CMU had its first practice in full pads Tuesday. Dan Enos was not made available afterward, but I spoke for a few minutes with senior defensive end Joe Kinville. Here is what he had to say:

"The first day in full pads put everyone's intensity level a little higher and guys laced them up and were ready to hit. So it was exciting today. We made a lot of big hits and a lot of big plays. Now it's time for us on defense to show what we can do and let the pads pop a little bit."

"We have a lot of younger guys up front who have been good so far. (Defensive linemen) Louis Palmer and Jabari Dean both have played really well so far and impressed me."

"We are a veteran group on defense this year. We have a lot of guys back who have been on the field before. We can play faster because we have been through the program together and we're all ready and excited to accomplish our goals this year. The offense will help us as well just because they are a lot like us in that they have a lot of guys back. They will play fast and together and should be exciting to watch."

"I've just been working on knowing my assignments. It's very important up front to be sound technique-wise, so this offseason it is what I have focused on the most."

On having his younger brother Mike on the team: "It's a blessing. My parents come to every game and love it. They get to watch us both play Division I football, so it's exciting. I love it."

I'll also have a 10 Questions with quarterbacks coach Morris Watts in Monday's paper. I talked to him today and it was quite awesome to listen to a coach with such a great history in college football.