SFA Fall Camp Report - Wide Receivers
8/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – When it comes to the Stephen F. Austin roster, there is no position as loaded as the Lumberjack wide receiving corps. There also aren’t many positions with as many newcomers looking to make their mark in 2015.
Of the 20 wide receivers on the fall camp roster, only one, senior Aaron Thomas, had over 200 receiving yards last season. Thomas is SFA’s leading returning receiver from 2014, hauling in 53 catches for 703 yards, but has been nursing a foot injury sustained at the end of spring practices and has been limited in fall camp.
That puts the bulk of the pressure on the rest of the SFA receiving corps, led by seniors Justice Liggins and Braxton Bearden. Both have made big plays during the first week of camp as the duo combined for 30 catches and 250 yards in 2014. One of the biggest performers through camp has been junior Robert Sylvester, looking to bounce back after missing the final eight games of the year with a hand injury.
Sophomore Aaron Piper has continued to improve and impress, showing his ability make plays across the middle and elude defenders. Junior Bradly Krall also has seemed comfortable in his routes, showing his familiarity with assistant coach Demo Odems’ style.
But it has been some Lumberjack newcomers that have started to make names for themselves in the early going. Junior college transfer De’Quann Ruffin has taken a number of snaps with the SFA first team offense, showing his speed and ability to wrestle in 50/50 balls in coverage. Kansas State transfer Judah Jones has also made significant progress learning the new system, making some big catches while showing flashes of the speed he became known for with the Wildcats.
Redshirt freshmen Darrion Ardoin and Jimmie Houston have also shown their familiarity with the SFA scheme in their second seasons, adding both the height and speed head coach Clint Conque was impressed with during their prep careers. A handful of others continue to battle for reps and playing time, hoping to continue the SFA tradition of playmaking receivers.
Practice Recap – Saturday, August 15
Location: SFA grass practice field
Attire: Shells
Periods: 25
Top Offensive Plays
- QB Zach Conque scrambles out of coverage to his right, then hits a wide open WR Robert Sylvester along the sideline for a 60-yard touchdown strike.
- RB Joshawa West with a pair of strong cuts, breaking a 47-yard touchdown run during two-minute drill scenarios.
- WR Reggie Daniels showing his nose for the ball, making four-straight catches in coverage during the same two-minute drill drive.
Top Defensive Plays
- Out pattern along the far sideline was intercepted by DB Tre’ Rosser, making a strong return up the sideline.
- Putting pressure during the two-minute drill scenarios, SFA’s defensive pressure forced a fumble, which was recovered and returned by DB Hipolito Corporan to finish the drive.
- SFA’s defensive line continued to show its strength up front, forcing a number of sacks and tackles for loss, including a sack by DE Jamal Allen on a key third and two situation.
- The final play capped a strong performance in the two-minute drill by the Lumberjack defense, resulting in a Marlon Walls interception to close out the longest practice of the fall camp to date.
Q&A with Assistant Head Coach Demo Odems
On the performance of the receivers through the first week of camp:
“I’m excited about our athleticism and our speed on the outside, and even with our slot guys. It’s good to be in the second year of the program and the older guys know what’s going on. Last year, they were pretty much freshmen, even though some of them were juniors and sophomores, but they were learning a new scheme. Now they are all veterans and have really picked up on what we are trying to do. They are being aggressive and being physical, and it’s good to see them going to get balls.”
On the ability to with the 50/50 balls:
“It’s been a huge difference. You look around our conference, you’ve got corners that are 6-1 and 6-2, so we’ve got to be able to get up there and win those battles. I think we’re athletic enough now to go our there and do that and be aggressive. We’ve got guys with good hands and can snag the football and they’ve done a good job of it in the early going.”
On the improved speed among the wide receivers:
“You look at guys like Aaron Piper and Robert Sylvester who are among the fastest on the team. We’ve got a transfer in Judah Jones who is very explosive, and a bigger guy in Justice Liggins who can get his legs moving. When you’ve got guys like that on the field, those are the type of guys that will get us to the next level and help us win those vertical matchups.”
On the progress with the newcomers:
“It’s coming along. We’ve had these guys with us all summer and it’s starting to click for them. Guys like Reggie Daniels and De’Quann Ruffin are starting to come around and the game is starting to slow down a little bit for them. They’re still young guys and have some things that need to get cleaned up, but these young guys are going to be really good in the long run.”
On the importance of youngsters to step into key roles:
“We’ve talked about this in our meetings about how these guys need to step up. AT (Aaron Thomas) isn’t here right now (nursing a foot injury), so the next man has to step up and be ready. We keep reinforcing to these guys that they are just a play away. You may be fourth on the depth chart, but you’re just a play away from being the guy. Every day we talk about practicing like a pro. You may only get one actual rep in a practice, but there are 90 additional mental reps that you need to learn from. That’s what we’re trying to get these guys to understand that you need to do these mental reps so that when you get those opportunities, you can capitalize on it.”
-SFA-
