It took nearly a week, but it was bound to happen - the first two-a-day of fall camp.
The silver lining of such an event is that if you're a North Dakota football player, is afterwards you'll be handed a frozen treat and given a smile from one of the coaching staff's children on hand to celebrate the conclusion of a grueling day on the gridiron.
"It's a tradition and it gives our families a chance to get to know the players," UND head coach Chris Mussman said. "We've always done it and I think the players really appreciate the kids being there to give them a little encouragement and a small thank you for all the hard work they are putting in."
The morning session was the only one in full pads as it was the second straight practice the team rolled out in full gear. The afternoon session was scaled back by a few periods, but the intensity remained from the previous workout.
The highlight of the morning practice was team work in the red zone as once again both sides of the ball had their moments.
Senior Braden Hanson (Charlotte, N.C.) connected with R.J. McGill and Tyrhe Ivery on scoring plays, while sophomore defensive back Daryl Brown (Plymouth, Minn.) had a nice pass breakup to prevent another possible score.
In the afternoon, the team focused on much of the same drills, but did so in just shells during the 90-minute session. Instead of red zone work, the focus was on second-and-long situations. Senior Erik Mersereau stepped in front of a Hanson pass in the afternoon session for an interception and he also added a couple of pass breakups from his safety position.
Practice Notebook
- Wednesday marked the first of five two-a-day practices of fall camp.
- A quartet of UND players were named to the Phil Steele's preseason All-Big Sky teams released earlier today. The foursome was made up of senior defensive end Ross Brenneman (first team), senior punt returner Erik Mersereau (first team), junior running back Jake Miller (second team) and junior placekicker (Zeb Miller).
- The first installment of "Opening Drive" was released earlier today on the website. It's an in-depth look at the on and off the field actions of the UND players and coaching staff. Check out the video by clicking here.
