Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki Football opens fall camp
08/06/2016 | 2:00:00 | Football
Photo Gallery | Video Recap | Complete Hill Audio
The Southern Illinois football program kicked off the 2016 season with a split-squad practice on Saturday at Saluki Stadium. The program veterans practiced in the morning, while the rest of the team had a separate practice in the afternoon. In a "split-squad" practice, like today, each player practices only one time. The team's "Two-a-Days" will take place later in camp.
"This is the first time out here since the spring game, so there's going to be some ups and downs," head coach Nick Hill said. "Overall, I was pretty happy. We can get better, and we're excited about getting back out here."
The 2016 team returns 14 starters—six on offense, six on defense and two on special teams—from the 2015 season. The team will have camp over the next two weeks before the entire 102-man roster comes together when school starts. Southern's season-opener is September 3 at Florida Atlantic, and Nick Hill's home opener is set for September 10 vs. Southeast Missouri.
Season tickets are on sale now at the Saluki ticket office. Full season tickets start at only $85 and three-game mini plans are available for only $55.50. Secure your tickets by calling 877-SALUKIS.
Below are more of Hill's comments after the first practice of the season. Mike Reis provides complete audio from Nick HIll after today's practice HERE.Â
ON THE SPLIT-SQUAD PRACTICES ON DAY 1
"It's something new that we're going to do. Other schools do it, and we looked into it and thought that, for this team, it would be beneficial. We have a lot of transfers, and we have a big freshman class. They don't know what the drills look like. We can really slow it down and teach them. We know there's going to be a lot of mistakes, but they get a lot more reps."
"You learn best when you go out and mess up a couple times. You get it on film and you're able to learn from watching yourself. Tomorrow, we'll all come together."
ON WHAT HE LIKES MOST ABOUT THE 2016 SALUKIS
"I like our attitude; I like our team. The biggest expectation, the goal of this camp, is how we come together as a team. I feel good about the pieces that we have; we have some talented pieces out here, but we have to come together and play hard all the time."
ON WHAT NEEDS TO IMPROVE FROM 2015
"We have to learn how to compete and win. We've talked about the little things, the finer details. Everybody can get better. We were 3-8 last year, and a lot of those pieces are gone. So it's all about competing and learning. That's why we do different drills and put things on the line. We need to learn how to compete with things on the line, like it is in a game. That's the biggest thing, learning how to win."
ON PRACTICING IN ONLY HELMETS TODAY
"You can get a lot of work in without pads, especially with the way the game is going and the rules we have. If you go to the NFL, All those mini-camps, there aren't any pads on, but they go 11-on-11, and they know how to work together and get the work in. That's what we have to do. Even when we go full pads, we're not going to be out here killing each other."
ON WHAT HE'S LOOKING FOR
"Part of winning is getting out there and seeing things go your way. You have to get that feeling of winning. Until we do that, we try to create things here in practice, but ultimately, it's going back to the early 2000s. We've talked about it with our senior class. It takes a class, a group, a year that gets us over that hump. That's when a program can take off, when the freshmen see what it takes, this is what the expectations are and this is how it's done. We have to find the group that's going to do that."
#Salukis first practice. Coach Austin @coachflyger says "You should run that guy back to the 1983 Championship sign" pic.twitter.com/PBmh5rPi06
— Saluki Football (@SIU_Football) August 6, 2016
Hard work pays off.
— Saluki Football (@SIU_Football) August 6, 2016
Watch @17NickHill surprise Charlie Harris with a scholarship on the night before camp opens. pic.twitter.com/ztF1gfafNQ
Hello @SIU_Football ! Happy football is back on the weekends pic.twitter.com/0lLIuiS4CZ
— MK Burgess (@MKBurgessKFVS) August 6, 2016
First practice day of camp 2016! Let's go!!!#runwithus pic.twitter.com/ujRQ0kLaVP
— Brandon Harthan (@harthanb85) August 6, 2016
First practice of the season for @SIU_Football in the books. @17NickHill set the bar high and challenged his guys to meet it. Like it.
— Todd Hefferman (@THefferman) August 6, 2016
