Aug. 17, 2012

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HATTIESBURG, Miss. - On Wednesday afternoon, an artificial rain storm sent the Golden Eagles to the locker room early, but on Friday, it was a rain storm of the natural variety as heavy showers with lightning forced the team to the showers early.

Southern Miss practiced on Carlisle-Faulkner Field inside Roberts Stadium for two hours in shoulder and thigh pads and got in the majority of their work before lightning in the immediate vicinity closed down the session.

Coach Ellis Johnson, however, did not pull his team off the field at the first drop of rain, instead electing to let his team practice in the downpour, conditions they will need to be familiar with as the 2012-13 season approaches.

"We flipped team period and pass perimeter periods today, so the only things we missed were [sections] where our offensive line gets one-on-one pass rush situations," said Johnson. "We thought about waiting it out and going back out later, but the rain is expected to be on and off all day."

Even with the shortened session, Johnson did not believe his team was any worse for the end result and came away pleased with the progress his squad made on Friday.

"It's not that would hamper our progress, overall," Johnson noted. "We had a good team period and sometimes it's good to work in that heavy rain. It'll happen to you on a real day and you have got to be able to handle it. We got a lot out of practice today."

Southern Miss will go through their second scrimmage of the fall camp tomorrow as they continue to look for separation at certain positions ahead of the September 1 season opener at Big 10 foe Nebraska. That scrimmage is closed to the public and media.

Tickets for the 2012 Southern Miss football season can be purchased either online at SouthernMissTickets.com, by calling 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or visiting the Pat Ferlise Ticket Center from 8 a.m., until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.