Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Raiders complete first spring practice
3/17/2016 5:48:00 PM | Football
Fundamentals, kicking game stressed
MURFREESBORO – Coming off a strong finish in 2015 and a bowl appearance, Middle Tennessee returned to the practice field Thursday to begin spring drills. The Blue Raiders went a little more than two hours at the practice complex under sunny skies and 70 degree temperatures.
The Blue Raiders worked out in shorts, concentrating on fundamentals, ball security and continuing their installation on offense and defense.
"We really had a good practice today. The guys were flying around, had a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm, and I was very pleased with their effort," said Head Coach Rick Stockstill. "Today we focused a lot on fundamentals both on offense and defense while also introducing some of the kicking game to them. This is a group that knows how to work, they know what is expected and they showed a lot of leadership out there.
"Offensively we have a lot of new terminology and new ways of doing things so focusing on details was a critical focus. Defensively, we have a lot of new faces over there so we were introducing them to our schemes and getting a lot of the new players adjusted to the speed of the game."
Offensively, 2015 All-Americans Brent Stockstill and Richie James seemed to pick right up where they left off in the Bahamas. Stockstill threw the ball well and looked comfortable running the new offense and James continued to make solid plays all afternoon.
In one of the biggest changes from last season, the Blue Raiders had running back Shane Tucker working with the wide receivers in hopes of giving that group another weapon. Former tight end Lucas Hamilton has also moved inside to offensive tackle.
"It was a good effort today so we will go watch the film, try to correct our mistakes and get ready to get back on the field Saturday."
The annual Blue-White Spring Game is set for April 16 at 1 PM in Floyd Stadium.
The Blue Raiders worked out in shorts, concentrating on fundamentals, ball security and continuing their installation on offense and defense.
"We really had a good practice today. The guys were flying around, had a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm, and I was very pleased with their effort," said Head Coach Rick Stockstill. "Today we focused a lot on fundamentals both on offense and defense while also introducing some of the kicking game to them. This is a group that knows how to work, they know what is expected and they showed a lot of leadership out there.
"Offensively we have a lot of new terminology and new ways of doing things so focusing on details was a critical focus. Defensively, we have a lot of new faces over there so we were introducing them to our schemes and getting a lot of the new players adjusted to the speed of the game."
Offensively, 2015 All-Americans Brent Stockstill and Richie James seemed to pick right up where they left off in the Bahamas. Stockstill threw the ball well and looked comfortable running the new offense and James continued to make solid plays all afternoon.
In one of the biggest changes from last season, the Blue Raiders had running back Shane Tucker working with the wide receivers in hopes of giving that group another weapon. Former tight end Lucas Hamilton has also moved inside to offensive tackle.
"It was a good effort today so we will go watch the film, try to correct our mistakes and get ready to get back on the field Saturday."
The annual Blue-White Spring Game is set for April 16 at 1 PM in Floyd Stadium.
Players Mentioned
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