Did it make a difference? Topper head coach David Elson thought he saw the effect of pads in a couple of areas.
“It definitely slowed things down a little bit, but that was to be expected — especially with the way the weather has changed since the first night,” he said. “There was also a lot more talking going on in the locker room, and there was a little bit more energy on the field before practice started.
“But that’s what everyone looks forward to, putting the pads on and getting after it.”
While Western worked out in sub-40 degree temperatures to open spring practice Thursday night, the weather was much warmer for Saturday’s session.
“I wondered as we were going along if we were going to be able to get every rep we had scripted in, but we accomplished that by keeping a good tempo,” Elson added. “Now, we have to get into better condition and learn how to carry our pads.”
Elson is pleased thus far with the amount of work WKU has gotten done in the first three days of practice, that the team is running a lot of plays each day. That can in part be attributed to the Hilltoppers using a two-huddle system on offense to give each unit a chance to maximize the number of snaps it sees.
He would like to see the Toppers improve their technique over the next month, though. The second-year mentor says that the team should be playing at a lower pad level, and that after the first few days he would like to see more physical play.
With just nine seniors on last year’s team, and only nine juniors entering their final season in the fall, Elson wants to see younger players compete for time on the field. “We have challenged the underclassmen to step up and make the guy in front of them work even harder. Those are the things that make your entire team better,” he said.
The Hilltoppers are off for the first time since the start of spring drills Sunday, returning to the field for 7 p.m. (CST) workouts Wednesday and Thursday before Spring Break arrives on the Hill. Thursday’s session, the fifth of 15 spring practices, will mark the first time Western takes part in full-contact drills — in fact, the Toppers will take part in a mini-scrimmage that evening.
