The Troy State newcomers practiced for two hours on Wednesday morning in shorts and helmets and then worked out for approximately 90 minutes later in the afternoon before rain and lightning chased the Trojans indoors.

Despite the shortened workout, in which the team focused on fundamentals and introduced basic offensive and defensive schemes, head coach Larry Blakeney seemed pleased with the group’s second and final day of workouts.

"We got out and spread the field a little bit today and got some good work in," Blakeney said. "We had great physical execution for the most part."

Blakeney highlighted the efforts of several players, including the two freshman quarterbacks in camp ­ Kacson Maddox of Hamilton, Ga., and Josh Russell of Sumiton. Blakeney also noted the workouts by wide receiver Eric Felton (Ft. Myers, Fla.) and punter Brian Bowen (Statesboro, Ga.), both junior college transfers, and freshman punter Matt Ward from Grissom High School in Huntsville.

"All four of those guys really stood out," Blakeney said. "I thought our quarterbacks both threw the ball well and delivered it to the receivers. Eric Felton has a chance to be a good player for us at his position, and our kickers looked sharp. They all came out and worked hard."

The team’s first full-squad workout is scheduled for Thursday morning at 7:30. The returning players spent the majority of Wednesday in meetings.

The Trojans open their season Sept. 1 against Nebraska in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers are ranked No. 4 in the preseason coaches poll.