Aug. 24, 2010

MEMPHIS, TENN. - Eleven days from the Tigers' first game under new head coach Larry Porter the squad has officially broken training camp and is continuing to prepare for the Sept. 4 season opener with Mississippi State in Starkville.

The players, which were all required to move into the South Hall dorm during training camp, moved out of the dorm today. The squad had one practice this afternoon in full pads and continued to work through situational drills and establishing the two deep.

"The only difference is that we have now moved out of the dorm," said Porter. "Our practices, as far as the focus and the things that we have to improve on are still the same."

Porter explained that he had the team move in together to help build chemistry amongst the players.

"I think that is one of the reasons why when it was really bad in terms of the heat and adversity, this team did not fall apart," explained Porter.

Porter was pleased with today's workout, saying that it was "another improved day."

"There was a great amount of communication. There was more continuity on both sides of the ball. We practiced with more of a calmness in terms of situations and being able to execute. As you get closer to game day, the focus starts to tighten as well as now the level of execution is starting to rise and that is what you want."

The Tigers open the 2010 season on the road the first two weeks. They open with Mississippi State on Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. on ESPNU, and travel to Greenville, N.C., to face Conference USA foe East Carolina on Sept. 11 in a game to be televised by CSS. Tiger Nation will welcome the Tigers to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for Porter's first home game on Sept. 18 against Middle Tennessee. That will also be the first chance for U of M fans to experience Tiger Lane, a unique tailgating experience. Tiger Lane contains over 550 reserved parking spaces specifically designed to enhance the game-day experience. Plans call for the team to enter each game with the "Tiger Walk" to take place along Tiger Lane. The team will walk among the fans and will be led into the stadium by the band, TOM III and the spirit squads.

Coach Larry Porter's first weekly press luncheon will be held next Monday, Aug. 30, and will be streamed live starting at noon at www.GoTigersGo.com through the Memphis Tiger Vision All-Access subscription service. Memphis Tiger Vision is also the site for live streaming of select games not carried by national television as well as the official Tiger Radio Network broadcast of games.

See below for videos from Coach Larry Porter and center Brad Paul.