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Terriers report to camp with high hopes
By Stan Olenik
For Hometown News
Photo By Jed Blackwell
Wofford football players work through drills on Monday evening. The Terriers returned to campus Sunday, with Monday’s practice marking the beginning of fall camp.
After all the coaches had their say and before the Wofford Terriers left the field following their first practice of the new season they heard a very important message. It wasn’t from Mike Ayers it was from one of their own. Senior guard Pat Illig told the 90 or so players that attitude was just as important as anything they worked on in practice.
The All-SoCon performer told his teammates they needed to come to practice with a great attitude and be excited to be playing football. He urged them to work hard and to take advantage of every day on the field to get better.
“It is all about your attitude and it is about your work when you get here,” said Terrier head coach Mike Ayers. “We have some old hats that are great leaders who know attitude is critical,” said the coach.
After winning all or a portion of the Southern Conference title in 2007 and 2008, last year was a disappointment. Wofford finished the year with a 3-8 record and only notched two wins in the conference. The losing season was the first for Wofford in eight years.
The Terrier’s sideline often looked like a MASH unit last year. Injuries didn’t just hurt the Wofford season, it destroyed the year. Promising young players were forced into action before they were ready and often out of position.
This year Ayers not only wants to see a winning attitude develop in pre-season practice but he also wants to produce a solid two-deep depth chart.
“We are just starting the process and we have a long way to go. We had a good practice to start. We felt like the guys were moving around pretty well,” said the coach.
While the Terriers return a number of starters from last year’s team, the door is open for any newcomer to step forward and claim a spot in the lineup. Ayers has been pleased with the quality of the Terrier’s recruiting classes in the past few years and expect some of the rookies to make an impact this season.
“Anybody that shows us he can play is going to play,. They don’t have to be an upper classman to play for us,” he said.
One of the features of the first practice is an extra emphasis on conditioning. “The kids are in good shape, not tip-top shape. We are going to make sure we are one of the most fit teams in the country. We are stressing fundamentals from blocking, to pad level to steps and angles,” said Ayers.
The Terriers open the season at Ohio University on September 4 and play the following week at Charleston Southern before hosting Union of Kentucky on September 18 for the team’s first home game of the year.
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