Oct. 29, 2009

Monday night football coming to Lamar campus

BEAUMONT - Monday night football - Lamar University style - will hit campus under the lights and with all of the other normal trimmings at the Lamar Soccer Complex on Nov. 9.

Coach Ray Woodard and his staff will put their 65-man squad of scholarship players and walkons through a game-like scrimmage that will conclude the Cardinals' fall workouts in preparation for their fulltime return to football during the 2010 season. The scrimmage, which will be open to the public free of charge, will begin at 7 p.m.

"We're going to make this thing as close to a game experience as we can for the players, the coaches, the students and the fans," said Woodard. "We're encouraging tailgating before the scrimmage; the pep band and cheerleaders will be there, and folks are welcome to bring their lawn chairs, get comfortable and be ready for some exciting Monday night football."

Lack of numbers will prevent the coaches from splitting their squad into two separate teams, so the scrimmage will be conducted in offense vs. defense format with the No. 1s going against each other to start the proceedings. A scoring system will be devised that will allow the defense to compete with the offense for point totals.

"This is a way to get our players to work toward something in their last workouts leading up the scrimmage," said Woodard. "Things have been positive throughout our workouts so far, and this should allow the players to step up their intensity even more.

"Everyone will be approaching it as if we're working toward a real game. We'll all be competing, coaches and players alike. We want to work things at game tempo.

"Naturally, the defense can score a touchdown on an interception return or a fumble return, but we'll work out a system in which the defense can also be rewarded points for such things as a three-and-out, forcing turnovers or making negative plays such as sacks. I promise you it'll be competitive. It won't be a normal football practice."

The Cardinals will follow their fall workouts with offseason conditioning work before hitting the field again for spring training. They will play Lamar's first real game since 1989 at McNeese State on Sept. 4, 2010, and their home opener in newly-renovated, 17,000-seat Provost Umphrey Stadium will be the next Saturday night against Webber International, an NAIA school from Babson Park, Fla.