Coach Rich Brooks got a good impression from his team?s first practice Tuesday afternoon at the Nutter Training Facility. Clad in helmets, jerseys, and shorts, the Wildcats split into two groups and each group practiced approximately two and one-half hours.

?Overall, we?re in pretty good (physical) shape, with the exception of a few individuals,? Brooks said. ?On the first day, I look for athletic ability among the newcomers and see if the guys look like they know where to line up and what to do. I saw a lot of good things. Today was a much better practice than our first practice a year ago.?

Defensive coordinator Mike Archer echoed those sentiments.

?Without pads it?s hard to evaluate, but I was pleased by the retention shown by everybody who was here in the spring,? Archer said. ?We probably cut down the mental mistakes by two-thirds over the first practice last year.?

The Wildcats have the same schedule on Wednesday, with Group I (primarily first- and third-team players) practicing from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and Group II (primarily second- and fourth-team players) practicing from 4:20 to 6:45 p.m.