Aug. 23, 2005
Despite sizzling temperatures which inched near the century mark Tuesday afternoon, the Baylor football team drilled more nearly two hours in shells on the grass practice fields at Floyd Casey Stadium.
"It wasn't bad (today)," said Baylor coach Guy Morriss. "We actually got better toward the end. I think they came out here with one eye on the thermometer as they passed through the door. We started off dragging a bit, but picked it up toward the end.
"It took a little encouragement, but we got them through it," he added. "If it is like this when we go to Dallas (for the Sept. 3 SMU game) then we have to be prepared to play a lot of people. If you are a guy thinking you are going to get a free trip to Dallas, forget that, because we may call on you. Everyone needs to be ready."
Heading into the 2005 season, an area of weakness for the Bears was expected to be in the defensive line, but senior tackle Michael Gary and junior tackle M.T. Robinson continue to impress the Baylor coaching staff with their performances on the field. Gary was credited with just nine tackles a year ago while Robinson had 16 stops, including four behind the line.
"They both had good camps and are playing at a different level than we've ever seen them before." Morriss said. "Those are run-stopper guys. I'm going to go back and say that (their performance) is do to the fact that they've been here all summer."
The Bears return to practice Wednesday at 3:10 p.m. on the grass fields. All workouts are open to the public and the media.
Baylor opens its 2005 season Sept. 3 at SMU.
Notes: True freshman wide receiver David Gettis continues to wait on a decision on his eligibility status from the NCAA Clearinghouse, Morriss said ... Senior wide receivers Ryan Jeffrey (broken left hand) and J Fields (hamstring) missed Tuesday's workout as did freshman wide receiver Thomas White (hamstring), freshman linebacker Justin Osinde (knee), senior offensive tackle Hunter Herring (knee) and junior offensive tackle Travis Farst (kneecap) ... Morriss hopes to have everyone but Jeffrey and Osinde back in time for the SMU game ... Both season and single-game tickets for Baylor's five-game home schedule are on sale through the school's Athletic Ticket Office (1-800-BAYLOR-U).
