SFA Fall Camp Report - Defensive Ends
8/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – At the conclusion of spring practices back in April, there was a position that was a clear-cut difference maker, something that is rare at any level of football. The Lumberjack defensive line entered this fall camp looking to build on the reputation it developed back in the spring, relying heavily on the experience of the defensive ends.
“I was very pleased with the defense throughout the spring, and they really took it on themselves to set the tone,” said head coach Clint Conque following the spring game. “Our defensive front has dominated throughout the spring season and now we need them to carry that into the fall and the 2015 season.”
Through the first six practices of fall camp, it appears the defensive ends have picked up right where they left off. The Lumberjacks return four key players from the 2014 campaign, a quartet which combined for 86 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.
Junior Kedrick Harrison has anchored the left side for the ‘Jacks in fall camp as he is the team’s returning tackles for loss leader with 12.5, complemented by 4.5 sacks. Fellow junior Jamal Allen has had a strong presence through the first week of fall camp as well, finding his way into the offensive backfield and distrupting both the run and the pass, looking to build on his 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks from a year ago.
On the opposite side, sophomore Mitchel Zimmerle looks poised to build on his debut season after finishing with 5.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks, along with fellow sophomore John Franklin who saw significant time as a true freshman and figures to be an even bigger component in 2015.
Three newcomers have also made their presence known, led by transfer Darrell Vanerson who has complemented the duo of Zimmerle and Franklin, adding depth and experience to the position. True freshmen signees Jack Martin and Gary Sampson, who joined SFA just prior to the start of fall camp, have also seen significant reps and strong performances.
Playing under the lights in full pads for the first time in fall camp, the defensive ends had another strong showing, especially late in the “live” session when it helped keep the SFA offense at bay in third-and-short situations. While still a long way from where the coaches want them to be, still a good start to upholding their reputation from earlier this year.
“We’ve really been trying to knock off the rust from both the spring and summer workouts,” said position coach Tom Howe. “Our focus this week has been the meat and potatoes of the position itself. But we’ve been productive, the effort has been good, the leadership has been good and the young guys have been coming along well.”
Practice Report – Sunday, August 16
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium (7:45 p.m. start)
Attire and Length: Full pads, 23 periods
Next Practice: Monday, August 17 • 9:15 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.
Top Offensive Plays
• Transfer WR Judah Jones continues to settle into his groove, making contested catches both along the sidelines and the middle of the field
• SFA’s offense comes up big on a handful of second-and-long situations, using rushes by QB Zach Conque and RB Joshawa West and timely throws to keep drives alive
• RB Fred Ford showing his added confidence as a runner, making key cuts and extending plays
Top Defensive Plays
• DB Patrick Martin snagging a tipped ball in the middle of the field and returning it a handful of yards for a drive-ending interception
• Freshman DT Lamont Alexander made a few key stops, highlighted by a big tackle for loss on West after breaking past the offensive line
• SFA’s defensive line coming up strong on third-and-short situations, including a pressure sack on the final play of the night to end practice six
Q&A with Defensive End Coach Tom Howe
On the improvement of the defensive ends through the first six practices:
“So far, we’ve really been trying to knock off the rust from both the spring and summer workouts. We’ve been working on getting back into the swing of things and getting comfortable with play calls, technique, the fundamentals; things they all know but just need a little refresher course. Our focus this week has been the meat and potatoes of the position itself. But we’ve been productive, the effort has been good, the leadership has been good and the young guys have been coming along well.”
On if there is added pressure on the defensive ends after a strong spring season:
“There’s always pressure, but we talked about it after how there is a lot of high expectations on these guys, and with that comes a lot of opportunity. As long as people are saying we’re one of the key cogs in the wheel to get this thing going, we have to respond, and it’s a good feeling to know we have control over what many are perceiving as the heart and soul of the defense.”
On the leadership of the returners:
“Certainly Kedrick Harrison is the most tried and tested of the bunch, and he’s kind of the one that we’re leaning on to step up as a leader for these guys. But you look at the other returners that we have in Mitchel Zimmerle, Jamal Allen and John Franklin, along with Ked who all had significant snaps last year, not only does their work ethic speak for itself but they have street cred because they’ve been on the field and performed in those big situations last year. The good thing is, I don’t lose any of them next year.”
On the newcomers and their progression:
“These young guys, not only do they have the length and strength that we need, but they have a lot of natural ability that makes it easy to get out of them what we need. We’ve got a transfer in Darrell Vanerson that has some experience under his belt, and then I’ve seen a lot of progress from the freshmen in Gary Sampson and Jack Martin. They’re fast and strong, and the older guys have really taken them under their wing. Sometimes it helps more to have those guys show them the ropes than it does me.”
On the outlook for SFA’s defensive ends in 2015:
“I think we’re getting to a point where we’ve got some brawn out there with Franklin, Vanerson and Zimmerle. I think all three of those guys will be able to play that six technique very strong and really fit that position really well. On the opposite side we’ve got the speed and athleticism with Kedrick and Jamal with John being able to swing between both spots. We feel we’re deep and athletic and have a lot of key experience at both positions.”
