Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/12/2010 at 11:31pm

CONWAY - The University of Central Arkansas Bears endured the heat on their first day in full pads Thursday, but head coach Clint Conque said the players responded well.

“I think they handled it very well, very positive," Conque said. “It was 102 degrees out there, and a couple of guys had to take a break here and there, but I thought overall for the fifth day, with your legs a little heavy, I thought it was a pretty crisp practice.

“It was a very spirited practice and we got a lot accomplished. It was very competitive out there."

The defense was probably slightly ahead of the offense again Thursday, according to Conque.

“I thought the defense had another good day," he said, “but the offense also had its moments in the team section of practice. But when we went to the 24 line-of-scrimmage snaps, the defense had the upper hand there.

“Our defense is playing very fast and that’s encouraging. At times, I don’t think we’re playing as hard as we need to on offense, and we’re still looking for some leaders to emerge on that side of the ball."

The two-minute offense was inserted in the mix Thursday, as well as more phases of the kicking game.

“We introduced two-minute [offense], using it as both a teaching tool and conditioning tool, and that went well," Conque said. “And we’re continuing to move along in the kicking game. Of course [All-Southland Conference kicker Eddie] Carmona is out with an injury at this point. But David Bailey, a junior college transfer from Kilgore, and freshman Caleb Noe, are getting a lot of quality reps, and that can only help us, not only for depth this year, but for the future.’

Defenders who stood out Thursday included defensive backs Henry Minor and Radarius Winston, linebacker Lamar Moore and tackle Matthew Hornbuckle. On the offensive side, it was quarterback Wynrick Smothers and running back Anthony Blackmon.

“Henry Minor had a good practice today," Conque said. “And Mathew Hornbuckle, a transfer from the University of Buffalo, seems to be starting to emerge as a guy we can count on this year. Radarius Winston and Lamar Moore both had good days as well.

“And I thought once again, Wynrick Smothers did some positive things today. That’s really turning into a competitive situation at quarterback. And Anthony Blackmon was solid at running back today."

The Bears will practice once Friday afternoon before opening two-a-days on Saturday, with the first scrimmage set for 4 p.m. Saturday.

Tagged: Anthony Blackmon, Eddie Carmona, Henry Minor, Clint Conque, David Bailey, Wynrick Smothers