Second day of practice; Media Day

Hey everyone, quick update on what's going on with the FIU football team this morning. As many of you know, its been pouring, but that didn't stop the guys from practicing. I was out at FIU at 8:30 a.m. when practice was opened to the media.

A few things of note:

After being limited in practice yesterday OL Cedric Mack was practicing with the offensive line. I watched Mack running a few blocking drills and all I can say is, he's a really big guy (listed at 320 on the roster).

I also saw WR Junior Mertile running receiving routes and he looks completely healthy from the knee injury that sidelined him last season.

Notes from Media Day (camera wasn't working right so I couldn't take any pictures)

Coach Cristobal (left) gave some updates on injuries.

S Ash Parkers is 100 percent healthy after having injured his knee in the first game of the previous two seasons.

LB Toronto Smith praised Parkers' perseverance in battling back from his injuries. "If you look at Ash play you can not tell he had an injury at all. Ash is never a person to have his head down and fell sorry for himself. He's making plays...he's a leader."

DE Thatcher Starling injured his back and needs further evaluation. His status is undetermined.

WR T.Y. Hilton is healthy and ready to play.

Cristobal touched on a number of different things during his 30 minute news conference.

QB BATTLE

"Right away we threw both of them into the fire and picked up right from where we left off in spring ball. Its a complete test. To run this offenses you have to be that guy. You have to be as sharp as the offensive coordinator and be on the same page." Cristobal stressed that both QBs are being equally evaluated and that he will not choose a starter until one clearly stands out. "Both have done a pretty good job," he added.

Cristobal praised third team QB Jake Medlock. "He's done some real good things as well."

WR CORE

Cristobal started off by mentioning T.Y. Hilton and the impact he can have on the upcoming season. "Nice thing now is that you have a Ty Frierson as a senior that's really put a lot of time into this program and is playing good football. Wayne Times is an All-Conference freshman performer," he said. Cristobal went on to say that when you add Greg Ellingson and Willis Wright to the mix, "there are some options there and what that means is competition has gotten that much better."

RUNNING GAME

"Big emphasis in fall camp on not only running the ball but stopping the run." Cristobal also mentioned all that Jeremiah Hardin, Darriet Perry and Darrian Mallary are all healthy and ready to play.

SCHEDULE

"The schedule is what it is. We are always going to approach ever opponent like we always do." Cristobal was asked what the team learned about playing such a tough schedule last year. "First and foremost, that we still have a ways to go before we reach an Alabama level. More importantly we learned the importance of depth."

More to come

Comments

[CJ]

thanks for the Update Justin and or Beasley.. (the name this may be a good idea to continue.. not to bash whoever wrote it but rather to know who to thank for the article/blog updated) lookin foward to some of those pics. glad to see that big Ced. is out there practiceing

[NMB]

Great job Justin, nice to see that the FIU team is getting coverage on a daily basis. It's awesome to see that rain doesn't stop the sports section on the Herald from being right there on the spot to see FIU practice. Way to go team. Keep us up to date on the news.

[kjharris02]

Thanks Justin or Adam!!! I was looking for some pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and more info i the TE positions, (especially how #86 Harris is doing!) Thanks

[K-Man]

Sign your name after the post. Keep the info streaming in.

[chiaPanther]

Love the daily coverage, we won't get bored of it... Keep it comming.

[TheChampionUnderdog]

that is good news.. im looking for c mack to be an anchor on that line this year.

[FIUBlueandGold]

Nice job gentleman....don't let us down.

[FIUJM]

Good updates Adam and Justin! Hopefully you're appreciating covering FIU. Pete did amazing job. He earned the respect of coaches and readers. I have a feeling you guys can grow to like FIU.

Pete, if you're reading this make sure to look for Carne Asada and Gallopinto against Rutgers when we tailgate. We going to hook you up!!! You know you're our boy. Section 112 bringing it this year.

GO FIU!!!

[alt7787]

Wow! Another front page FIU story. I know we wont be getting these every day, especially when the season starts, but I love it!

There's a perception that noone cares about FIU and that noone demands coverage, but this stems mainly from the fact that people don't know much about FIU athletics. If the Herald can print more FIU stories, they can inform people about FIU sports and if the team does well you'll see the demand increase. Focusing only on UM is not good for business. There is so much money to be made from FIU sports and if the Herald got behind us, they would lead the charge in bringing new fans to FIU.

Great stories though! I can't wait for Sept 11th. Support our troops too! (Had to throw that in there for the patriotic people).

[The Point]

alt7787,

I agree with you 100%. We had some issues before with negative vs positive articles because journalism should not be slanted one way or the other (but blogs probably should). The last few articles have not been slanted and they have an exciting air about them, which in turn helps the reader believe in the importance of the article. I think this is something that was severely lacking until recently.

That being said, I really appreciate Justin and Adam's blogging and articles. They sound like they are written by someone who wants their reader to be interested, which will result in an interested readership.

[FIU Fanatic]

Agree with the posters here. We do appreciate when an honest effort to cover FIU in an objective and dignified way is done by our writers. Congrats on the coverage, and thanks for all the effort and information being provided to your constituents...Us.

[panther viscosity]

good stuff guys, appreciate the updates.

[danny ryan]

Adam, are you sure MC when praising Medlock referred to him as the third strig QB ? Or was
that your doing? It seems very premature to say he's the third string after one day of practice.I would hate to think that there is NO
competition...

[CJ]

in all honesty i would love to see medlock make major strides this training camp... the qB of the future for us. kid had great stats/size/ coming in but was injured... if he starts getting some good pub and becomes the 3rd string this year.. could you imagine the competition that we would have next year between him/carrol/cato?.... i like what MC is doing w/ the QB position... now can he please fix the line!

[FIUDK]

3 FIU stories on herald front page on 3 straight days:

People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy . . . .

[The Cage]

Thanks a lot. This is very good coverage and help us keep informed. I am glad that The Herald realized the mistake the were making keeping FIU sports on the sidelines.
Way go go FIU, I can't wait for the season to start.

[danny ryan]

cj, I would love to see everyone make strides
but the point is they should earn it not just be appointed third string when players are bustin their tails to get playing time. Let them all compete and let the true BEST players play..

[FIUwillRise]

Can't wait until football season begins!! Lets go FIU!!

[PRacrePerAcre1]

Good to be able to read something new so often. Keep up the great work!

[Gazi]

Danny Ryan, Cristobal did say third string. Check out the video on FIUsports.com

[panther viscosity]

I think most freshman start off as third string and have to work their way up to the two deep. No one is handed anything they have to earn it, so as of now medlock is third team but who knows cristobal said he was really standing out.

[FIU Fanatic]

I think he is referring to walk on QB Chris Schirripa, from Cardinal Gibbons HS who redshirted last season, and returns this year as a redshirt freshman.

[bwill75]

CJ

Are you kidding me. Cato? I dont think you know much about that kid, but if he makes it to FIU he will never make it at QB. I have seen him while he was at Miami Springs and he has some real character issues. If he makes it to FIU he will probably play some other position.

[FIURage]

Character issues yes, but that can change at the next level. Maturing is a part of D1 footballl.