Football Practice Report, Day One
8/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 9, 2004
Columbia, Mo. -
The 17th-ranked Missouri Tigers officially opened their highly-anticipated 2004 season Monday afternoon with a two-hour and 15 minute practice in helmets and shorts at Memorial Stadium. Be sure to stay tuned to MU's official home on the Internet, as www.mutigers.com will have practice reports throughout the pre-season camp.
Practice Notes, Day One
•Competition-wise, the practice was pretty straight forward. The veterans looked like veterans, and the newcomers looked like newcomers. The highlights that came from 7-on-7 drills included interceptions by Quincy Wade and Shirdonya Mitchell that would have been returned for likely TDs.
• Weather was unseasonably cool in Columbia, although with the sun shining brightly, coupled with high humidity, the 84 degrees made it feel like normal football camp weather. Local forecasters are predicting cooler temperatures for the rest of the week, so Tiger players are certainly looking forward to that break.
• Per NCAA rules, 105 players dressed for practice, and as always, there were some roster changes from the off-season.
• A few jersey changes of note: freshman QB Darrell Jackson is now wearing #10 (instead of #8), while freshman linebacker Alvin Newhouse is now in #26 (instead of #42). Additions to the 105 roster included walk-ons Aaron Brown (DL), Colin Brown (OL), Andy Hille (OL), Josh Lollis (OL), Michael Obradovits (OL), Scott Russell (PK), Tommy Saunders (WR) and Joe Tantarelli (PK).
• Three members of the 2004 recruiting class did not practice Monday. Freshman lineman Kyle Riggs will join the team when school starts, as he is not currently available due to off-season shoulder surgery. Julius Denzmore and Scott Wade have both opted to attend junior college in 2004.
• Alan Petersen, MU's Director of Dining Services, continues to top himself when it comes to quality eating experiences. The staff serves breakfast, lunch and dinner for the team and staff during pre-season camp, and that's quite an undertaking for a group that approaches 200 people when all staff members are included. Monday's culinary highlight included a scrumptious Bananas Foster dessert at lunch, served by Petersen's student assistant Jake. Always looking for the most nutritious way to serve tasty treats, Jake made the dish a low-fat offering, serving the dish on low-fat frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. Also, the bananas used in the dessert were packed with potassium, which the players need to load up on prior to practices. The dish, which is traditionally set on fire, was a popular one with the Tiger players. Jake thinks they were attracted to the presentation more than anything. "I don't think many of the guys had ever had Bananas Foster before, so a lot of them got it so they could see me set it on fire," he said.
• Due to new NCAA rules, there is no longer a freshman/newcomer orientation period that is separate from the veterans, meaning that this is the first year that freshmen and newcomers didn't get to have their own practices. Previously, all of the newcomers were allowed three practices on their own before the veterans reported, giving the new faces a chance to learn how drills work at Mizzou, where they go for all of their needs, meetings, etc. Tiger Head Coach Gary Pinkel said that he wishes they were still allowed to hold the mini-camp for newcomers.
• The overall tone was one of excitement. Only 25 more practices remain until the 2004 season opener versus Arkansas State on Sept. 4th. Season ticket sales are going very well, but seats remain available, so be sure to call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS in Columbia) for your tickets. Seats can also be ordered online at mutigers.com.
• Friday's practice, originally scheduled for 3:45 p.m., has been moved to 8:15 a.m., to allow the players more recovery time prior to their first set of two-a-days on Saturday.
The Tigers will take the field again Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Stadium for practice #2. Be sure to stay tuned to www.mutigers.com for details.
