HANOVER – Sammy McCorkle did not default to A&I, but he very well could have channeled Buddy Teevens’ and used one of the former Dartmouth coach's favorite expressions.
Yup, the Big Green adjusted and improvised.
After practicing in a drizzle Sunday to give the team a taste of what it would be like should it rain for the opener on Lehigh’s true grass field, the Dartmouth coach had his team indoors for the third session of preseason early Monday morning.
The original practice schedule would have had the team outdoors on Blackman Fields in the afternoon, but McCorkle, uh, adjusted the time and place even before overnight rains made Blackman slick.
With classes ending Wednesday and exams starting Saturday, the idea was to avoid any possible academic conflicts in the final week of the summer term. But McCorkle feels that just as practicing in the rain had value to the team, so did moving the session inside.
“We had to get a practice in here anyway, mainly for the young guys who have never practiced in this facility,” McCorkle said from the IPF sideline after the session. “We want to make sure they understand exactly where to go, what the tempo is like – which never changes – and learn how to practice in here.
“We told the guys in advance that we were going early and then with all the rain we had last night and the dew and wetness out there, this made more sense.”
For McCorkle well remembers the first few years after he arrived in Hanover in 2005 when inclement weather forced the team to either practice in the rain or fight for space on the limited – and unlined – Leverone Field house turf.
“Oh gosh,” he said of the memory. “You’d have to shorten practice and couldn’t do a lot of stuff. Here you can do just about everything you can do in beautiful weather outside in the stadium.
“You can accomplish everything you need in here. We don’t miss anything. Not a day and not a rep. It allows us to be efficient and productive.”
HOW WAS PRACTICE?
McCorkle: “It was a good day with good energy. I tell you, guys like coming here early in the morning. It helps the energy level when you're in here. It's louder and you don't have as much distance to go. So their energy better be good, which it was.
“We had inside drill today and our offensive line, from the first group to the second group, and all the way back, were coming off the ball. They were playing aggressive and the defensive line was working hard at getting off blocks. Both groups did a good job of competing today. They were aggressive, but at the same time they were playing smart and taking care of each other.”
ABOUT THAT EARLY MORNING THING
According to senior safety Harrison Keith, McCorkle is on to something. Practicing before most college students even climb out of bed has a positive side.
“We’re all in it together,” explained Keith. “We got out of meetings around 9 o'clock or whatever last night and then you have to take care of business and go to bed, because our alarms are going off at 4:30.
“It's kind of cool seeing everyone scoot around campus coming down to the locker room in the pitch black.”
Like McCorkle, the Dartmouth co-captain felt the early wake-up call led to a spirited practice.
“The guys were tired, but that’s just another reason to bring the energy,” he said. “You have to. The coaches might have expected us to be a little lackadaisical, but we weren’t.
“I think we brought a lot of energy this morning and part of it was because we were here so early.”
ANYONE CATCH YOUR EYE, COACH?
McCorkle: “The wide receivers. Nick Lemon. Cam Bates. Luke Rives. Ian Scott made some big plays. Grayson (Saunier) and Noah (Trigueros) threw the ball well. Across the board, the quarterbacks did a heck of a job. We had some good offensive plays.
“Offensively, the line showed up. I liked the way Julian Sutton was coming off the ball. I enjoyed watching Hashem (Saleh) pancake a couple guys. And Myles (Craddock) looking good running downhill.”
While the offense stepped up, there were defensive standouts.
“Joshua Johnson, of course,” McCorkle said. “I liked Chris Chol coming off the edge and young Ayo Adeniyi showed something. I thought there were three of him out there because he was everywhere.”
NO DOUBLE TROUBLES
When McCorkle first arrived at Dartmouth, the Big Green was still having double sessions. By NCAA decree, those days are in the past. For most of the preseason, Dartmouth is on the field for three consecutive days, then has a day of meetings or other off-the-field responsibilities like Tuesday’s “media day,” and then returns to action.
“It’s completely different than it used to be,” the coach said. “Now it’s just being smarter across the board. This gives us a lot more time to watch film and make corrections. Back in the day, you’d watch film and be right back on the field without this kind of meeting and preparation time. There’s more instruction time because we have more time to do that.
“This also gives the guys a chance to be physically and mentally ready when they come back out. That means eating right, resting, getting off their feet, getting the right amount of treatment, and staying hydrated.”
Back when McCorkle played at Florida, at least part of the reason for double sessions was to help the players get in football shape. That’s not as important these days for one simple reason.
“The guys come back ready,” McCorkle said. “It’s a different mentality. High school coaches do a great job with that. And a lot of these guys have their own personal trainers now. With social media they can watch YouTube to see how other guys train to come back.
“Obviously, we do a good job with communication, making sure guys handle their part of it each and every day so they are prepared when they get back.”
THE THREE ON, ONE OFF MODEL
McCorkle is compartmentalizing the three-day on, one day off format.
“The first three, because you are only in helmets and then today in ‘uppers,’ is a lot of assignments,” he said. “You’re really focusing on making sure guys are sound with being where they should be. It’s about effort, technique, and assignments.
“The next three, you are starting to add more in. There’s a longer list of stuff we need them to know. We’ve got two more days before we go to full pads, but as that happens, you start to pick up the intensity, aggressiveness, and physicality. That’s what we’ll be looking for in the second phase.”
McCorkle has an added NFL source to tap for ideas this fall as he puts his stamp on the preseason. His oldest daughter, Maddie, is working for the Miami Dolphins as a staff assistant in football and business administration after finishing her master’s at the University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.
“I talk to her, and we compare notes,” he said. “I pick her brain to see how we can emulate what the Dolphins do. Those are fun phone conversations with her.”
AHEAD OR BEHIND?
The Big Green is neither after three practices, per its head coach.
“We’re right where you want to be,” McCorkle said. “Assignment-wise, I’m very happy. Guys are in the right spot, and that’s the most important part.
“Next, it’s going to be about, 'OK, now you are confident that you’re in the right spot, so go play fast.' That will be the big test for a lot of guys who haven’t had as many snaps as guys have in the past.”
ON TAP
Tuesday is officially titled “Media Day.” In years gone by, TV stations from Manchester and Burlington, Vt., might stop in to do an interview or two, and a reporter from the local daily might be joined by someone from the venerable Union-Leader.
With newspaper coverage drying up and TV “talking heads” preferring to stop by an actual practice or two, the first off day of the preseason is more of a photo day. Head shots will be taken for the team website, for TV broadcasts, and to satisfy the occasional media inquiry.
“They’ll all look pretty tomorrow,” McCorkle joked with a grin. “They can do their hair and makeup.”
The team will return to the field Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before the annual Storrs Pond Day picnic, swimming, boating, and more on Saturday.