Day 2 of practice well underway, with more actual live scrimmage type action going on. As expected, Mike Brown and Tommy Beecher are splitting reps with the first teamers at quarterback, and B.J. Hayes and Danny Broggin are both working with the first team at tailback. Broggin is showing a little more explosiveness than I remember in the spring, but remember, there’s no hitting yet, so that view is a little skewed. Lots of special teams work going on tonight as well.

Not a whole lot to report in the way of notes. Here’s head coach Danny Rocco‘s assessment of the second day of practice:

“They worked hard. You’re sitting here at the beginning of camp, we’re out here at night. I don’t know how cool it is, but it’s awfully cool. You would expect a spirited practice, No. 2, 65 degrees at night, and we got that. I just told them that the reality is when they came here, they expected it to be hot. It’s going to be hot and hard, and it’s going to change here tomorrow. They’ve got to accept that challenge. Camp should be hard. Camp should be hot. We’ll get into that mode starting tomorrow.“

Indeed, it was a tad chilly tonight, with temperatures in the high 60s. By Sunday, it’s supposed to be 95 degrees with humidity, so it will feel more like training camp and less like an October walkthrough.

“Really, football with no pads is like a contradiction of terms,“ Rocco said. “I don’t know how you play football with no pads, but that’s the way we have to begin training camp. We really did a good job of pushing it right to that edge. You can push it so far, and be so physical. Right up to that mark, kids are kind of anxious to put the shoulder pads on and cut it loose a little more. So that was encouraging to me.

“I’d say the thing that jumped out to me is that some of these running backs are starting to look like they’re going to have a chance. B.J. Hayes made some really good looking runs today. He seems like he’s confident. He’s bigger, about 190 pounds. (Danny) Broggin got better. He’s better than he was in the spring. And SirChauncey Holloway looks like he’s going to have a chance. Right off the bat, those are the three we were hoping would emerge.“

Onto the Q&A with Beecher, the former South Carolina quarterback. The blog will be quiet on LU practice until Tuesday after tonight, but I’ll be back then with a recap of the weekend and another Q&A, this one with nose guard Asa Chapman.

What’s been the biggest challenge for you, trying to learn your way around this team having not been here for spring practice?

“Just learning the offense. That’s been my biggest responsibility so far, just learning the offense. Coach (Brandon) Streeter (the offensive coordinator) has been great. My teammates have been great. I’ve developed team chemistry out here with these guys, just interacting with them.“

You were up here in the spring a little bit?

“I got to come to four spring practices and got a chance to watch the offense work a little bit, and just see how coach Streeter taught the quarterbacks. It was great for me just to get an idea what I was about to get into.“

Does it kill you that you’re a former Gamecock, and your coordinator is a former Clemson Tiger?

“You know, he gave me a little bit of crap about that because they’ve done a little better in the rivalry lately than the Gamecocks have. But coach Streeter has been great. He’s a great guy, a man of morals and values. I’ve learned a lot from him on the football field and off.“

When did you realize you were going to come here? When did things start to happen down in South Carolina?

“Well, things were rough in South Carolina, obviously. I didn’t know whether I was going to pursue a fifth year of football or not. Coach (Steve) Spurrier kind of urged the guys that weren’t getting to play a lot to kind of move on, maybe transfer. I had a choice to make, whether I was going to get into the working world or if I was going to play another year of football. At the bowl game, down in Tampa, I really felt led to pursue a fifth year. Our team chaplain down there, Adrian Dupree, he was friends with Jeff Barber, because Jeff Barber used to be at South Carolina. He had heard they had a quarterback leaving and there was some interest. I got a chance to come up and visit and I loved it. I loved the guys. They’re a great group. I’m looking forward to playing with them.“

Obviously, the curriculum helped too, seeing as you were pursuing something with the seminary?

“That’s kind of a bonus. I came here to play football, first and foremost. Getting a seminary degree is just kind of a bonus.“

How difficult was it for you last year, after that first game, just hearing everything that was being said in the media, on message boards, etc.?

“The first game didn’t go like I wanted it to. They expect you to be able to play well down there. I didn’t play well. It was kind of the way it went. You know, I enjoyed my four years at South Carolina. I learned a lot under coach Spurrier and the coaching staff and in my personal life. It was a real challenge, and I think I grew a lot from it. I wouldn’t trade those four years for anything.“

What were your first impressions of Mike Brown?

“Just how smart he is on the football field. I’ve learned so much from him. He’s kind of been my second coach, along with Spencer (Landis). I’ve had the privilege of spending a lot of time with them over the summer and they’ve just kind of taken me under their wing, trying to teach me the offense. Mike Brown, I’ve probably learned the most from him. He’s been an important figure in this whole thing, because I don’t have a lot of time to get ready.“

How much of the playbook do you know so far?

“I feel comfortable out there with what I know so far. We went through the summer, and I tried to learn the playbook. Now that I get to learn from coach Streeter, we take plays a day at a time. I’m learning a lot. I feel like I have a broad knowledge of it. I just need to learn the specifics.“

Any similarities between this offense and South Carolina’s?

“Some of the concepts are the same. The biggest difference is the mechanics, and the way coach Streeter wants things. That’s been one of the biggest challenges, trying to get the past four years out of my head, all of the footwork, and just doing it the way coach Streeter wants it done.“

Talking to Mike last week at the Big South media days, this doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a quarterback controversy. Each of you adds something to the position, and he’s comfortable with that. Do you kind of feel the same way?

“Oh yeah. I know Mike’s going to be on the field no matter what. Mike brings a lot to the table at the quarterback position. He’s a great athlete back there. He puts the ball on the money. I’ve got a great challenge to try to beat him out. He’s going to have a role in this offense no matter what. I won’t if I don’t win the quarterback position. So I’m going to do everything I can to get in that spot.“

What can you tell us about Freddy Brown, and what he’s going to bring to this team?

“I’m excited about Freddy getting up here. The best thing about Freddy is his knack to go up and get the ball while it’s up in the air. He was a big-time basketball player, so he can jump out of the building. I’ve never met anybody who has a knack for getting the ball like Freddy does. I feel just about as confident with Freddy as anybody because I know when the ball is up in the air, he’s going to go get it. I think he brings a lot to this team. The most important thing is him getting out here and learning the offense.“