Sports

MATHEWS: BOLL WEEVILS NOT READY FOR GOLDEN LIONS

By Sean Saunders/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Thursday, August 21, 2008 11:47 PM CDT

MONTICELLO — The Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils are as ready to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Aug. 30 as coach Gwaine Mathews is ready to take a walk in the moonlight, the UAM head man said Thursday morning.

The problem is that the Weevils have yet to set foot on their practice field this week because Mathews is afraid that one session would completely tear up the pitch. The practice field is unplayable because the Monticello area has received 8 1/3 inches of rain this month, according to the National Weather Service.

“In all my years of football, I’ve never seen anything like this,” Mathews said. “If I go out on my practice field, I will tear it up beyond recognition.”

In the past four days, a quarterback has not thrown a ball more than 20 yards in practice. Without an indoor practice facility, one of the only options has been to run in the gymnasium.

The Weevils even had to cancel their scrimmage under the lights of Convoy-Leslie Cotton Bowl Stadium because of the weather. They were scheduled to scrimmage Wednesday night to symbolize the halfway point of training camp.

“We were going to go outside yesterday, and right before we were going to go out onto the field, we just got a downpour,” Mathews said.

UAM ended up going to Warren to practice in the Lumberjacks’ indoor practice facility. The Weevils’ original schedule had them with the weekend off, but that is out the window as Mathews wants the team to have extra time to prepare for the season opener.

Mathews says he is about fed up with the weather situation. The weather was even the main story in the first full week of training camp.

“I don’t want to walk through anymore,” Mathews said. “I don’t want to be in the gym anymore. I just want to be outside.”

UAM is supposed to begin game preparations next week before taking on the Golden Lions. But with the lack of on-field time in training camp, the practice schedule might remain the same as it was before school started Wednesday, Mathews said.

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