Aug. 6, 2008
Baylor hit the field in full pads for the first time this fall Wednesday, with a two-and-a-half hour practice at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Bears held practice on the turf of the stadium due to recent rain accumulation on the natural-grass practice fields. The team practiced in moderate weather for the second straight day with temperatures in the low 90s.
The squad will not conduct a practice Thursday, but will return to the field Friday at 3:30 p.m. [Briles quotes below]
NOTES: The coaching staff played junior Andrew Judy at fullback Wednesday, a move from his previous position of defensive end... If Judy remains on offense it would mark the sixth Baylor player to switch sides of the ball since last season, joining five teammates who transitioned during the spring: sophomore Krys Buerck (from wide receiver to cornerback), sophomore V.J. McElroy (from cornerback to inside receiver), junior Sam Sledge (from offensive line to defensive line), redshirt freshman Matt Singletary (from defensive end to inside receiver) and senior Ray Sims (from outside safety to running back)... In the post-spring depth chart Buerck was listed as a starter and Sims, Singletary and Sledge were all listed No. 2 at their positions... Baylor opens its 2008 season Aug. 28 when it hosts 23rd-ranked Wake Forest at Floyd Casey Stadium in front of a national television audience on FSN.
BAYLOR HEAD COACH Art Briles - Aug. 6, 2008
On the team's performance headed into an off day Thursday:
"I thought it was pretty festive. I thought the guys came out and worked hard. We'll rest them up and have a good weight session tomorrow. We'll go back at it again Friday and finish up Saturday morning."
On the team's first day in full pads:
"They kind of juice up any time you get down here (Floyd Casey Stadium). That's good. You'd rather have to say `whoa' then `go'."
On safety Jordan Lake:
"Jordan (Lake) is a leader. He's an intelligent guy. People respond to him. He's a guy who has a lot of experience and is doing a good job this fall. As he progresses and gets more comfortable in the system, I think he'll continue to improve. You don't want your free safety to be your leading tackler. It'd be nice if he was able to roam around back there and get a few picks."
On trying Andrew Judy at fullback:
"We've been looking at (Andrew) Judy for a long time. We thought about moving him in the spring cause he's a burst guy. He plays with a lot of burst for the first three to five yards, which at that position, is a good benefit."
