August 17, 2000

GREENVILLE -- Furman head coach Bobby Johnson described Thursday's first scrimmage of the pre-season as sloppy, but despite the absence of several injured veterans the Paladin mentor liked the overall effort of his team in its first full day in pads.

"It was a typical first scrimmage. It was sloppy at times, but the key thing is they tried hard and that's what counts at this point," Johnson said following his squad's two-hour practice in Thursday afternoon heat that reached the mid 90s.

Sitting out the 45 minute afternoon scrimmage were quarterback Justin Hill (strained calf muscle), nose guard Steve DeBeer (concussion), flanker Bryant Huguley (strained hamstring), and tight end Graham Hunter (strained hamstring). In addition, defensive end Eddie Overdyke sustained a shoulder subluxation early in the scrimmage and did not return to action.

"I thought Billy Napier did a good job at quarterback in Justin's absence, and I was proud of our offensive and defensive lines," Johnson added. "We had a couple of 15-play drives with no subs, and they hung in there well in the heat. Overall, though, we made too many mistakes, but the good news is we have practices ahead of us that will allow us to address them."

Thursday afternoon's practice included work on the kicking game, which includes four players contending for the squad's placement duties. Senior Jonathan Sproul, junior Lee Willis, sophomore Brian Kovach, and freshman Danny Marshall are all contending for the post, but there will be "plenty more auditioning" before the team's kicker is named, according to Johnson.

Furman will practice once on Friday beginning at 3:20 p.m.

Fan Day is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 19, at 1:30 p.m. at Paladin Stadium. Players and coaches will be on the field for autographs for approximately 30 minutes prior to the annual Purple-White scrimmage.

Furman, which returns 17 starters off its 9-3, 1999 Southern Conference championship, NCAA playoff squad, opens its 2000 season on Sept. 2 against Elon in Paladin Stadium.