WR Javares KnightBy Heath A. Smith, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
There were a couple woos, a few fist pumps and even a sigh or two.
Whatever the response or gesture, it all signified the same thing - the end of preseason football camp for the Florida A&M Rattlers.
"Woo!" said senior receiver Willie Hayward as he sat in the lobby of FAMU's football field house after Saturday's mock game at Bragg Stadium. "It's over. Woo!"
The players won't practice again until Tuesday when they begin the final preparations for Saturday's season opener against Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent Southern in Birmingham, Ala.
"It's good to know we are going to see a different-colored jersey coming up," Hayward said. "I've been playing against my own guys for a whole month now.
"We basically know every move each other is going to make now. It just makes you want to work harder knowing that you are going up against a different opponent."
The mock game basically served as a dress rehearsal for Saturday's game.
"I thought it went extremely well," said head coach Rubin Carter. "The purpose of this mock game was to simulate game situations, and we did that."
For backup quarterback Leon Camel, Saturday's mock game was a success because everybody left the field in one piece.
"Today was a good day," said Camel, who has been working with the first-team offense while starting quarterback Albert Chester II recovers from a sprained shoulder.
"Everybody is tired from camp. The bottom line is no one got hurt. In last year's mock game, three players got hurt that we felt could have contributed to the team. The offense did very well, and the defense did what it had to do."
Like Hayward, Camel is looking forward to seeing some new opponents other than teammates.
"Practice is going to be different because we will be gearing up for a different team instead of ourselves," Camel said. "Going up against somebody else, you are going to be more focused on what your assignment is."
Carter is searching for his first season-opening victory as the Rattlers' head coach, and his players want to give it to him Saturday against Southern.
"We need to get everything perfect now for Southern," said middle linebacker Vernon Wilder. "The defense has been going along well. We have a positive and negative scale for each practice. Every day during camp was rated as a positive."
There were a couple woos, a few fist pumps and even a sigh or two.
Whatever the response or gesture, it all signified the same thing - the end of preseason football camp for the Florida A&M Rattlers.
"Woo!" said senior receiver Willie Hayward as he sat in the lobby of FAMU's football field house after Saturday's mock game at Bragg Stadium. "It's over. Woo!"
The players won't practice again until Tuesday when they begin the final preparations for Saturday's season opener against Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent Southern in Birmingham, Ala.
"It's good to know we are going to see a different-colored jersey coming up," Hayward said. "I've been playing against my own guys for a whole month now.
"We basically know every move each other is going to make now. It just makes you want to work harder knowing that you are going up against a different opponent."
The mock game basically served as a dress rehearsal for Saturday's game.
"I thought it went extremely well," said head coach Rubin Carter. "The purpose of this mock game was to simulate game situations, and we did that."
For backup quarterback Leon Camel, Saturday's mock game was a success because everybody left the field in one piece.
"Today was a good day," said Camel, who has been working with the first-team offense while starting quarterback Albert Chester II recovers from a sprained shoulder.
"Everybody is tired from camp. The bottom line is no one got hurt. In last year's mock game, three players got hurt that we felt could have contributed to the team. The offense did very well, and the defense did what it had to do."
Like Hayward, Camel is looking forward to seeing some new opponents other than teammates.
"Practice is going to be different because we will be gearing up for a different team instead of ourselves," Camel said. "Going up against somebody else, you are going to be more focused on what your assignment is."
Carter is searching for his first season-opening victory as the Rattlers' head coach, and his players want to give it to him Saturday against Southern.
"We need to get everything perfect now for Southern," said middle linebacker Vernon Wilder. "The defense has been going along well. We have a positive and negative scale for each practice. Every day during camp was rated as a positive."
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