The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, August 25, 1989 Page: 17 of 20
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THE RICE THRESHER FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 1989 13
SPORTS
: (/
Donald Hollas
k%*:\
Owls hit gridiron with new purpose
OWL
LOOK
BY ALASTAIR MACPHAIL
When a Thresher sports editor
thought it would be interesting tompre-
sent an insider's view of preseason
training, she managed to goad Alas-
tairMacPhail into giving a first-hand
account. MacPhail, in his third year
as a defensive back for the Owls, gave
us the following:
So you think you have it rough
during Orientation Week, with a
seemingly infinite number of activi-
ties to occupy your day? Think again.
No one is more glad to see the begin-
ning of classes than the football
team. Since August 11, the 1989
Owls have been preparing night and
day to beat the stuffing out of SMU.
Under new Head Coach Fred
Goldsmith, everything about Rice
football is different except the uni-
forms, but two-a-days, like death and
taxes, are an unavoidable constant
Training camp draws to a close Sat-
urday night, with the Blue-Gray
scrimmage the grand finale to
twenty-five practices in the last thir-
teen days. And as two-a-days wind
down this week, I am again amazed
at how much has been accomplished
in the past two weeks, and I can
hardly wait for September 2.
Football is a rough sport, and
undoubtably the hardest part of the
year is training camp, because it is
both physically and mentally a drain-
ing experience. For two weeks, the
players, coaches, managers, and
trainers eat, sleep, drink, and
breathe football. You go to sleep at
night trying to remember what cov-
erage to check to if the offense mo-
tions to trips, and you wake up in the
morning feeling like your body is
made of jello. And your wakeup call
is an airhorn blown outside your
door at 6:45.
After a doughnut and some or-
ange juice in the stadium tunnel at
7am, I wait in line to get my ankles
taped before meetings begin at 7:30.
The most important preparation
takes place not on the Astroturf but
in the coaches' offices. We watch film
of the previous practice, review fun-
damentals, and generally learn what
we're supposed to do once we do get
down to the field. But once those
lights gooutandtheVCR gets go ing,
the battle to stay awake begins. Most
coaches are rather fond of watching
film, and the football team has more
videotapes than Sound Warehouse.
When the meeting lets out, its
back to the locker room for some
last-minute preparations before
practice, such as getting a bandage
for the scrapes on my elbows and the
obligatory two tablets of Tylenol. My
shoulder pads are still soggy from
the previous practice, and my shoes,
which were brand new a week ago,
Jogging down the tunnel to the field,
I begin to sweat already as the early
morning sun glares down from
above.
Overall, the weather has been
very kind to us during training camp,
with lots of cloud cover, some cool
breezes, and a little rain. Unfortu-
nately, it is still Houston in August
For the first few days of camp, we
practiced three times a day, as the
coaches worked overtime to install
as much of the offense, defense, and
kicking game as possible. Practice is
broken up into five-minute periods,
and by Period 4 I am completely
drenched in sweat The nine assis-
tant coaches work their players
through drill after drill, demanding
perfection in execution.
It's the little things that win and
lose football games, and Coach Gold-
smith is quick to point out that out
when someone steps in the wrong
gap or blows a coverage. "You have
to prepare to wirf," Coach Goldsmith
says, and winning is really a state of
mind.
On the first day, after three prac-
tices and two meetings, the entire
defense went back down to the field
to walk through some adjustments at
9pm The sun had set, the mosquitos
were out in force, and I wondered if
the coaches had sleep on the itiner-
ary or if we were just going to prac-
tice all night and get it over with all at
once.
But the will to win must be strong
enough to overcome the exhaustion
of training camp, because how a
team comes together in August usu-
ally determines how the team will
perform in October and November.
When the two hour practice is
over everyone steps on the scale to
see how much weight they lost dur-
ing practice. Today I lost four
pounds. AfterafewcupsofGatorade
and a few minutes of sticking my
aching legs in a big bucket of ice
water, I go upstairs to the R-room for
brunch, and then back to my room
for an hour or two of precious sleep
before its time to get my ankles taped
again.
Training camp is a unique experi-
ence. You become so completely
engrossed in football that you lose
track of what day it is, you have no
idea what is going on in the real
world, and your pillow becomes your
best friend. Motivation is a prized
commodity, as sustained enthuf!-
asm is the key to success during
training camp and the upcoming
season. And the 1989 Rice Owls have
found all the motivation they need
simply by looking ahead to Septem-
ber 2. BEAT SMU!
DONALD HOLLAS—The time
is now for the "quarterback of the
future." After spending two seasons
on defense playing free safety, the re-
dshirt junior has returned to his
original position of quarterback, and
is now poised to lead the Owls' new
multiple offense.
OJ. BRIGANCE—After setting
a Rice record last year with 128 total
tackles, the junior inside linebacker
was named to several preseason all-
conference teams. "The Juice" fig-
ures to play a crucial role this season
in the Owls' restructured defense.
VODDIE BAUCHAM—a s<>
phomore tight end who sat out last
season after transferring from New
Mexico State. Recognized by The
Sporting News as Best Addition to
the Southwest Conference. Al-
though he has yet to play a single
down for Rice,".. .his potential alone
makes him the best tight end the
Owls have had in a decade." Got
married this summer and was also
ordained as a Baptist minister.
O.J. Brigance
First-year Owl head coach Fred Goldsmith lectures the players during two-a-days.
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Kahn, Greg & Leedy, Sarah. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, August 25, 1989, newspaper, August 25, 1989; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245725/m1/17/?rotate=270: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.