FB Practice Report - Scrimmage #1

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Southern football team took part in their first full scrimmage of the year, Thursday, battling each other as well as the elements, spending the majority of the time in a steady downpour. Despite the hard work and poor weather, the day ended with all smiles as Coach Jay Mills surprised the team by pulling up in an ice cream truck.

“We ask so much out of these guys on a daily basis,” said Mills. “This was one small way that we could show them that we appreciate them. One of our donors, Bill Blanton, made all of this possible. I don’t think it matters if you are six or a 22-year-old, 300-pound lineman, when you hear the jingle of the ice cream truck it brings a smile to your face.”

As for the scrimmage, the team started out with normal drills, including practice kicking situations before getting into the situational scrimmage for a little over an hour.

The first-team offense looked good, getting a first down on three of their first four attempts at a third-and-long. A.J. Toscano (R-Jr.) continued to take snaps with the first team offense, although has not been named the starter for the season-opener against the Florida Gators.

“Coming out of spring practice, A.J. was our number one quarterback,” said Mills. “There is a lot to be determined before the Florida game, though. A.J. has been in our system for a year and a half already, whereas Andrew Trudnowski has only been here since the spring. That means the learning curve is steeper and even though Andrew has higher to climb, he is making much bigger jumps in his progress.”

Antwan Ivey (So.) had the biggest highlight of the day, breaking a 70-yard touchdown run on another third-down play.

The team also focused on short-yardage goal line and red zone situations before ending with a brief time of conditioning. As they wrapped up the team final meeting, the jingle from the ice cream truck drew attention to the end zone where Mills pulled up to the gate, opening the doors for the team.

CSU will hold their annual media day at noon Friday.