LIVE UPDATES from Friday afternoon practice

[PonyPride]

PonyFans.com will present LIVE UPDATES from Friday afternoon's practice, which will mark the first time this season the Ponies have gone through two practices in a single day. The afternoon practice will be from 3:30-5 p.m.

Tell your boss you have a meeting or a conference call and close your office door so you can spend the afternoon with PonyFans.com. (Those of you without office doors: just blatantly ignore your jobs. It's all about priorities here.)

[SApony]

Anyone know how the transfer from Syracuse is looking?

[PonyPride]

Randy McKinnon looks good. He's not the tallest guy in the world (he said a couple of weeks ago that he's 5-10), but he's very solid (he looks every ounce of his reported 210). He is fitting in well on individual position drills and when the team does seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills. Hard to tell what kind of hitter he'll be, since the Ponies don't really hit in practice, but he certainly looks strong enough to pop someone. McKinnon also said a couple of days ago that he feels very comfortable with the concepts of the defense, saying he has "got it down pretty good," and said the more he practices within the system, the more instinctive (and therefore able to react without thinking) he will became as the system becomes more second-nature to him.

[PonyPride]

Those who never get the appreciation they deserve — the equipment guys and the trainers — got out on the field around 2:45, setting up the Jugs machine, ice water, etc.

First three players on the field: deep snappers John Hussey, Mark Voosen and Jonathan Wallunas.

Next Mustang on the field: Viktoria Leks, star high jumper on the track team who is working out on her own.

[PonyPride]

Man of many talents: as the players have started filtering out of the tunnel on to the field (practice doesn't officially start for another 15 minutes), some guys are throwing the ball around.

Just saw a great over-the-soulder one-handed catch by ... Matt Szymanski, who then turned and fired a 50-yard strike downfield to Braden Smith.

[PonyPride]

Uh oh .... looks like some guys are in jerseys with numbers other than what they're supposed to be wearing, so if I get a name wrong (seriously ... it's possible), bear with me. Especially with the new guys — for instance, I think that's Randy McKinnon wearing No. 5 (instead of 3, his real number).

[PonyPride]

Clearly not a full-team session (the focus in the afternoon is special teams), or at least not so far (if it's being done like last year, the rest of the team might be showing up after meetings).

At the moment, it looks like nearly 50 guys on the field.

[The PonyGrad]

Is this were the live updates will appear?

[PonyPride]

On the outside looking in: Charles Clay (ankle) and Sterling Moore (turf toe) are riding stationary bikes while the others are stretching and warming up.

[PonyPride]

Is this were the live updates will appear?

You are correct, sir!

[PonyPride]

Looks like the non-special teams guys will be taking part. Kyle Padron and (injured wide receiver) Ryan Walker are throwing behind the end zone.

[Mestengo]

Pony Pride is your video guy going to be there in the am?

[PonyPride]

Pony Pride is your video guy going to be there in the am?

Yup!

[PonyPride]

Does speed beat size? Sometimes. Team doing four-on-one coverage drills, and Justin Sorrell (listed at 5-10, 195) stood returner Kevin Pope (5-10, 225) straight up and stopped him in his tracks.Billy Dugal,

[PonyPride]

New drill, in which two players line up, one five yards behind the other, and take off in a sprint. when they reach a pair of cones, the first guy turns around to take on the second player as a blocker (simulating a blocker retreating on a kickoff and turning to block). The "blocking" player then has to get his feet underneath himself and force the oncoming player out of bounds. Some of the more lopsided matchups:
• Defensive back Kenneth Acker knocked safety Brett Haness off-balance before plowing over him.
• Safety Randall Joyner barely flinched as running through sophomore transfer Steven McCormack
• Some matchups aren't fair: cornerback Chris Parks, who has excellent speed, lined up behind running back Billy Dugal. Parks closed the gap so quickly that by the time Dugal turned around, Parks was almost by him.