Tigers Hold First Day of Two-a-Days

Aug. 11, 2004

Clemson, SC – Clemson had its first of three days of double practices on Tuesday. Tommy Bowden’s team worked for two hours in full gear in the morning and two hours in shorts and shoulder pads the early evening.

Clemson will hold a Thursday morning scrimmage, then go back to two-a-day practice on Friday. Monday will be the third and final two-a-day practices prior to the beginning of school on Wednesday.

Monday’s first day in pads saw major injuries to Duane Coleman (broken foot) and Vontrell Jamison (broken arm), but Tuesday’s practices had no major casualties. Jamison injured his arm at the end of Monday’s practice, but ran conditioning drills. He did not complain of any pain until after he went into the locker room. X-rays revealed the second break of the day.

It is too early to tell as to how long Jamison, a second team senior defensive end will be out, said athletic trainer Danny Poole. He was at practice on Tuesday and did all the conditioning runs. Coleman, Clemson’s starting tailback, will be out six to eight weeks.

Also at practice in a yellow jersey on Tuesday was starting offensive guard Chip Myrick, who has a slight case of mononucleosis. He will not be able to practice at full speed until next week. Nathan Bennett, who started six games last year, has moved up to first team in his absence.

Wide receiver Kelvin Grant suffered a bruised knee at the end of practice, but the injury is not serious. Curtis Baham and Airese Currie were in green jerseys, but should practice on Thursday. Michael Collins, a fourth wide receiver on the injury report on Wednesday, continues to miss action with a leg injury. He could miss the first game against Wake Forest. Despite all the injuries, Bowden was upbeat after practice because younger players are getting an opportunity and making the most of it. “La’Donte Harris and Aaron Kelly are playing very well. I want to red-shirt them, but I don’t know if I will be able to. They are both picking things up very well. Gerald McCloud (sophomore wide receiver) also had a good day.”

Defensively, Bowden singled out his cornerbacks for another good day of work. “Justin Miller has practiced very well the last two days. He is really breaking on the ball well. Tye Hill continues to improve and C.J. Gaddis has made some big plays at cornerback.”

Kicker Mark Buchholz, who is on a soccer scholarship and is attempting to walk-on the football team, continues to practice well. He will have the first day of his own two-a-day practices on Thursday when he practices with the Clemson football team in the morning and with Trevor Adair’s soccer team in the afternoon. “I told Trevor that we would work together on this, but I didn’t want him coming to our dining hall and eating quiche and drinking hot tea,” joked Bowden.

Buchholz is attempting to join Obed Ariri (1977-80) and Donald Igwebuike (1981-84) as Clemson athletes who played soccer and football during the same season. Buchholz is a freshman from Alpharetta, GA who graduated from Chattahoochee High School, the same high school that sent Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst to Clemson.