his squad's fitness level.
"For the workout we had tonight, our conditioning level was good," said Cutcliffe. "We were going just as hard - if not harder - at the end than we were at the beginning and in the middle. I thought they handled it well.
"Today's practice was by design. For the one-a-day practice, we have no choice but to make them a little longer than we have in the past. We would normally be doing work in the morning and the evening, so to get everything done that we need to get done, we will have to go a little longer. With the longer time between practices, I think we'll be able to manage this without any problems."
Cutcliffe was also pleased with how the newcomers improved during their first practice.
"A lot of the newcomers were lost tonight, but that was the way it was going to be," said Cutcliffe. "But, I thought they picked it up as practice went on, and they got better. This is going to push them a little hard and a little faster."
The Rebels will continue preseason drills Tuesday. Ole Miss opens the 2003 campaign Aug. 30 at Vanderbilt. The game, scheduled for an 11:30 a.m. (CT) kickoff, will be televised by Jefferson Pilot Sports.
