LORMAN – Obviously hungry Alcorn State football players walked from the buffet line with plates piled high with fried chicken, fried catfish, baked beans and potato salad at Alcorn’s Media Day Thursday.

After scrimmages Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, and with another scrimmage planned for Saturday, it is understandable that the Braves players weren’t about to pass up a meal.

But according to head coach Johnny Thomas, most of his players have been eating right and exercising all summer.

&uot;I had about 85 to 90 percent of the guys report to practice in outstanding physical condition,&uot; he said. &uot;That’s helped us fight through the heat.&uot;

Some teams aren’t conditioned enough to practice in the heat of the day, he said, and practices have to take place at night.

&uot;We’ve been able to stay on our practice schedule,&uot; Thomas said, of 5:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. practices.

But even in the heat and early hours, &uot;We’ve had spirited, enthusiastic, concentrated practices,&uot; Thomas said.

That attitude has carried over into the scrimmages, according to former Natchez High and Copiah-Lincoln Community College stand-out Ken Washington.

&uot;It was lovely,&uot; he said of Thursday’s scrimmage. &uot;The ‘D’ stepped up, the freshmen stepped up and the running backs were getting it.&uot;

Thomas said Washington caught his eye Thursday morning with a fine defensive performance. Freshman running back Marcus Dangerfield earned his coach’s praise as well.

Senior quarterback Surhaver Fair, who entered the season competing with junior Damion Ford for the starting job, apparently earned the starting nod with solid play in the scrimmages.

&uot;He’s going to be a good one,&uot; Thomas said of Fair.

Thomas said he thought several players played well in the scrimmages, but he was waiting to watch tapes of the games to see how well everyone actually did.

&uot;We’re going to look at the film and see who did what we asked them to do,&uot; he said, &uot;and redefine our personnel if necessary.&uot;

Thomas said he wants to have the best group of players possible for what he considers the most important game of the year – the season opener at Grambling State Sept. 2.

&uot;We have to beat Grambling – bottom line,&uot; he said. &uot;We need to establish a sense of urgency on our team. We need to win.&uot;

Washington agreed.

&uot;A win would show us what we’ve worked so hard for all summer,&uot; he said. &uot;If we win this one, I feel like we can win all of them.&uot;