August 18, 2002

INAUGURAL PRACTICE IMPRESSES LAMB;
RINEHART, SUDDERTH ON SIDELINE

GREENVILLE -- Furman head football coach Bobby Lamb emerged from his squad¹s first full practice Sunday afternoon impressed with the Paladins' overall effort and enthusiasm.

"Ithought the enthusiasm was great," said Lamb following the two and a half hour practice. "We¹ve got 13 seniors and the leadership this year seems to be about as great as it was a year ago. Billy Napier, LeBryan Sperling, and Rodney Johnson are our captains and are doing a good job, so now we¹ll have to see if it carries over to the Monday morning practice."

Under cloudy skies and with a mild breeze, the Paladins' workout in shorts, shoulder pads, and helmets included individual work and basic offensive and defensive schemes. Two key players, senior wide receiver Bear Rinehart (Seneca, S.C.) and sophomore tight end Willis Sudderth (Lilburn, Ga.), were held out due to ailments. Rinehart, an All-Southern Conference selection a year ago, is suffering from a hamstring strain, and Sudderth, a preseason all-conference pick, has been running a high fever since reporting to camp on Friday. It is uncertain when both players will be cleared to practice, according to Lamb.

"Aplayer who did well today, I thought, was Brian Bratton (Evans, Ga.). He got most of those reps in place of Bear and was tremendous ‹ both he and Isaac West (Augusta, Ga.), so from a standpoint of catching the ball and running with it, I thought those guys looked good.

"Ithought Rodney Johnson (Marion, N.C.) had a good day on defense LeBryan Sperling (Decatur, Ga.) has a great day up the middle.

"Our freshmen didn't a lot of reps today, which is normal for a first practice."

Furman returns to the practice field on Monday with a pair of workouts beginning at 8:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Work in shorts, shoulder pads, and helmets continues through Tuesday before the team begins work in full gear on Wednesday morning.

Furman, which returns 11 starters off last year¹s 12-3 team that claimed a share of the Southern Conference championship and finished as NCAA I-AA runner-up, is ranked seventh in the Sports Network Preseason I-AA College Football Poll. The Paladins open their 2002 season at Vanderbilt on Sept. 7.