Aug. 7, 2003

Citadel football coach Ellis Johnson was pleased with the second day of preseason drills as he saw noted improvement at Johnson Hagood Stadium Thursday afternoon.

"We saw a lot more intensity and concentration out of the players today," stated Citadel head coach Ellis Johnson, who is in his third year atop the football staff. "Today was much better than yesterday, which was evident in the overall speed we went through the drills."

Johnson noted the overall improvement of all the newcomers and made it clear that it was hard to really single out any individuals at this point.

"We still look a little ragged," added Johnson, "but that is because we are overloading them with information right now. I felt that we were a bit more focused today compared to yesterday."

The new NCAA rules about preseason practice allow only single practices for the first five days and then the teams are allowed to practice on a 2-1-2 schedule. The single practices were a little long according to coach Johnson.

The Bulldogs return to the practice field tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 pm in Johnson Hagood Stadium. The Citadel's first scrimmage of the preseason will be on Thursday, August 14th, while the Bulldogs open the 2003 schedule against fellow low country resident Charleston Southern in 23 days on August 30.