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Football Camp: Week 1 is in the Books
8/10/2015 8:48:00 PM | Football
The season opener at West Virginia is less than a month away.
Photo gallery | Buy season tickets | 2015 Schedule | 2015 Roster | Preseason Camp
STATESBORO, Ga. – The first week of preseason camp is complete for the Georgia Southern football team as the Eagles prepare for their second season in FBS and the Sun Belt Conference.
The newcomers are finding their way, the fitness level of the team is rounding into form and the coaching staff is getting a handle on who will be ready to take the bulk of the snaps in the season opener at West Virginia.
"Our young guys are learning their assignments, and our coaches are doing a great job making sure everybody is flying around and doing the right thing," said junior quarterback Kevin Ellison. "It can be a grind so you have to make sure your mind is right and come out here and practice hard every day."
Those who may be getting acquainted with Georgia Southern football would likely be a little surprised if they were to watch practice. For a team that led the nation in rushing, the Eagles have slung the rock around quite a bit, just as they did in spring ball.
Head coach Willie Fritz has said on many occasions that the Eagles need to get better throwing the ball because opponents are going to pack the box and dare Georgia Southern to run at them. The only way to get better at throwing the football is to practice it. Coach Fritz likes flashes of what he has seen from the quarterbacks but is looking for more.
"The thing we have to work on is consistency," said Fritz. "They have to consistently use the proper mechanics, and they'll be good throwers. They are such good runners - we just have to get their thought process toward proper mechanics of throwing the football."
Receivers like B.J. Johnson, Derek Keaton and Ryan Longoria will look to provide the threat of a big play and are eager to show they can do much more than block on the outside.
"Our receivers are much better route runners and ball catchers than people probably give them credit for," said Fritz. "They are tough guys, and they will all block, which you have to do in this offense."
The coaching staff will begin zeroing in on a depth chart for the opener against the Mountaineers this week, and those student-athletes will start getting more of the reps in practice next week and even more in the following weeks as Sept. 5 draws near. The two-deep is already taking shape along the offensive line.
"We're narrowing it down to eight or nine guys," said Fritz. "Coaches are working a lot of different combinations – one day a guy will play guard and the next day, he'll play tackle. One thing we try to do is get the best five guys out there."
Tuesday's practice is slated for 8:15 a.m. on the banks of Beautiful Eagle Creek. Dates, times and locations of football practices are subject to change and may be impacted by weather conditions. Practices are open to the public, but any filming, recording or photography is limited to members of the media only.
Georgia Southern won the 2014 Sun Belt title in its first season in the league, finishing 8-0 in the conference and 9-3 overall. The Eagles return 58 lettermen and 13 starters to the 2015 squad, were picked to win the Sun Belt in the league's preseason coaches' poll and are receiving votes in the USA Today Amway Top-25 Coaches Poll.
Fans can purchase 2015 season tickets and select their seats online, by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting the ticket office in the Cowart Building adjacent to Paulson Stadium (203 Lanier Drive). Ticket office hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Season tickets prices start as low as $75 for all six games. Season ticket sales have exceeded last year's total and are expected to reach an all-time high.
Preseason Football Practice Schedule
8/11 - 8:15 a.m.
8/12 - 8:15 a.m.
8/13 - 8:15 a.m.
8/14 - 8:15 a.m.
8/15 – 9 a.m. (Paulson, Scrimmage, Meet the Eagles)
Hop on the Bus
Join the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation for its football bus trip Sept. 4-5, and watch the Eagles take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Click here for more info and to register online.
Upcoming Events
Aug. 13 – Women's Football Clinic – Ted Smith Family Football Center – 6 p.m. – Ladies will learn Football 101, tour the Ted Smith Family Football Center and participate in field activities. There will also be door prizes, food and beverages.
Aug. 15 - Meet the Eagles Fan Fest – Paulson Stadium - 9 a.m. - Fans can watch the final football scrimmage of preseason camp at Paulson Stadium. Concessions, the Adidas Store and inflatables for kids will be available. After the scrimmage, at approximately 11 a.m., student-athletes from the football, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball and cheer team will sign autographs on the North Concourse.
Aug. 17 – Day 1 – Paulson Stadium – 9 p.m. - Students will fill up the entire student section in Paulson Stadium for Day One to learn our traditions, chants, fight song and alma mater. Coach Fritz and Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein will speak at the event.
