Fall Camp Report: Wednesday, August 13
8/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Practice #10 Photo Gallery
SFA Practice Report - Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Time: 3:45 to 6:00 p.m.
Periods: 19
Attire: Full pads
Practice Notes:
· SFA returned to the grass practice fields Wednesday afternoon after holding two-a-day practices on the turf at Homer Bryce Stadium Tuesday
· The `Jacks donned full pads for the second time in the fall camp schedule, running full-contact drills throughout the session
· The focus of the final periods of practice concentrated on third-down, short yardage and goal line situations. The Lumberjacks would run a series of three plays with the offense or defense earning a "point" for the result of the play. The losing squad would do up-downs following the conclusion of the series
· A number of newcomers, both freshmen and transfers, continue to make plays and have seen more reps as the practice schedule has progressed
Key Offensive Plays:
· The `Jacks had a pair of long strikes on the day as Zach Conque connected with DJ Ward for a 55-yard touchdown pass and run as well as a 50-yard connection between Joe Minden and Aaron Piper
· SFA's running game continues to provide a well-rounded approach as Gus Johnson looks sharp in his senior season with Joshawa West, Cameron Washington and Fred Ford getting significant reps
· The `Jacks final goal line series ended on a bootleg keeper from Conque, diving past the goal line as he was hit by Collin Garrett, capping a spirited final half of practice
Key Defensive Plays:
· Freshman Tarrin Mitchell has emerged as one of the new defensive backs to watch, intercepting a pass from Minden along the sideline
· The defensive unit held strong over the final periods as the `Jacks went through goal line situations, forcing turnovers on three-straight offensive plays. Garrett recovered a fumble off a Johnson sweep, followed immediately by Shayvion Hatten pressuring Conque on a broken play, swiping the ball from his hands during the ensuing scramble
· The final turnover came as a result of a tipped ball on a screen attempt, picked out of the air by Patrick Martin and returned 60 yards for his second interception in as many practices
Next Practices: Thursday, August 14 · 9:15 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.
Practice Q&A: Offensive coordinator Matt Kubik
On the progress of the offense nearing the midway point of fall camp:
"I think we're in pretty good shape, for the most part. The hard thing for these kids, and we're putting a lot on them, is a lot of formations - a lot of passes and a lot of screens. We're throwing a lot of stuff at them and still trying to find our offensive identity at this point, trying to figure out who we are and what works and who our playmakers are. As far as the progress with the offense, I'm happy with it. We've got a lot to work on but overall, we've got a positive attitude. The guys come out and work hard and obviously we wouldn't carry this much offense into a game - maybe 30 percent of what we're working on at this point will actually go into a game plan. Again, we're just trying to figure out what works and then we'll narrow it down and go from there."
On the importance of third down, short yardage and goal line situations:
"Your goal is to put yourself in a third and short situation every series. You're looking for that third and manageable opportunity, which for us is four to one yards. As long as we can get to within that yardage on third down we'll have a shot of extending drives and have a high third down percentage. I thought we did a great job at that today. Third and five, we won most of them. Third and two, we won most of them, and we should. Third and two is an offensive down. I got a little frustrated in the red zone down there as we kind of struggled a bit with a couple of turnovers (well, one "disputed" fumble). But we had those turnovers, a couple missed assignments and that's just inexcusable from an offensive perspective. When you've got three downs from the two yard line, we need to score on those situations."
On the change in momentum at the end of practice:
"Well again, we won all the third downs, and then we shifted gears and went into the goal line and our defense seemed to find new life at that point, which is good. They whipped our butt at the end of practice so they ended on a high note. It's just kids being competitive and fighting for their positions on this team, and honestly I'd be nervous if there wasn't jawing and trash talking going on between them and a little extra shove here and there. At the end of the day, we know we're all on the same team and we have each other's back, but its good to see that fire in practice."
On the added intensity and chippiness these last few practices:
"I'm a little chippy myself at this point. Everyone is getting less sleep than they're accustomed to getting at this point, we're out here in the 100 degree weather for hours on end, so yeah, there is going to be some upset people sometimes. But you see those scuffles even up to the NFL camps. We haven't had any major blowups, which is good, but the competitiveness is there and it shows these guys are passionate about what they're doing and they want to win."
On how the quarterbacks have developed:
"I feel like we've got three guys that we can win with. Zach (Conque) is doing a tremendous job. He's a smart, heady player, and now that he has a spring and half of a fall camp under his belt, you can really see the light has come on and he's done a great job leading the offense. Joe (Minden) continues to prepare like he's the starter, and that's what I've asked all three of them to do is to prepare like you're going to be the guy because you never know when that role will be thrust upon you. Joe has had a tremendous camp and Hunter (Taylor) has also been solid, going in and throwing a pair of touchdown passes yesterday during our red zone drills and he's doing a great job too. I couldn't be more proud of those three. We also added Sam Smith as a walk-on and obviously its going to take him a couple years to develop but he's been competing right along side those three. To have three guys that are students of the game, taking notes and asking questions in the meeting and then carrying it over to the field, that's all you could ask for."
-SFA-
