The Bruins were back at practice this morning, and Coach Mora met with the beat writers - those not with the Basketball team in Brooklyn, at least - afterward. He told reporters how pleased with how the team has reacted this week in coming off of the high of beating Southern Cal, showing a high level of energy and focus this morning.
There will be no change in routine on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday - the team will practice as normal, finishing up early in the morning, having the rest of the day to spend with their loved ones. Mora has encouraged some of the local players to host their out-of-town teammates for dinner, and as of Monday are all accounted for.
Video via Edward Lewis - BSR.com
Later on, Mora was asked about Joe Fauria's progression throughout this fall. He noted that Fauria is still his freewheeling self at heart - still "Goofy Joe". But over the past few months, he has come to realize that if he wants to have a real career in the pros, he has to work hard every day. He cannot let little things affect him and hold him back - a trait that Mora noticed during the Spring.
He also talked a bit about Aaron Hester, in the wake of his own performance against Southern Cal. Mora praised the work that he has put in this year along with his coachability, but noted that his inconsistency is still an issue.
The Linemen are all healthy and ready to go for Saturday, though I assume that does not include Capella. When asked about the prospect of playing Stanford twice in the next two weeks and whether that could affect how he plans for this week, he stressed that he is only looking at Saturday - that he can't afford to waste time obsessing about the options facing the team in the Pac-12 Championship Game.