Pirates Continue Preparations for Bearcats
August 28, 2003 | Football
The Pirates will face the Bearcats at 12 noon on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 1, at UC's Nippert Stadium. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
The temperature at the first horn at practice this afternoon was 95 degrees. The heat index in Greenville was expected to near 110 degrees for the second straight day. First-year head coach John Thompson has kept his practice plan on track with special precautions taken against heat-related health problems.
"It's been really hot. We've adjusted some practice a little and put more breaks in," Thompson said. "You come out and you can't take a deep breath now. But that's part of it. We had to deal with the rain the first few weeks and now we've got to deal with this. But it may be hot Monday in Cincinnati and we'll be ready for it."
The Pirates spent over two hours on the practice fields this afternoon and have another two days of drills planned before departing for Cincinnati on Sunday.
"You start to feel that the game is getting a lot closer," Thompson said. "I can tell that the intensity level has picked up. Our focus is better. We definitely need a few more days. This heat has taken its toll on us, but the guys have really worked hard. All our focus is making sure everything is in place."
