TCU junior cornerback Rafael Priest couldn’t sleep Sunday night.
After a lengthy bout of tossing and turning, he finally got out of bed at 5 a.m. Monday, eagerly anticipating the beginning of team workouts.
"I’m real anxious,"
Priest said. "Everybody is anxious to get out here and compete and get better."
The Horned Frogs did their best to impress coach Gary Patterson during their opening practice Monday, persevering through 105-degree heat in the first step to improve on last season’s 8-5 record.
"I thought a lot of kids fought through,"
Patterson said. "We finished well and the kids were still running at the end, and that’s what we want. They’ll do better [today]."
Patterson had several breaks scheduled into practice as the Frogs worked out for more than two hours. And the ice-water tubs were ready when practice was over.
The Frogs will practice at midday every day this week, then have their first two-practice day Saturday. TCU rarely shies away from practicing in the heat, something Texas A&M and Texas Tech avoided as they held practices Monday evening.
"Everybody knows it’s hot out here, but it’s a game we chose to play, a game we love,"
Priest said. "We’ve got to push through it, and that’ll give us an advantage in the heat."
Junior tailback Joseph Turner said he was impressed with how the freshmen looked in their first practice as they took "tons of reps and they didn’t complain."
And they all seemed to be in the right places at the right times — and knew exactly what to do.
Well, almost.
Priest said a freshman running back — he wouldn’t name any names — was asked to break down practice after the morning walk-through.
"We come into the huddle every day and everybody starts clapping,"
Priest said. "We say, 'Breakdown!’
and you’re supposed to say, 'Give me two,’ and everybody claps twice and says, 'Go Frogs!’
"He said, 'Give me one, two, three, four,’ and we all started laughing."
Well, not everything can go perfect on the first day.
