Football Has Short Practice Wednesday

Aug. 18, 1999

CLEMSON, S.C.- With the beginning of the academic school year and one day removed for the end of two-a-days and the first scrimmage of the preseason, Tommy Bowden pulled back the reigns a little during practice on Wednesday. Clemson practiced for just 90 minutes on the practice fields behind the Jervey Athletic Center. The team did do 25 minutes of conditioning at the end of practice.

“We worked them very hard during two-a-days,” said Bowden. “We got everything we could have possibly gotten out of our team during the seven days of two-a-day practices. Today we reviewed the film with the team and worked on correction of mistakes that we saw in the scrimmage. We will go back to a physical practice on Thursday, pull back a some on Friday, then have a scrimmage on Saturday night.”

The scrimmage will be closed to the public.

With the beginning of school, the Tigers are now working one practice per day. That will be the case up to the beginning of the season. Wednesday was actually the start of the second half of the preseason work in terms of practices. It was the 15th of the 29 preseason practices.

Overall, Bowden felt it was a typical first scrimmage. “It was about as I expected. We still have a lot to work on as far as both sides of the ball are concerned. But, we competed, the spirit was good, as it has been all preseason.

“I would say the quarterback race has two and a half players still involved. Brandon Streeter and Woodrow Dantzler are in the race and I would say Matt Schell and Willie Simmons are the other half. I won’t say which one at this point.”

Bowden said running back Bernard Rambert was back at practice on Wednesday. Rambert had left the team for personal reasons on Monday. Gary Johnson, a reserve running back who would have been a red-shirt freshman this year, has decided to leave the team for medical reasons.

Bowden also said Nathan Gillespie was the only Tiger who suffered a serious injury in Tuesday’s scrimmage. The red-shirt freshman suffered a knee injury that will force him to miss at least a month. Freddie James suffered a sprained ankle that will keep him out a couple of days. Offensive lineman Gary Byrd continued to miss practice with a foot injury.