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Football: Countdown To Kickoff 2012. . . First Full Team PracticeAthletic Network Footnote: Written reports and video of the football practices are located by clicking the UL Sports Information Banner Ad on the right side of the AN news box. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * For the first time since the end of March, the entire Ragin’ Cajuns football team was on the practice field together, taking part in a 155-minute morning workout on Saturday that served as the primary practice session for the third day of preseason camp. And when the Cajuns entered the practice field complex for the first time, they were greeted by a new sign above the entrance that reminded the players to “Sharpen Your Blade.” “When a lumberjack goes out to fell a tree, he will first make sure that the blade on his axe is sharp, otherwise, the impact that he will have on each swing will be less than what he could do with a sharpened blade,” second year head coach Mark Hudspeth told the team. Not only did Hudspeth explain the phrase, but he showed them, inviting his friend Tommy Hebert to demonstrate. Hebert produced two axes, one rusted and tired looking and the second well sharpened and polished. As Hebert chopped into two large pieces of wood, Hudspeth explained to the team that on Friday evening, Hebert had spent several hours “sharpening the blade”. The results were not lost on the UL players as the old, dull axe struggled to split the wood while the sharpened edge easily did more damage. That wasn’t the only lesson taught to the Ragin’ Cajuns players. With all 105 players on the field at the same time, the newcomers were able to truly get their first experience of how Cajun football practices are run. “The upperclassmen were able to show the newcomers the Cajun way today,” Hudspeth said. “Even though the coaches told them what to expect and they have experienced a couple of practice, you don’t get the full experience of a practice until everybody is there and you learn how to practice and how to prepare by watching the veterans. It is an eye opening experience.” And how did the newcomers do? “They got better as the practice went on, but for the most part, today was a good orientation for them. They have now experienced things first hand and should be ready tomorrow,” Hudspeth said. The battles for playing time began to surface in the practice with Hudspeth noting the effort of tight ends Ian Thompson, Jacob Maxwell and Larry Pettis for their performance to date. “The tight ends as a group have done a nice job so far in camp, especially this morning,” Hudspeth said. “We are not going to be able to completely replace everything that Ladarius Green did for us last year, but I can see using all three of these guys in different situations this fall.” Following the morning practice and lunch on campus, the players returned to the football offices for afternoon position meetings followed by a walk-through on Saturday evening in the Moncla Indoor Facility. LAGNIAPPE: The abusive Louisiana heat was again a factor during the morning workout as the air temperature peaked at 95 degrees at 9:45 a.m. with a heat index of 105 and a relative humidity in the mid-50’s. . . the players welcomed the normal post-practice cool down, in which they climb into tubs filled with icy-cold water and immerse them for 15 minutes in order to cool their body temperature down. . . the players get a little break on Sunday as the practice schedule starts one hour later, allowing them to sleep in a little, just a little as the weight room session starts at 7:45 a.m. with team meetings beginning at 8:45 a.m. Brian McCann
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