Aug. 19, 2007

PHOTO GALLERY

The University of Dayton football team ended the 2007 pre-season camp with the team's annual media day and Flyers Club family picnic. DaytonFlyers.com was able to interview a few of the players and get their thoughts on this year's camp.

The consensus? It was hot, challenging and intense.

Kevin Hoyng - Senior - Quarterback "We came in and it was a lot more intense this year. Coach Kelly livened things up a lot with scrimmages and the guys really responded well to it. We came out every day. It was a long camp but for the most part everyone stayed healthy. We had a great camp."

Matt Swartz - Sophomore - Kicker/Punter "Camp went well. It was long but it got better. The season is going to be very promising this year. Coming off of last year, everyone knows we didn't have the usual Dayton season. This coming year has a lot of potential. We filled all of the spots we needed to and I'm looking for a much more successful season this year."

A.J. Kaltenbach - Freshman - Flyer "Camp was hot and long, but they took care of us and we learned a lot. It was really productive. This season I'm looking forward to seeing how all the guys that I've been learning with for the last couple weeks do. Hopefully I'll get to travel with the team."

Scott Vossler - Senior - Defensive End "Camp was rough. It was probably one of the toughest football experiences I've ever been through. We hit every day. I thought we did pretty well. It went pretty smoothly." "I think everyone is excited [for this season]. We've got a lot of guys back. We had a rough season last year, everyone is looking forward to turning things around and getting back to where (we) used to be."

Brandon Cramer - Senior - Defensive Back "Camp was hot. It was a really tough camp. We worked hard the whole time. Being my last one, it was kind of bittersweet. I was sad that it was over, but also a little bit glad. We got better, we improved everywhere. We had a lot of fun together. It's good to get back with the guys. "We're all very excited about this season. We have high hopes. We think we have the talent and the things in place to be a great team. It's all gonna matter what we do on Saturdays. We'll just see what happens."

Corey Vossler - Junior - Defensive Line "Camp was really hot, for one thing. But I think we got a lot accomplished and we got a lot better. Offense and defense are both looking pretty good. I'm looking forward to the first game right now. Robert Morris is going to be a really tough test for us. Pittsburgh at their place, that's going to be a tough game."

Brian Kelly - Senior - Linebacker "Camp has been awesome. As a fifth-year coming back, it's been different and it's a nice change of pace. We don't go out and do the same thing every day. The biggest change is probably the amount of hitting and live tackling we've been doing. We've really toughened up our team. There hasn't been any days where guys are just trying to pack it in and say `We're all tired. We're just gonna take it easy.' There haven't been any days like that. We kind of skipped things like `pool party day' and things like that. They're all out the window. There's not time for that. There's a major sense of urgency that's common among the teammates. And a lot of competition, a lot of energy. People are excited. We're not down about last season. We're more excited to go out and make something happen. I want to win a championship, to be honest. I came from a school where we didn't win a whole lot when I was there. I chose Dayton because I wanted a chance to play on a winning program like this one. Probably a lot of other fifth-year seniors that came back, they want a championship ring on their finger. I want a taste of that. That would definitely be a major accomplishment as a team."

UD will begin classes on Tuesday, and hold its final pre-season scrimmage that evening at Fairmont High School. Fairmont year-old stadium's playing surface is FieldTurf, the same surface as Joe Walton Stadium, the site of the Flyers' season opener at Robert Morris on September 3.