By Mike Marzelli/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Arkansas-Pine Bluff head coach Mo Forte couldn’t have been more displeased with his team’s effort at practice Tuesday.
With UAPB’s season opener at Mississippi Valley State looming on Saturday, the Golden Lions were sluggish throughout the three-hour plus workout that featured no contact and was mostly 7-on-7 work and special teams. Their execution suffered because of it, leaving Forte in a foul mood as he addressed the team afterwards
“I told them we had a meeting tonight and that was it, I didn’t have anything else to say,” Forte said. “We were completely uninterested out there and no one wanted to do anything. I don’t know what the problem was or what we were doing but we have to figure it out over night.”
Forte blamed his team’s lack of energy and focus on the start of school. Classes started Monday at UAPB and despite the fact that the coaching staff moved practice back a half-hour to accommodate players’ late classes, there were still a number of players who were in and out of practice.
“This always happens when school starts,” Forte said. “We move practice back and then we have kids who have a class they have to take at six and they have to leave and it really hurts us.
“There is no continuity for our football team when we have kids who have to miss parts of practice because there are only certain times that sections of classes are available and they are required to take them.”
UAPB won’t be changing anything with tomorrow’s workout but Forte has made it clear that he expects a different persona from his team.”
“They just need to come out refocused and re-energized and with a better attitude and get it done because our first game is right around the corner and we know that Valley is going to be ready even if we’re not,” Forte said. “It is still just mind boggling to me how poorly we performed [yesterday], especially considering it was the coolest day of camp.”
Heflin healthy
Kicker Brodie Heflin was back in pads Tuesday with his sprained right ankle heavily taped but showed no ill effects from the injury he suffered in last Saturday’s scrimmage. Heflin boomed his first punt of the afternoon over 50 yards and had no difficulty getting off four more kicks during the final portion of practice.
Expecting the unexpected
Forte says he doesn’t know what to expect from the Delta Devils, who will feature a new quarterback and a slew of new starters on both sides of the ball.
“I don’t know much about them, whether they’re going to run the same philosophy or a new one or anything,” Forte said. “We’re preparing for them generically because we know anything can happen.”
One thing the Lions can expect is a tough game. Valley has beaten UAPB two years in a row.
“I know they feel good about that,” Forte said “They’re going to be ready to do it again.”
Arkansas-Pine Bluff head coach Mo Forte couldn’t have been more displeased with his team’s effort at practice Tuesday.
With UAPB’s season opener at Mississippi Valley State looming on Saturday, the Golden Lions were sluggish throughout the three-hour plus workout that featured no contact and was mostly 7-on-7 work and special teams. Their execution suffered because of it, leaving Forte in a foul mood as he addressed the team afterwards
“I told them we had a meeting tonight and that was it, I didn’t have anything else to say,” Forte said. “We were completely uninterested out there and no one wanted to do anything. I don’t know what the problem was or what we were doing but we have to figure it out over night.”
Forte blamed his team’s lack of energy and focus on the start of school. Classes started Monday at UAPB and despite the fact that the coaching staff moved practice back a half-hour to accommodate players’ late classes, there were still a number of players who were in and out of practice.
“This always happens when school starts,” Forte said. “We move practice back and then we have kids who have a class they have to take at six and they have to leave and it really hurts us.
“There is no continuity for our football team when we have kids who have to miss parts of practice because there are only certain times that sections of classes are available and they are required to take them.”
UAPB won’t be changing anything with tomorrow’s workout but Forte has made it clear that he expects a different persona from his team.”
“They just need to come out refocused and re-energized and with a better attitude and get it done because our first game is right around the corner and we know that Valley is going to be ready even if we’re not,” Forte said. “It is still just mind boggling to me how poorly we performed [yesterday], especially considering it was the coolest day of camp.”
Heflin healthy
Kicker Brodie Heflin was back in pads Tuesday with his sprained right ankle heavily taped but showed no ill effects from the injury he suffered in last Saturday’s scrimmage. Heflin boomed his first punt of the afternoon over 50 yards and had no difficulty getting off four more kicks during the final portion of practice.
Expecting the unexpected
Forte says he doesn’t know what to expect from the Delta Devils, who will feature a new quarterback and a slew of new starters on both sides of the ball.
“I don’t know much about them, whether they’re going to run the same philosophy or a new one or anything,” Forte said. “We’re preparing for them generically because we know anything can happen.”
One thing the Lions can expect is a tough game. Valley has beaten UAPB two years in a row.
“I know they feel good about that,” Forte said “They’re going to be ready to do it again.”
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