While there has been discussion this spring about the new artificial turf field expected to be installed in John L. Guidry Stadium within the next month, there has been little talk about the actual playing advantages the new field will offer the Colonels football team. The new field is a state-of-the-art surface made by Astroturf called Puregrass, which is designed to simulate natural grass but add durability and quickness.
According to Astroturf.com, the Puregrass system is a hybrid of the traditional Astroturf surface and a natural grass-like playing surface.
One of the beneficial aspects of the new surface is added speed. According to espn.go.com, Astroturf playing surfaces can potentially increase an athlete’s speed, agility and ability to change direction quicker opposed to a natural grass playing surface. Numerous studies have been conducted at combines throughout the country to demonstrate the speed advantages Astroturf gives to players.
The added quickness could prove to be a tremendous advantage for the Colonels in the upcoming season.
“The new field should enhance our team’s speed. We do not have to worry about the weather conditions as much as we would if we were playing on natural grass,” head football coach Jay Thomas said. “The majority of our conference opponents have field turf and our guys really like playing on it, so it should work out well.”
Chris Noble, junior defensive end from Baton Rouge, also said the new field will add speed and mobility for the Colonels on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
“As a defensive end, I think I will be able to get off the ball faster and get a better grip on the turf. Also, our running backs will probably be able to cut quicker and have more overall speed,” Noble said.
Running on a speed-friendly surface is not the only advantage the Colonels will have going into the 2007 football season. Thomas said the aspect of pride also presents itself as being beneficial to the team.
“The new field will really be something to be proud of for the University and the players alike. It will be a nice facelift to John L. Guidry Stadium and the players are really excited about playing on it this season,” Thomas said.
Another possible advantage of the field will be better traction in bad weather. A natural grass surface can present many obstacles in rainy weather such as ball handling, traction and catching ability. The Puregrass system is designed to provide consistent traction in almost all weather conditions, according to Astroturf.com.
The Colonels are finishing their final week of spring practice, and Thomas said this year’s practice has been very productive.
The annual spring game is yet to be decided, due to the installation of the Puregrass field.
The Puregrass field was donated to Nicholls courtesy of General Sports Venue, LLC and Archie Manning. The field will be named Manning Field presented by Astroturf at John L. Guidry Stadium.
