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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Wraps Up Day One of Preseason Practice
8/6/2005 | Football
Aug. 6, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - The 2005 Ole Miss Rebel football team capped off the first day of preseason practice with a two-and-a-half hour shorts and helmets session for incoming freshmen, walk-ons and a handful of returning younger players on Saturday afternoon.
Practice began on the hot and muggy practice fields next to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, but was moved to the Indoor Practice Facility halfway through due to foreboding black clouds and thunder.
Head coach Ed Orgeron saw a lot that he liked out of the young Rebels. "I was really excited about it. We really showed some good signs. I was pleased with the linebackers and the running backs. I was really pleased with the whole group."
The Rebels' biggest recruit, perhaps both literally and figuratively, Michael Oher, was especially impressive in his Rebel practice debut.
"Michael Oher showed some signs that he can be a fantastic football player," Orgeron said.
Orgeron added, "I thought (running back) Antonio Turner had some good runs and (running back) Kendrick Perry did some good things. I also thought we had a good group of linebackers. Overall, the whole group looked good. I look forward to seeing the film."
On the separate session for the younger players, Orgeron noted that "they followed the same practice that (the) varsity followed in the same installations, so I think they're advancing."
Morning Practice:
Earlier in the day, the upperclassmen worked through an exciting, high-energy morning practice on a bright and sunny Saturday morning.
The practice opened with players and coaches going through some one on one work before working on some offensive and defensive schemes. The Rebels then stretched and worked on special teams before breaking back into groups to work on the game-plan for the fall.
"It's great to be out here and get the varsity out here," Orgeron said. "We had some work to do. We made some mistakes and some guys got tired, but I think it's going to be a great camp. We had a great practice."
While working through the heat, the squad also worked on picking up where the team left off at the end of spring practice with the Red and Blue game. Orgeron saw many things that he liked, but also noted that there was always room for improvement when you get back to work.
"We got to work through some adversity and the guys got through it," Orgeron said. "I thought the conditioning level has to pick up a bit. We're bringing it on. We're going to test them good."
The key to the day is breaking the practice into two sessions, according to Orgeron. The veterans reported for the morning session, while the newcomers will report with a handful of veterans for the evening practice in order to get more work in for all involved.
"We're able to get more individual attention and more reps," Orgeron said. "We're able to see the freshmen this afternoon and get them to learn the tempo of practice. I expect us to pick right up where we left off at the end of the spring, and don't want us to slow down.
"We'll see competition all over. I am really excited to get to see the freshmen come out here. The way it looked this morning, there is going to be some room for some guys to get a starting spot."
