Into the home stretch: Golden Eagles head into final week of camp
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It’s down into the home stretch for the Tennessee Tech football team as the final week of camp is in session at Tucker Stadium. The team switched the morning practice into an evening session on Tuesday, and lightning delays seemed to threaten the scheduled portion, but once a window was found, Tech came out and put on one of its speediest and focused practices of the camp to date.
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
Photos from Tuesday's practice
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's down into the home stretch for the Tennessee Tech football team as the final week of camp is in session at Tucker Stadium.
The team switched the morning practice into an evening session on Tuesday, and lightning delays seemed to threaten the scheduled portion, but once a window was found, Tech came out and put on one of its speediest and focused practices of the camp to date.
"The guys came out and did a great job (Tuesday)," said Tech assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Shawn Quinn. "We did a bunch of red-zone work and the offense did a great job. We've got to make some adjustments, but it was good-spirited work."
The offense also showed some trickery as they wrapped up with a touchdown pass from Temple transfer tight end Kip Patton to Marshall transfer quarterback Michael Birdsong on the final play of practice in goal-line situations.
It probably wasn't the result that the defensive coordinator would like to see, but he isn't worried.
"We're still a work in progress," Quinn said. "The guys are playing hard and they're willing to learn. It's a very coachable group. We've got a long way to go, but we'll get there."
The team continued to employ music from loudspeakers to try to get the Golden Eagles used to a loud crowd and the college football atmosphere – such as Tech will face on Nov. 5 when the Golden Eagles travel to Knoxville to take on the University of Tennessee and, as the staff anticipates, every game in Tucker Stadium.
"We're still trying to get them used to when we have a huge crowd here," Quinn said. "We're going to have great home attendance and we plan on having a bunch of sellouts, really a rowdy and tough atmosphere, so we want them to be used to those conditions."
The Golden Eagles continue camp today at Tucker Stadium. The team will host its annual Gathering of Eagles on Thursday night, then host its final scrimmage on Saturday night. Both events are scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
Camp will conclude on Sunday as the university begins its academic year on Monday morning.
