Football begins spring practices indoors
Spring football indoors.
That’s what the Utah State football team is experiencing due to the accumulation of snow on the football practice fields as the Aggies began spring practice Monday at the Stan Laub Center.
“For what I remember, I’ve never had to start spring practice that first Monday after either Spring Break or St. Patrick’s Day [inside],” Head Coach Mick Dennehy said. “It may be cloudy, it may be cool, but its always been dry enough for us to get everything done.”
Around 100 players reported to practice Monday -the first of 15 practices in preparation for the annual Blue/White game Friday, April 12 at Romney Stadium.
While Dennehy said having snow on the ground is a hassle, the Stan Laub Indoor training facility allowed practices to start on schedule. Otherwise, USU would have had to postpone practice, he said.
“We only have one partial field [in the Stan Laub], but it’s a godsend,” he said. “It’s way, way better than the alternative of canceling and postponing practice, and then you start interfering with finals.”
Despite being constrained to play indoors, Dennehy said the team is more than ready to take the field.
“I think the kids are excited about spring practice,” he said. “I think they see it as an opportunity to line up and become a little bit better of a player.”
With this being Dennehy’s third year at the helm and with 42 returning lettermen, Dennehy said the Aggies are off to a good start.
“The kids have a basic understanding of what we’re trying to get done,” he said. “I think more than anything else, they know what we expect [from them] as far as the tempo we expect at practice and not tolerating standing around.”
Perhaps more than anything, spring practices will serve as a proving ground for USU’s newcomers and young players, Dennehy said. On the other hand, he said spring practice gives the veterans a chance to stay sharp and fine-tune their skills.
“They’re [young players] our future,” Dennehy said. “In some cases they may be our future right now, and in a lot of cases they’re going to provide depth for us, so it’s really important we bring those young kids along.”
Among the newcomers are five mid-year junior college transfers – players Dennehy said he expects will make a difference right away.
“I think they will help us in some capacity, whether it be as a starter or as a backup, provided we can get them caught up [learning the system],” he said.
In addition to helping the younger players progress, Dennehy said it is essential the team continue working on the fundamentals of the game and work on aspects of the game such as communication among the secondary.
“I think football is still a fundamental game,” he said. “Teams that block real well and don’t miss blocks, and teams that tackle very well and don’t miss tackles usually win.”
When asked when he hopes to be able to practice outside, Dennehy said next week as the practice fields are almost ready.