It was another groundbreaking day for the Kennesaw State football team on Monday as they took part in their first official practice. To be fair, this is not the first time the Owls have taken the field because they originally started on the first day of school which was August 18. But the last three weeks were just conditioning sessions and this was the first time the team got to wear helmets and get after it.
“We have been conditioning for three weeks, so they are ready for some football,” head coach Brian Bohannon said. “And they got it today.”
The practice started at 8:50 a.m. with some stretching and conditioning to gear up for the 90-minute workout session. Then the team split into offense and defense. The offensive players wore the gold jerseys while the defensive players wore the white jerseys.
The team went through a series or group, individual and team drills and the coaches wanted them to do everything at full speed. If they didn’t or just did not execute, they would have to do up-downs, which was done more times than not.
“It was the first day but you expect some things to be rough around the edges,” Bohannon said. “When you have 75 young kids and a handful of older kids, the tempo is not quite where you want it.”
The practice gave the coaches a chance to look at and see how the players are doing in terms of learning the plays and knowing where to line up. The players on offense, which will likely run a spread option, are still trying to adjust, but Bohannon likes the progress they have made.
“We’re probably further along than I thought we would be with some of the ball handling and some of the things we’re doing,” Bohannon said. “But we still have a long ways to go.”
The defense will likely run a 4-3 scheme and Bohannon likes the way the players on defense have been competing as well.
“They’re a good group of kids,” Bohannon said. “They are working and how to do things Coach (Brian) Newberry’s way.”
The practice ended with the team getting together and doing wind sprints. Then Bohannon got the team together and talked to them about today and how they can get better when they come back to practice on Wednesday. He wanted to have a better practice than the first day, but he was pleased with the way everyone came out and worked.
“We’re excited about getting started,” Bohannon said. “Come Wednesday, I think you’ll see a different practice. They got an idea of the tempo we wanted today.”
The Owls were only in helmets, jerseys and shorts for the first day of practice. They will be in shoulder pads on Wednesday and when they come back on the field Friday morning, they will be in full pads. The team will practice until the end of November. But before they conclude fall practice, they will have a scrimmage at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. This is all in preparation for the first game which is Sept. 3 2015 when they travel to Johnson City, Tenn. to face East Tennessee State.
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