March 19, 2007

Washington, D.C. - Georgetown University Head Football Coach Kevin Kelly kicked off his second season on spring workouts last week with the first of 14 days of practice for the Blue and Gray.

The team held its first workout on Wednesday, March 14, but practices scheduled for Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17 were postponed due to inclement weather in the Washington area.

Per NCAA rules, the team goes through two days of workouts without pads, practicing in shorts and with helmets on. Due to the snow and ice that hit the region last week, the Hoyas will have their first full day of contact on Tuesday morning, when the team hits the Multi-Sport Field at 7 a.m.

"The weather put us behind a couple of days," Kelly said from his office on Monday afternoon, "but we've had some great workouts and the kids have responded well.

"We're very young and we've got a lot of freshmen and sophomores who are still growing and learning, but I am excited, our staff is excited and I think everyone on the team is excited to make this a spring season that we can build on as we move forward in the Patriot League."

In Kelly's first season at the helm of the Hoyas, the Blue and Gray posted a 2-9 overall record and finished 0-6 in the Patriot League, but were among the youngest teams in the league, with only 13 seniors on the roster, including eight that were on the 2-deep depth chart.

The 2007 Hoyas will again be a young group - featuring Patriot League Rookie of the Year, running back Charlie Houghton (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Phillips (Mass.) Academy) - and Kelly is confident the 14 days of spring practice, which concludes with the team's spring game on Saturday April 14 (4 p.m.) l be a springboard for next season.

"We're looking forward to getting better, day in and day out," Kelly said. "The young men on this team took their off-season conditioning and workouts seriously and they have September 1 (the team's season opener at Stony Brook) as their top priority now."