Southern Miss football coach Todd Monken decided to have some fun with his players at the end of the team’s practice on Thursday. The first-year coach put some players through fun events, and then he pulled a prank.
Monken had some players try to catch booming punts, and then he had others participate in a dizzy punt competition. Then, the coaches formed a pit full of pads and hid a ball in the middle. Two players would dive into the pile to see who could uncover the ball. For the second race to find the ball, Monken called on one offensive player and one defensive player to go against each other. He promised an all-you-can-eat barbecue meal for the offense or defense depending on which player found the ball. Only there was one issue: there was no ball in the pile.
The players were scrambling to find something that wasn’t there, and it wasn’t until after about 30 seconds that someone finally tossed a ball in the middle.
After an 0-12 season last year, keeping a loose atmosphere might be just what the Golden Eagles need.
