August 19, 2002

DAY TWO GOES WELL FOR PALADINS DESPITE
LOSS OF ZIP IN AFTERNOON PRACTICE SESSION

GREENVILLE -- Although his team lost a little of its edge in Monday's second practice, Furman head football coach Bobby Lamb indicated he was happy with the Paladins' overall progress following the program¹s second day of practice in shorts, shoulder pads, and helmets.

"I thought day two went well," said Lamb. "We're trying to put in new coverages on defense and new plays on offense, so it's a learning experience for our young guys, but I thought it went pretty well overall.

"We lost a little of our zip in the afternoon, but that's always the case with the second practice in two-a-days. They kinda feel sorry for themselves, but I'm confident they will pick it back up tomorrow."

Monday afternoon¹s second practice, which lasted more than two hours and which was completed under threatening skies and windy conditions, produced praise for a pair of veterans competing for the starting middle linebacker position vacated by the graduation of All-American Will Bouton.

"I think both Mike Killian (Atlanta, Ga.) and Andrew Knight (Snellville, Ga.) made some big plays at middle linebacker," said Lamb. "They've got a battle going and both did really well today.

Lamb also singled out the work of T.J. Wilson (Rome, Ga.) at cornerback.

"We're hunting for a cornerback opposite Rodney Johnson, and T.J. Wilson has really had two really good practices. He's doing well as are Marucie Duncan (Aiken, S.C.) and Keith Johnson (North Augusta, S.C.), so those three are competing hard."

The cornerback trio or Wilson, Duncan, and Johnson are earning the majority of the reps lost by Chris Lowery (Knoxville, Tenn.), who has been slowed with an injured toe that required surgery earlier in the summer. Lowery did not take part in Monday morning drills but returned in the afternoon.

Sophomore tight end Willis Sudderth (Lilburn, Ga.) practiced on Monday after missing Sunday¹s workout with a high fever, but senior wide receiver Bear Rinehart (Seneca, S.C.) missed his second straight day of drills with a mild hamstring strain. His return date is uncertain according to head athletic trainer Phil Hedrick. Junior offensive guard Josh McWhorter (Cartersville, Ga.), meanwhile, was sidelined with a lower back strain and will be examined by team doctors on Wednesday.

Furman completes its final day of practice in shorts on Tuesday with a pair of workouts beginning at 8:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. The Paladins will go to full pads on Wednesday.

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.