Date: 8/18
Time: 3:15-4:30 p.m. (CDT)
Place: James A. and Frances H. Yance Football Practice Facility
Practice attire: Full pads
Offensive Player of the Day: David Gardner, So., WR, Jacksonville, Fla.
-Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent on Gardner: "David has just been solid during fall camp day in and day out. He continues to move up the depth chart, he's just a guy who you know you can depend on to catch the football and be in the right spot at the right time. He runs good routes, and he's just a great kid on and off the field."
Defensive Player of the Day: Sterrling Fisher, R-Fr., S, Madison, Ala.
-Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack on Fisher: "Sterrling is a young guy who's been doing a great job for us at the "Husky" nickel position. We've also asked him to play a little bit at corner just to provide some more depth at the position because he's such a great athlete, and he really handled it well out there today. I'm very proud of him as a young guy being able to handle what we are putting on him schematically and physically."
Play of the Day: On his second carry during the lone team period of the afternoon, Xavier Johnson used patience waiting for a block before cutting up the field for a long gain.
Team period highlights: With a shorter practice, South had just a 10-minute period that featured the offense working on run and play-action passes.
Miscellaneous Notes
-During the team period, the Jag defense made five stops behind the line of scrimmage and also got a pass defensed from Bobby Flott.
-Dallas Davis hit on 6-of-7 attempts during half-line passing drills.
-Eleven individuals made at least one catch in that period, with Jahmmir Taylor posting two receptions while Davyn Flenord caught back-to-back passes from Cole Garvin.
-Jeremy Reaves recorded the lone takeaway for the defense during the half-line passing period when he intercepted a pass that was first deflected by Malcolm Buggs.
-The only special teams period of the day — which was focused on punt returns — was cut short due to inclement weather.
Head coach Joey Jones
-On most important accomplishment for the team this week: "We started executing better. When you look at our defense now they look comfortable with what they are doing rather than looking around like they don't understand what they are supposed to do. Offensively it is starting to come together — we're going to find out a lot of things tomorrow — but they were executing much better. The line is getting there, though they have to keep working."
-On conditioning and energy at this point of preseason practice: "The energy level has been great. Yesterday our defense didn't come out with great energy, but that's the only day that has happened so I'll give them a mulligan on that one. For the most part we have had great energy, and I am going to make sure that's the case tomorrow because this will be our last full-speed look at them before we play Ole Miss two weeks from now."
-On what he wants to see in Saturday's scrimmage: "It starts with quarterbacks, we're going to see who is going to step up there. I want to see the offense executing because we've been rotating a lot of guys in and out, tomorrow we are going to try and put it all together. And defensively I want to see great energy; we have good athletes over there, as long as they play with energy we're going to be fine."
Up next: The Jaguars end the week with a two-hour closed scrimmage at Ladd-Peebles Stadium Saturday morning
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