Aug. 22 - Erk Russell Classic – Paulson Stadium - 5 p.m. – The fourth annual Erk Russell Classic has North Oconee High School taking on Coffee County at 5 p.m. and Statesboro facing Burke County at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.
STATESBORO, Ga. – The first week of preseason camp is complete for the Georgia Southern football team as the Eagles prepare for their second season in FBS and the Sun Belt Conference.
The newcomers are finding their way, the fitness level of the team is rounding into form and the coaching staff is getting a handle on who will be ready to take the bulk of the snaps in the season opener at West Virginia.
"Our young guys are learning their assignments, and our coaches are doing a great job making sure everybody is flying around and doing the right thing," said junior quarterback Kevin Ellison. "It can be a grind so you have to make sure your mind is right and come out here and practice hard every day."
Those who may be getting acquainted with Georgia Southern football would likely be a little surprised if they were to watch practice. For a team that led the nation in rushing, the Eagles have slung the rock around quite a bit, just as they did in spring ball.
Head coach Willie Fritz has said on many occasions that the Eagles need to get better throwing the ball because opponents are going to pack the box and dare Georgia Southern to run at them. The only way to get better at throwing the football is to practice it. Coach Fritz likes flashes of what he has seen from the quarterbacks but is looking for more.
"The thing we have to work on is consistency," said Fritz. "They have to consistently use the proper mechanics, and they'll be good throwers. They are such good runners - we just have to get their thought process toward proper mechanics of throwing the football."
Receivers like B.J. Johnson, Derek Keaton and Ryan Longoria will look to provide the threat of a big play and are eager to show they can do much more than block on the outside.
"Our receivers are much better route runners and ball catchers than people probably give them credit for," said Fritz. "They are tough guys, and they will all block, which you have to do in this offense."
The coaching staff will begin zeroing in on a depth chart for the opener against the Mountaineers this week, and those student-athletes will start getting more of the reps in practice next week and even more in the following weeks as Sept. 5 draws near. The two-deep is already taking shape along the offensive line.
"We're narrowing it down to eight or nine guys," said Fritz. "Coaches are working a lot of different combinations – one day a guy will play guard and the next day, he'll play tackle. One thing we try to do is get the best five guys out there."
Tuesday's practice is slated for 8:15 a.m. on the banks of Beautiful Eagle Creek. Dates, times and locations of football practices are subject to change and may be impacted by weather conditions. Practices are open to the public, but any filming, recording or photography is limited to members of the media only.
Georgia Southern won the 2014 Sun Belt title in its first season in the league, finishing 8-0 in the conference and 9-3 overall. The Eagles return 58 lettermen and 13 starters to the 2015 squad, were picked to win the Sun Belt in the league's preseason coaches' poll and are receiving votes in the USA Today Amway Top-25 Coaches Poll.
Fans can purchase 2015 season tickets and select their seats online, by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting the ticket office in the Cowart Building adjacent to Paulson Stadium (203 Lanier Drive). Ticket office hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Season tickets prices start as low as $75 for all six games. Season ticket sales have exceeded last year's total and are expected to reach an all-time high.
Preseason Football Practice Schedule
8/11 - 8:15 a.m.
8/12 - 8:15 a.m.
8/13 - 8:15 a.m.
8/14 - 8:15 a.m.
8/15 – 9 a.m. (Paulson, Scrimmage, Meet the Eagles)
Hop on the Bus
Join the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation for its football bus trip Sept. 4-5, and watch the Eagles take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Click here for more info and to register online.
Upcoming Events
Aug. 13 – Women's Football Clinic – Ted Smith Family Football Center – 6 p.m. – Ladies will learn Football 101, tour the Ted Smith Family Football Center and participate in field activities. There will also be door prizes, food and beverages.
Aug. 15 - Meet the Eagles Fan Fest – Paulson Stadium - 9 a.m. - Fans can watch the final football scrimmage of preseason camp at Paulson Stadium. Concessions, the Adidas Store and inflatables for kids will be available. After the scrimmage, at approximately 11 a.m., student-athletes from the football, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball and cheer team will sign autographs on the North Concourse.
Aug. 17 – Day 1 – Paulson Stadium – 9 p.m. - Students will fill up the entire student section in Paulson Stadium for Day One to learn our traditions, chants, fight song and alma mater. Coach Fritz and Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein will speak at the event.
Aug. 22 - Erk Russell Classic – Paulson Stadium - 5 p.m. – The fourth annual Erk Russell Classic has North Oconee High School taking on Coffee County at 5 p.m. and Statesboro facing Burke County at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.
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