Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
CATS IN CAMP DAY #6: First Day in Full Pads Brings Learning Opportunities
8/1/2024 4:07:00 PM | Football
Montana State practiced in full pads for the first time on Thursday
BOZEMAN, Montana – What appeared to be just a minor detail on Montana State's preseason camp practice schedule Thursday proved to be an important teaching and evaluation point for Bobcat coach Brent Vigen.
"Back in the morning, back into our routine, and the guys responded," MSU's fourth-year head coach said after the team's sixth practice of preseason camp on Thursday morning. "We went from an afternoon (Wednesday) into a morning and there was good energy."
The first week in camp, which ends Friday morning in Bobcat Stadium with the team's seventh practice, mimic a regular season game schedule. The team followed two morning practices Friday and Saturday with two straight afternoon practices, all in slightly different time frames. After Tuesday's off day, the team returned with an afternoon practice Wednesday and Thursday's morning practice. All have been at Lambert Field, but Friday's session returns to Bobcat Stadium.
Thursday also marked the team's first day in full pads. While there was only a brief segment focused on tackling, Vigen said it begins a week-and-a-half long process that ramps up to the team's August 10 full scrimmage. "It was the first day in full pads, and the first day we did any live work," he said. "Within that live work there was certainly some back-and-forth, but guys are continuing to be disciplined and bring energy and practice hard. That's what we need on a consistent basis, and we checked that box today."
NCAA rules limit the number of practices involving full pads and full contact, and Vigen says the sessions in spiders (light, protective shoulder pads) and half-pads (shoulder pads only) dovetail into full-contact practices. "We only have so many days in full pads by rule, and each one of those days we'll do something, whether it's a tackling drill or a short-lived team live period," he said. "Today we had a little bit of it, and our next opportunity in full pads comes in a couple days and we'll do a little more. We don't full-on scrimmage until next Saturday, but building up to that we'll have had our moments when we went live and tested that ability to tackle and break tackles."
* * * * *
Vigen indicated that scheme installation has progressed at a deliberate but steady pace through the first week of practice, to the point where the team now is able to integrate live play and situational work into daily practices.
"We're six days in now, so a good chunk of our offense and defense are in," he said. "Once that happens you can start blending in situations. Today we did a second down into third down scrimmage, so we played third down as it plays out of the gain on second down."
Vigen said that knowing the situation and play calls for those circumstances is only part of what the coaching staff is trying to instill. "We did some two-point play work and ultimately we'll do more third down work, more red zone, move the ball around the field so they get a sense that when the ball's in a particular part of the field my thought process has to be a little different," he said. "Really, from here on our there's going to be more situational work and we need our guys to be in tune with those moments. That's the only way it works from a practice perspective."
#GoCatsGo
"Back in the morning, back into our routine, and the guys responded," MSU's fourth-year head coach said after the team's sixth practice of preseason camp on Thursday morning. "We went from an afternoon (Wednesday) into a morning and there was good energy."
The first week in camp, which ends Friday morning in Bobcat Stadium with the team's seventh practice, mimic a regular season game schedule. The team followed two morning practices Friday and Saturday with two straight afternoon practices, all in slightly different time frames. After Tuesday's off day, the team returned with an afternoon practice Wednesday and Thursday's morning practice. All have been at Lambert Field, but Friday's session returns to Bobcat Stadium.
Thursday also marked the team's first day in full pads. While there was only a brief segment focused on tackling, Vigen said it begins a week-and-a-half long process that ramps up to the team's August 10 full scrimmage. "It was the first day in full pads, and the first day we did any live work," he said. "Within that live work there was certainly some back-and-forth, but guys are continuing to be disciplined and bring energy and practice hard. That's what we need on a consistent basis, and we checked that box today."
NCAA rules limit the number of practices involving full pads and full contact, and Vigen says the sessions in spiders (light, protective shoulder pads) and half-pads (shoulder pads only) dovetail into full-contact practices. "We only have so many days in full pads by rule, and each one of those days we'll do something, whether it's a tackling drill or a short-lived team live period," he said. "Today we had a little bit of it, and our next opportunity in full pads comes in a couple days and we'll do a little more. We don't full-on scrimmage until next Saturday, but building up to that we'll have had our moments when we went live and tested that ability to tackle and break tackles."
* * * * *
Vigen indicated that scheme installation has progressed at a deliberate but steady pace through the first week of practice, to the point where the team now is able to integrate live play and situational work into daily practices.
"We're six days in now, so a good chunk of our offense and defense are in," he said. "Once that happens you can start blending in situations. Today we did a second down into third down scrimmage, so we played third down as it plays out of the gain on second down."
Vigen said that knowing the situation and play calls for those circumstances is only part of what the coaching staff is trying to instill. "We did some two-point play work and ultimately we'll do more third down work, more red zone, move the ball around the field so they get a sense that when the ball's in a particular part of the field my thought process has to be a little different," he said. "Really, from here on our there's going to be more situational work and we need our guys to be in tune with those moments. That's the only way it works from a practice perspective."
#GoCatsGo
Thursday, July 31
Monday, May 19
Wednesday, May 03
Wednesday, May 03
