Football Bucs Return to Campus

CHARLESTON, S.C. – First thing Wednesday morning, the Charleston Southern campus began to buzz again as the 2008 football team reported to campus for the start of fall practice.  The players started checking into their dorms at 8 a.m., and will spend the day getting settled before their first practice, scheduled for 3:30 p.m., Thursday.

“I am confident in our coaching staff and confident in these players and the work that they have put in during the off-season,” said Head Coach Jay Mills. “The Bible says in Proverbs, ‘Just as iron sharpens iron, so does one man sharpen another,’ and I think that says a lot about what we expect this season. We have greater depth than we ever have, and I think that leads to very healthy competition at just about every position.”

In 2008, Charleston Southern will be part of one of the first college football games of the season as they kickoff at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28, against the Hurricanes of Miami, inside Dolphin Stadium. For the first time in school history, the Bucs will take on more than one FBS (formerly I-A) opponent, as they go to Miami of Ohio during week three of the season.

The Buccaneers are coming off a 5-6 season, which included a trip across the Pacific Ocean to play Hawaii. Kicker Nick Ellis set the school records for the longest field goal (48-yards against Hawaii) and the most field goals made in a game (four against Savannah State), while all-conference selection Dee Brown tied Eddie Gadson and Maurice Price for the school record with 13 receptions in a game.