Football | 8/2/2017 3:31:00 PM

STATESBORO, Ga. – As the Eagles began week two of camp Wednesday morning, the energy remained high at practice, despite the sweltering heat showing up for the first time this preseason. Friday marks the first scrimmage of camp and not only are the fans excited to see their Eagles in action, but the players are as well.
 
COOK 'N SHAI
Shai Werts and crew picked up where they left off during the spring, with high-tempo practices and a strong ability to create the explosive plays. With the addition of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bryan Cook, Werts feels right at home. Cook recruited Werts in high school to attend Georgia Tech.

"The relationship with Coach Cook and myself is really good," Werts said. "I'm learning a lot from him. One of my biggest things heading into the spring and fall camps was being more of a student of the game. Any questions I have Coach Cook answers, whether that be football related or off the field things. He invites the quarterbacks to his house and he is just a great family guy."

While at Georgia Tech, Cook had Shai Werts on his radar. Werts had talked to Cook often and even threw for him multiple times, after classes were out in high school. When Cook accepted the job at Georgia Southern, Werts was excited to get started with a familiar face.

"I was so excited when I found out Coach Cook had accepted the job here," Werts stated. "Coach Cook came to a few of my high school games, a few practices, and even came and asked me to throw after school one day with some of my receivers."

The offense will continue to add to their arsenal of plays, ahead of their first scrimmage Friday evening in Paulson Stadium. Stretching for the scrimmage will begin at 6 p.m., followed by Meet the Eagles Fan Fest on the field at approximately 8 p.m.

"A lot of the guys are excited to scrimmage like that for the first time," Werts said. "We have 'Move the Ball' periods in practice, but game-type situations make it so much better for both sides of the ball. From the offense, you can expect to see a lot of explosive plays. The line is going to get after it in the trenches and the skill guys are going to make some plays and do our job."
 
YOUNG BUT EXPERIENCED
As a whole, the defensive unit is pretty young. The linebacker group is led by senior Chris DeLaRosa and is backed by not only a young, but a highly talented secondary this season. Monquavion Brinson played in all 12 games as a true freshman last season. He started seven contest and finished the season with 25 total tackles. Brinson also forced one fumble and tallied a career high seven tackles against Arkansas State.

"I think it helped me a lot [playing last season]," Brinson said. "It helped me work on my technique for the upcoming season, and get a better view of what to look for during the year. I think it was a good process for myself to learn early and continue to learn."

While days off have been a key point of camp for staying healthy and recovering from the days before, a lot of the time the team is bonding and becoming closer as a family. Many of the players has explained that camp is easier for them because they are in a family setting.

"Every day we do a team period so we bond together," Brinson said. "We all get together and talk, share our stories and get to know each other. When we leave those we know everybody, their stories, and their parents. The breaks are good. The trainers and coaching staff make sure we get our rest in, seven to eight hours of sleep, so we can perform better."

The defense is ready to put on a show Friday evening. Not only will players be flying around, but the team is ready to put their hard work in action, during a full 11 on 11 format.

"We are going to be fast, probably faster than last year," he said. "We are more aggressive than we were last year and we have been working hard to improve our techniques. People will be impressed when the come to the scrimmage and see it."
 
DEFENSE CONTINUES TO ROLL
Coach Jeremy Rowell enters his second season with the Eagles as the defensive secondary coach. Rowell has the pleasure of working with a young secondary, which continues to improve during camp. There was a lot of energy at practice and the coaches were happy with that.

"I think we have had a good time so far," Rowell said. "It got a little hot on us a little bit, but I think we made good progress to this point. With some experience coming back in the secondary, I know we are still young, but a lot of these guys played last season which helps them progress a little further forward. Prior to we were really first timers, in a new system, so it really helps everyone out."

Returns are returns, no matter what age they are. Monquavion Brinson is one of those guys who is still young, but got a lot of experience playing last season.

"Having some experience of playing, all of them have taken significant reps that are coming back," Rowell said. "We have probably got four different safety starters and three or four different guys, that started at corner in a game last year. They all played, which is good, because we have some guys with good playing experience. Now they may be young in age, yes, but they have got some game experience in tough situations and it will help us definitely."
 
MEET THE EAGLES FAN FEST
The annual Meet the Eagles Fan Fest will be held on Friday, Aug. 4 at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. Gates will open at 5 p.m. and the football team will hold an open scrimmage from 6-8 p.m. at Paulson Stadium before the event. The Fan Fest will begin shortly after the scrimmage is completed and will last approximately 90 minutes. The public is invited to the scrimmage and fans will be allowed to come on the field at 8 p.m., or when the scrimmage is over. The North Concourse will be the only side open and fans may enter through Gate 12 near Bishop Field House.

The event is being held in conjunction with the team's first scrimmage. Although it is usually on a Saturday, the team is not practicing that day, thus the event will be on Friday night to combine it with a practice and to have it in milder weather conditions.

LITTLE EAGLES CLINIC
The team will hold the Little Eagles Clinic on Saturday from 6-8 p.m. at Paulson Stadium. The event is free and does not require any registration. The players will be in charge of different stations and drills around the field to help train the next generation of Eagle football players.
 
SAVANNAH PRACTICE AND SCRIMMAGE
Georgia Southern will take a practice on the road as it heads to Savannah for its third and final scrimmage. The Eagles will head east on I-16 and will practice on the campus of Armstrong State University on Friday, Aug. 18 from 6-8 PM. Following the completion of the practice, the team will hold a fan fest with autographs, inflatables, entertainment and much more. More details will be made available as the event gets closer.
 
Georgia Southern Preseason Football Schedule
Date (Time, Location)
Thurs., Aug. 3 (9 AM-11 AM, Eagle Creek)
Fri., Aug. 4 (6-8 PM, Paulson - scrimmage #1; Fan Fest 8 PM, Paulson)
Sat., Aug. 5 No practice (Little Eagles Clinic 6-8 PM, Paulson)
Sun., Aug. 6 (8-9:45 AM, Paulson)
Mon., Aug. 7 (9 AM-11 AM, Eagle Creek)
Tues., Aug. 8 (9 AM-11 AM, Eagle Creek)
Wed., Aug. 9 No practice
Thurs., Aug. 10 (9:45 AM-12 PM, Eagle Creek)
Fri., Aug. 11 (9 AM-11 AM, Eagle Creek)
Sat., Aug. 12 (9:15 AM, Paulson - scrimmage #2)
Sun., Aug. 13 No practice
Mon., Aug. 14 No practice
Tues., Aug. 15 (4-6 PM, Eagle Creek)
Wed., Aug. 16 (4-6 PM, Eagle Creek)
Thurs., Aug. 17 (4-6 PM, Paulson - scrimmage #3)
Fri., Aug. 18 (6-8 PM, Armstrong State; 8 PM Fan Fest, Armstrong State)
Sat., Aug. 19 No practice
Sun., Aug. 20 No practice
Mon., Aug. 21 (4-6 PM, Eagle Creek)
Tue., Aug. 22 (4-6 PM, Eagle Creek)