MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama football offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield and defensive coordinator Greg Stewart participated in the team's annual media day Monday at the football field house.
Highlights from the press conferences include:
Offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield
-Opening Statement:
"One of the things we talked about is that we want to protect the football. We had four things when we came into fall camp: protect the ball, be physical, make practice fun and just growing fundamentally. We are way deeper on the offensive line, and have a lot of guys who are understanding what we want. We're deeper at wideout, even though we're young out there. Now the thing is to keep getting better every day. We're fortunate that we are able to practice some things now that we'll use against Nebraska, because there are some similarities with our defense; it's helping us get ready, and we'll start game planning in about a week."
-On quarterback Cephus Johnson:
"I think where he (Johnson) has really grown the most is he's understanding what we want, and he's not hanging in the pocket; when he sees something happen, he's going to get out and go. That's an advantage because he can run; I think it puts pressure on the defense. He is getting through his progressions quicker, and able to get out and make some runs for us. He has really worked hard this offseason."
-On what he wants to see in second scrimmage of camp:
"First of all, I want to protect the ball, and we have to get in the end zone. I thought we moved the ball really well at times during the (first) scrimmage, but we didn't finish any drives and we have to do a better job of that. We have to get points; first of all, we want touchdowns, but we at least have to be smart and make sure we get our field goal kicker a chance and not take too many risky chances down there."
Defensive coordinator Greg Stewart
-Opening Statement:
"I think we've had a pretty good camp thus far, and I think we had a pretty good summer. We put in work this summer getting lined up right and we put in some stuff that I think has really helped us in camp. We're doing a little bit more defensively than we did last year. We have some older guys up front, so we should have some depth there, which is always good. The older guys like Tyree [Turner] are being good leaders in practice for us. We have some new guys here that will help us. They are still battling out there for a spot on the bus and I think all of that is good for us. We didn't do well battling the heat in Saturday's practice, but did a better job of that today. We had energy at the end of practice today. We're making progress and getting a little better every day."
-On the change in the way the players stay motivated:
"I think it goes back to what Coach [Steve] Campbell puts out in his message to them about doing the little things right. I feel they are starting to buy in to that, and they can see that when you do that every day, you start having success. With a little bit of success, they realize that that stuff works, so they come out and do it the next day and they want to keep doing it over and over. They are starting to reap the benefits of that in practice. We still have a long way to go, but they are buying in."
-On having increased speed on the field on the defensive side of the ball:
"I think as a team, we've improved in that area. When [our staff] first got here, we noticed that the offense as able to break a lot of big runs and we weren't able to catch them. A big thing now is that if you're in the right spot and you're going to the right space, it's not as hard to catch them when those plays happen. They're playing fast and playing better with their eyes and learning what to do quicker."
-On the return of Rocel McWilliams:
"Rocel has been a good leader for us. He's been battling and he comes to work every day, and he tries hard. Those younger guys notice it when he's out there doing that. He's going to help us out on the field, but he's also done a good job of buying in to what we're wanting to do and letting those young guys see how it's supposed to be done. I'm really proud of him."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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