By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the Tennessee Tech football team took to the Tucker Stadium turf on Thursday, the energy was electric. While it was just the second session of the spring, the team looked seasoned and excited.
The offense made big plays, while the defense shined. As the coaches instructed, the student-athletes leaned in on every instruction. They cheered each other on and even jokingly tried to distract their teammates on the opposite side of the ball.
It was all in good fun, but the biggest takeaway is that the Golden Eagles are progressing nicely as the spring is really just beginning.
"This has been really good," said Tech head coach Bobby Wilder. "It's been better than I expected from the standpoint of the energy, the excitement. There's a lot of newness to it. There are new schemes -- special teams, defense, offense -- so generally when you have a lot of newness, you expect a lot of mistakes. It's been very clean and very energetic. It's a testament to how excited these guys are to be out here and the work they've been putting in."
And the team has been putting in a lot of work. From their sessions in the Athletic Performance Center to opening spring practice this past Tuesday, the Golden Eagles have really seemed to buy into what the new coaches are trying to bring to the table.
"They're super excited and have really worked their tails off," Wilder said. "In the conditioning period, we were honest with each other about the fact that we were a weak football team coming into the eight-week program. They worked hard and really showed us coaches what their commitment level was. In these first two practices, they've continued to do that. They're attentive in the meetings and learning the system. I'm really excited in moving into Saturday and putting some pads on and see how physical we can be."
The energy and camaraderie was contagious. As Hayden Olsen lined up for a final field goal to "win" the practice's theoretical game situation, his teammates cheered him on. His defensive counterparts did everything they could to distract the Tech kicker. Either way, they were taking part and enthusiastic.
"That's something fun I try to incorporate into practices," Wilder said. "You have someone like Hayden, who's a really accomplished kicker. He made a 54-yard field goal last season, he's confident and a good athlete. We put the spotlight on him at different times, and we're back there spraying him with water, the players are yelling at him. It was distracting to him. To see him make that 35-yard field goal into the wind got the players really excited and it got me really excited."
Saturday's practice will see the Golden Eagles put on the pads for the first time in the spring session and once those come on, it really starts to feel like real football.
"The thing that's interesting about spring ball is that it's smart in the way the rules are," Wilder said. "The first two practices, you're just in helmets and you really have to minimize the contact. I actually like it because we have a lot of players who are trying to learn. We have 15 new guys who transferred in back in January plus 67 returning guys who are learning a new system. That helps get them into it. They're comfortable with the base system. Now we can put the pads on and that helps the offensive line and the defensive line to play at a faster pace. I'll really be excited to see those guys on Saturday."
The Golden Eagles will continue their practice sessions on Saturday with the team taking the field from approximately 10:35 a.m. to 1 p.m. Spring practice will go out to the stadium on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through April 20 with the team's spring game on April 13.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
