Miami Ohio University Athletics
Eager RedHawks Take to the Field for Fall Camp
8/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 12, 2003
With expectations flying high for the 2003 campaign, Miami University's football team took to the field for its first day of two-a-day practices Monday, bringing an end to a five-day acclimation period and taking the next step toward a season in which the RedHawks are favored to win the Mid-American Conference East Division title.
While changes in NCAA legislation have changed the way fall camp looks by limiting the number of practices and introducing an acclimation period that is centered around more meetings and walk-through-type practices, according to head coach Terry Hoeppner and strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple, the RedHawks have adapted well.
"The week of acclimation was something new for everyone this season and while there are probably some things we'll do differently next year, I think it was very productive," Hoeppner said. "The object was for everyone to get better, and I think we accomplished that."
According to Dalrymple, getting better was an important theme for the entire summer, as all but seven returning players and all but one scholarship player remained on campus to train for the upcoming season.
"We had a good summer in terms of building strength," Dalrymple said. "We've got close to 20 guys bench pressing 400 lbs. or better, and that's the highest total we've had in that area in a number of years. I give a lot of the credit for that to our superior facilities. We had a lot of kids in all of our sports stay in town to train this summer because our facilities are so much better than what they have at home."
On both offense and defense, it all starts up front, and Dalrymple was impressed with the results of both the offensive and defensive lines during the off-season.
"The defensive line had a spectacular summer," Dalrymple said. "They had some great leadership and really made some tremendous gains. On the offensive line, this is the first time that all five starters are over 300 lbs. They're a different breed of big linemen in that four of these five guys have vertical leaps of at least 30 inches and the fifth is leaping 28 inches. It's without a doubt the biggest and most athletic offensive line we've ever had."
Dalrymple also was quick to point out some of the individuals who made impressive strides during the summer, including running back Cal Murray, who looks to be well beyond last season's injuries.
"Cal has bulked up to more than 200 lbs. and broke his personal record in almost every test we did," Dalrymple said.
Led by a the true sophomore tandem of Terna Nande and John Busing, Dalrymple says the linebacking corps enters the season as arguably the most fit position group.
"Terna Nande tested out the best of anyone on the team. He only weighs 215 lbs., yet he doubled his squat to 615 lbs., almost doubled his bench press to 450 lbs. and has a vertical leap of 38 inches, which is the second-highest in the history of the program," Dalrymple noted. "John Busing is right there, squatting 585 lbs., bench pressing 405 lbs. and leaping 37 inches."
Dalrymple also pointed to a pair of defensive backs that continued to impress after strong springs.
"Alphonso Hodge had his best off-season yet and topped all of his personal bests. Steve Burke also had a lot of hard work pay off for him and is the strongest defensive back with a bench press of 400 lbs."
Though the plan for fall camp has changed because of the NCAA legislation, Dalrymple is confident that Miami's history of being the fittest team on the field is not in jeopardy.
"Actually, our two-a-day practices have been very close to what the NCAA is now mandating, so it wasn't a big change for us. We're probably a little ahead of the curve in comparison to a lot of teams across the country," Dalrymple said. "Our focus is on training hard all summer so that we're in shape when we report to camp, which allows us to practice at a higher tempo and not waste time trying to get in shape. It also helps us save our legs for when the season starts, because there is a very fine line between being in good shape and getting worn down."
While the RedHawks' off-field preparation has gone well, according to Hoeppner, the team also is mentally prepared for a big season.
"These guys are on a mission," Hoeppner said. "We're getting great senior leadership, and they're providing a great influence for the younger guys. You're never completely happy as a team, but today was a good day. We're in good shape, which is allowing us to practice at a higher level."
The focus thus far in practice has been on the basic offensive and defensive packages, but Hoeppner expects more fine-tuning to be done throughout the week in preparation for Saturday's Red and White scrimmage.
While a number of players have been impressive since returning to camp last week, Hoeppner admits that he has been impressed with the success of the teams' recruiting efforts.
"I don't ever remember a year where I could identify this many freshman this early and say 'you're going to play'," Hoeppner said. "Of course we're going to try to redshirt our freshmen if we can, but the future is now. We're going to have more freshman in our two-deep this year than I can remember. I'm not going to name any names now, but very shortly it will be evident who I'm talking about."
Miami's faithful can get their first preview of the 2003 RedHawks this Saturday when the annual Pigskin Picnic and Red and White Scrimmage take place at the Yager Stadium Complex. The event starts with a picture and autograph session open to the public at Noon. The Pigskin Picnic starts at 1 p.m., with comments from Coach Hoeppner at 1:30 p.m., and the Red and White scrimmage kicks off at 2:30 p.m. on the offensive practice field.
