Interviews: HC Sanford | DB Ward
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Head coach Mike Sanford and the WKU Football team began 2017 Fall Camp on Monday afternoon at Houchens-Smith Stadium with the first day of organized team practices.
Sanford was pleased with the amount of improvement he saw on both sides of the ball since the spring. This was due in large part, he said, to the efforts of a pair of senior leaders - quarterback Mike White and defensive back Marcus Ward - who directed player-run practices over the summer.
"I thought our execution offensively was even better than it was through 15 practices in the spring," Sanford said. "That's a credit to Mike White and the guys on offense who took ownership of the player-run practices and throwing sessions, and because of that I saw synergy between the quarterback, receivers and offensive line."
He continued, "It was big for Marcus Ward, having not gone through spring ball physically to go through some communication reps. He's that guy in the back end of the defense that really is the vocal commander of that whole unit. Having him back and having him leading the player-run practices, that made his transition back on the field easier."
After missing the second half of 2016 due to injury, and spring camp with rehab, senior wide receiver Nacarius Fant is one of the key offensive pieces who is adjusting to a new offensive scheme.
"When I was down rehabbing I got to see the offense from a different perspective, kind of being a coach and a leader from the sideline," Fant said. "But now I'm on the field and I get to experience everything and see everything. Mike [White] is doing a great job and we just have to keep making plays."
In his fifth year on The Hill, Ward appreciates the way his new head coach and the Hilltopper staff directs practices; active, to say the least.
"Coach Sanford is very energetic, he matches the mold of what [Director of Athletics] Todd Stewart brought him in to do," Ward said. "He's at practice, he's loud, he's coaching, he's all over the place. It rubs off on the offense definitely and it rubs off on the defense as we go against them."
WKU continues practices this month, leading up to the team's Week 1 opener vs. Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 2.
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