Jags Prepare for First Full Week of Practice on the Bluff

Tropical Storm Edouard takes aim at the coasts of Texas and Louisiana

The Southern University football team will begins its first full week of practice starting today. The Jags caught a break this morning, with a nice breeze and cooler temps in the area with Tropical Storm Edouard taking aim at the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, threatening to pick up strength from warm Gulf waters and gain near-hurricane speeds over the next 24 hours.

The tag team of heat and humidity was merciless on Saturday for SU’s first practice, with the infusion of new players and with several freshmen along with non-qualifiers from last season, catching SU coach PETE RICHARDSON’s eye even on the first day, made a big difference. “Numbers are keeping them fresh a little longer. But we still have a ways to go,” Richardson said. “In Louisiana, humidity is a little different animal. I don’t care how much preparation you went through. If you get another 15 pounds on you, it takes its toll.”

According to a hand-held gauge operated by SU director of sports medicine Alec Hawkins, temperatures averaged “a strong 98 degrees” and hit 102 on occasion while the humidity hovered around 85 percent.  “Pure sun. No cloud cover,” Hawkins said. Hawkins said he and his staff treated six players for heat-related conditions and sent two of those off.