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Rice University Athletics
Owls Open Preseason Drills
8/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 6, 2007
The Rice Owls opened preseason practices on Monday with a two-hour workout on the grass practice fields north of Rice Stadium and head coach David Bailiff was pleased with the effort.
"I was really pleased with all the new faces that we moved from drill to drill well. We seemed to have retained things from the spring. I thought some of those freshmen showed that they belonged. Justin Hill was making some big plays out there and Scott Solomon showed that he's been well coached."
Bailiff and his staff welcomed some 40 new faces to the practice field, including their first recruiting class, several walk-ons and a number of players who had missed spring practice with lingering injuries. Bailiff indicated the staff will make sure the veteran players don't try to do too much, too soon.
"We're got a good plan on all of them, especially when fatigue starts to set in when the pads come on," Bailiff said. "Some of them need to be monitored so they don't try to do too much, so we'll be holding them out of some of the second practices during two-a-days."
Only one player who was expected to be ready for the first day of practice did not participate. Sophomore linebacker Robert Calhoun was ill and held out of drills.
The Owls will be back on the field on Tuesday for their second day of practice.
