SFA Fall Camp Report - Linebackers
8/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – As the final week of 2015 fall camp gets underway on a hot and humid east Texas morning, Stephen F. Austin returned to the practice field about 39 hours removed from the first scrimmage of the fall season.
Among the Lumberjack defensive unit, defensive coordinator Matt Williamson continued to watch over the entire unit, focusing specifically on his linebacking corps, looking for those that are embracing what, in his eyes, is the biggest trait needed to play on the defensive side.
“Confidence is everything,” Williamson said. “You can’t be a leader until you feel fully confident. We expect our guys to have a passion and effort in getting to the ball and going hard every play, and you can only do that when you have that confidence.”
It is a trait that will have to be embraced by players both experienced and new as the SFA linebacking unit will need both to step up to build off the successes of 2014.
One of the bigger question marks on the field after losing seniors Collin Garrett, Marvin Gray and Nick Bryant, the Lumberjacks know they will need some younger guys to make their marks early to account for the nearly 200 tackles and 15 tackles for loss generated by the departed seniors.
But that’s not to say that SFA won’t be without an established leader as senior Justin Owens returns as the ‘Jacks’ leading returning tackler, racking up 80 stops with six tackles for loss and a pair of sacks in his first season at SFA. He’ll be rejoined by sophomore Chance Barney who saw significant time in his true freshman season, playing in all 13 games with a pair of starts, tallying 24 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Knowing depth would be key at the linebacker position, Williamson added a pair of standout California junior college transfers in Price Miller and George Stone III during the offseason. Miller, a Rockdale native that was a first team All-SFCA selection with Golden West College, and Stone, a Louisville, Kentucky native that played at Sac City College, have both added needed depth, speed and instincts at the position as Williamson has been pleased with the competition of all four of them during camp.
SFA also brought in three true freshmen in Teddy Britton, Spencer Choka and Reggie Daniels as the three of them have all had an opportunity to make plays and contribute. With position battles still going on daily, Williamson said he is unsure exactly what their roles will be in 2015, but they may have a chance to be thrown into the fire similar to Barney last season.
With less than two weeks until the season opener, SFA’s practices have increased in intensity as the time has come for players to distance themselves and fight for those coveted positions. With Owens sitting out Saturday night’s scrimmage, the younger Lumberjacks each had chances to make plays and make a statement and Williamson expects some even bigger battles down the stretch run of camp.
The Lumberjacks will get another opportunity to state their case Wednesday when SFA holds its second scrimmage of fall camp, getting underway at 7:30 p.m. under the lights at Homer Bryce Stadium. The scrimmage is once again open to the public.
Q&A with Defensive Coordinator Matt Williamson
On the progress of the linebacker during the first two weeks of fall camp:
“They’ve progressed quite a bit. I’m really excited about them. We can really tell a difference from the carryover from last season and what we were trying to accomplish, what we were trying to schematic-wise and see them pick it up. The speed of the game has meant they’re playing quicker because they know what we’re looking for and they understand their assignments. We keep reinforcing to them to need to play fast and they’ve done a great job of expanding what they need to know and they’ve come a long way from day one.”
On the progress of the two returners in Justin Owens and Chance Barney:
“Justin, in my mind, has really taken it to another level. He’s ready to go, he’s focused and I’m really fired up about the way he has been performing. Chance was a true freshman last year and got thrown into the fire early, playing a lot against McNeese and some other big opponents, and he’s progressed a lot as well. Chance has grown a bunch through this fall camp and he will be that leader this fall. You can’t be a leader until you feel fully confident and his confidence is very, very high, which is what you need and expect at the linebacker position.”
On the newcomers and their roles:
“We’ve got quite a few newcomers that have really started to step up. Price Miller and George Stone have come in and adapted quickly, and they give us four really good, veteran linebackers who are all competing at a high level right now. The competition is what has made it really enjoyable for me. Last year our depth at linebacker wasn’t there, and when we had an injury, it really put us back. The three freshmen we brought in (Anthony Daniels, Teddy Britton and Spencer Choka), they’re pressing the veterans quite a bit and they’ve grown a lot over the last few weeks. They’re still trying to catch up with the speed of the game, being true freshmen, and still trying to develop that trigger mentality. We’re not exactly sure what their roles will be this season, but they all have bright futures here.”
On going head-to-head against the veteran offensive players:
“You couldn’t ask for anything better because we’re getting the best of both worlds. We’re playing very fast and they are playing very physical, so I’m getting the actual live game look that we want to see every day. We need to react, we need to beat blocks and we need to do things to make the plays we need to make. They’ve made us grow and made us a lot better because of the veterans they have over on that side.”
On what he is looking for among the linebackers in the last week of camp:
“The two things I’m looking for is confidence, and then a passion and effort for the ball, going at it as hard and as fast as they can. You can only do that when you have that confidence. They’ve built that through this fall camp, and it’s been really fun to watch them run around and play at a high level. That passion and that effort, playing hard and running to the ball, is what we expect every snap. We’ve seen that all camp and we’re going to continue to mold that and help set the tone for the entire defense.”
