It was back to basics for the MSU football team on Wednesday as the squad had its first practice of the season indoors on a rainy August afternoon.
The players were upbeat after their two practice sessions - one for the rookies at 10 a.m. and one for the veterans at 3:30 p.m. Both sessions were closed to the media.
"I thought we started off fast," newly appointed captain and senior safety Jason Harmon said. "We started out real good, everyone did well for their first day."
Players and head coach John L. Smith thought the first day went smoothly, as the team began to prepare for its season opener against Rutgers on Sept. 4.
"It was the first day with a new quarterback and new offensive line, we just had to get the cobwebs out," junior captain and wide receiver Kyle Brown said. "We just have to find out where we are at."
Brown said Smith praised his team's performance on Wednesday. Brown said he and the rest of the receivers worked on running routes, recognizing defenses and picking up blitzes.
"Coach said (practice) went good - the defense flew to the ball and the offense stayed poised," Brown said. "We came out to practice with a mind to get better."
Smith said he enjoys the first day of practice despite the amount of work involved with the beginning of the season. The players and coaches have been looking forward to this day since their Alamo Bowl loss to Nebraska in December.
"The first practice is great, I really enjoyed this one," Smith said. "I thought the offensive group, the rookie group, was very exciting for us to see as a coaching staff.
"It is a good sized, good athletic group, and there is going to be some guys that are going to step up and play immediately out of that group, so that got us off on the right foot as far as enthusiasm from the coaches."
Smith said he was impressed with the attitudes of both the veterans and the rookie class.
"The attitude has been great all summer long," Smith said. "They've been working hard, so I think they have a great attitude, they just have to continue to show it."
The practice was distinguished by the veterans' poise when they came onto the practice field, Smith said.
"The vets came out with a businesslike attitude, very upbeat, very energetic, but at the same time very business-like," Smith said.
Smith said the rookies appeared a little wide-eyed, but that was to be expected, and the team came into the initial practice way ahead of where the team was last year on the first day of practice.
"We are miles ahead of where we were a year ago with the vets, just from a standpoint of knowing what is going on," Smith said.
Senior BANDIT and captain Tyrell Dortch said he was also impressed with the first practice and was looking for big things out of the Spartans. Dortch is back for his fifth year after missing the 2002 season recovering from a broken leg.
"It's a challenge. We've got to sit down and be tough because in the Big Ten," Dortch said. "It's not the most talented teams that win.
"It is the teams that fight and the teams that are tough. I am feeling very confident as of now."
As expected there was no word as to who would be starting at quarterback this year, but redshirt sophomore Drew Stanton received the most reps during the first practice. Smith said he hopes to have a decision by Aug. 21.
