Western
Kentucky finished day three of preseason camp on Wednesday beating the heat.
Wednesday
was also the final day that the Hilltoppers will split up into freshman and
veteran practices. The first full squad practice — with all 103 players on the
field together — will take place Thursday morning, a day earlier than
originally scheduled.
With
all the heat, Mother nature has provided a toasty start to fall camp, with the
heat index around 100 degrees. Players donned shoulder pads for the first time
on Wednesday, but head coach Willie Taggart was still pleased with his squad’s
mentality throughout practice.
“It
was warmer today than it has been, but our guys got after it a little more
today,” said Taggart. “The good thing is that our guys are being conscious
about running around. The first day I wasn’t impressed with our conditioning,
but now I hear our guys picking each other up, and that’s what you want to hear
as a coach.”
Willie
McNeal back in the mix, after a stellar rookie season in 2010 that earned him
Freshman All-America honors, wide receiver Willie McNeal suffered a knee injury
in spring practice that sidelined him for the 2011 campaign. After getting back
into the mix in the spring, the Bradenton, Fla., product is ready to get back
at it and help add to WKU’s receiving corp this fall.
“This
is the first time in three years that I can say neither side has an edge,” said
Taggart. “It‘s been going back and forth, and both sides of the ball are doing
some really good things. I’m excited to see that. If we can continue to have
that balance, it will only make us better as a football team.”
