Northwestern University Athletics
Camp Kenosha Report: Day One
8/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 9, 2008
Camp Kenosha Day One Photo Gallery
Kenosha Video
long snapper Phil Brunner give his impressions of Day One.
kicker Amado Villarreal talk about kicking on Day One
wide receiver Andrew Brewer talk about his goals for Camp Kenosha
KENOSHA, Wis. -- Northwestern kicked off Camp Kenosha 2008 Saturday morning with the first practice of a two-a-day session. NU will have 12 practices during its stay at UW-Parkside, which lasts from August 8-19.
Weather was perfect for football Saturday morning, with overcast skies and temperatures in the high 60's helped by a decent breeze from the west. The grass on the field has benefited from the cool summer this year, looking the greenest it has in recent memory.
The Wildcats were in full pads for the second time this preseason after first donning the gear during Friday's practice prior to leaving for Kenosha. Northwestern finished up the workout with live 11-on-11 drills.
The Wildcats will head back to the field this afternoon for their second practice of the day before receiving a day off on Sunday.
Following practice, senior defensive end Kevin Mims (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) stopped by the booth to talk about the first day of his final Camp Kenosha:
Q: This is your last year coming up to Kenosha for training camp. What are your thoughts coming off of your first practice here in 2008?
A: It's great, I love being here. You wake up and see the nice sunrise; there's nothing better. You're with teammates without having to worry about stuff back home. The weather's great so far, nice and cool. It gives us a chance to get better a lot quicker.
Q: Would you say you guys are gelling pretty well so far?
A: Yeah, definitely. Our first practice here maybe wasn't the greatest practice overall, but we're practicing fast and we're communicating a lot better than we have.
Q: How would you assess the defensive line so far under both a new defensive coordinator and a new line coach?
A: It's good because the lines of communication are all fresh. We have to learn a few new phrases but Marty (Long) has done a great job adapting to what we knew so there is still some of the same phrasing. It's a relatively similar defense so the transition has been a smooth one.
Q: You got married during the summer. How's life as a married man so far?
A: It's good. I've been telling everybody that instead of coming home to two smelly guys as roommates I get to come home to a clean house and my beautiful wife, it's great.
Q: What did she have to say about your Mohawk haircut?
A: She didn't see it when I first walked in the house because I had a hat on. We said hi and sat down and eventually I took my hat off. She took one look at me and just screamed, so I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I brought my clippers with me to Kenosha so if anyone else is interested I can help them out.
CAMP KENOSHA DAY ONE NOTES:
• An MRI revealed sophomore superback Drake Dunsmore (Lenexa, Kan./Saint Thomas Aquinas) suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Friday's practice. He will sit out the 2008 season. Dunsmore was one of two true freshmen to play last year, and he was named a freshman All-Big Ten honoree by The Sporting News.
• For the second practice in a row, the team spent two periods immersed in a spirited board drill.
• Senior wide receiver Rasheed Ward (Chicago, Ill./Harper) hauled in a 70-yard TD pass during live 11-on-11 action.
• Senior running back Tyrell Sutton (Akron, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) was back at full-go Saturday morning after sitting out the previous two practices with a minor injury.
