Nichols pleased with second day of work
Cornerback Chris Walls deflects a pass during a defensive drill Tuesday morning
August 5, 2008
Faulkner completed its second day of talent evaluation in oppressive heat at Cramton Bowl Tuesday morning and now looks to begin installing more of its offensive and defensive plans, according to head coach Jim Nichols.
The Eagles continued to do a lot of conditioning work during the two-hour practice, and Nichols said he feels the 120 players in shorts and helmets responded better Tuesday than it did the previous day.
Faulkner is preparing for its second season opener on Sept. 6, when the Eagles travel to Birmingham to battle Pat Sullivan’s Samford Bulldogs at Seibert Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
“I think the shock of the first day, combined with the heat, perhaps took its toll a bit yesterday,’’ Nichols said. “One thing we’ve noticed as a staff is that these guys are tough. We have a great group of young men here who are committed to fighting through the pain to get where we want to be. I think this group is much more prepared for that than we were a year ago. I really feel good about where we’re headed.’’
Coaches Eric Howell and Dean Briggs work on a defensive response drill at Cramton Bowl
Nichols said that Nick Garrett had a good day at quarterback, and is poised to push Phillip Moore for the starting position.
“We’re glad Nick is stepping up and doing some good things,’’ Nichols said. “A little competition is good for everybody, and we want all our quarterbacks pushing each other.’’
There are a couple of Eagles who are working out at new positions, with redshirt freshman Brandon Cheatem moving from running back to linebacker and sophomore J.T. Barker moving from tailback to free safety.
“We want to take a look at them on the other side of the ball and see what happens,’’ Nichols said. “We lost some defensive depth from last season, and both these guys may be able to help us. And one of the places where we do have a lot of depth is running back, so we can afford to at least take a look.’’
Ryan Higginbotham works on a receiving exercise at the start of camp on day two
Nichols said he was impressed with the play of redshirt sophomore receiver Ryan Higginbotham, who transferred to Faulkner from Abilene Christian. The 6-6, 240-pounder originally was an invited walk-on at the University of Arkansas out of Harding Academy in Searcy, Ark.
“The guy’s got great size and might have the best hands of anyone we have,’’ said Nichols, who shares Higginbotham’s hometown. “He’ll play our inside receiver in the spread and when we can pull him in to play tight end some too. We’re working on getting him into better condition, just like all of our players.’’
Faulkner’s final practice in shorts and helmets will be Wednesday, with Thursday’s practice to include shoulder pads. Friday’s workout will be in full pads. All practices the remaining of the week will begin at 9 a.m. at Cramton Bowl and are open to the public.