After more than 72 hours away from the gridiron, the Alabama State football team returned to practice with a physical two-hour session Tuesday night at Hornet Stadium.
It was the first practice since Saturday's second scrimmage, as head coach
Reggie Barlow gave his players off Sunday as well as Monday, the first day of fall classes on the Alabama State University campus. Tuesday night, ASU began to hone in on the schemes of the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, the season-opening opponent in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge on Sunday Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. (WVAS 90.7 FM/ESPN).
“It was physical,” Barlow said of practice. “The hard part is that we were on cards (which show opponent plays/formations), and you're trying to get the guys to look at it and do what they're supposed to do. With new guys doing it the first time this fall, it was a bit of an adjustment. We'll change some things up, as now they know what to expect.”
The 'scout' team or 'look' squad is a vital part of preparation in most sports. After looking at tape of an opponent, coaches draw actual plays of the tendencies of the opponents' offense, defense and special teams based on a number of factors. It is important for the players running the opponent plays, usually reserve players and newcomers, to give an actual 'look' as to what the plays and formations are to assist the Hornets in preparation for what they may likely see on gameday.
“All of these guys talk about wanting to play in the NFL,” Barlow said, himself an eight-year vet of the league and Super Bowl Champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a wide receiver/returner. “If you're in the NFL and you're the number two guy, you're on the scout team. Whatever the name of the team is, that's what you are and that how you have to look at it. The 'looks' that we get in practice - and it has to be the right look; it can't be mediocre - they are very, very important. As we go forward, we'll show the players what it looks like on film, here's how we want it, and then go from there.”
The offense gained more than 400 yards total offense in the second fall scrimmage this past Saturday, as Hornet QBs completed 21-of-26 pass attempts for 258 yards in generating five scoring drives in eight possessions in the approximately 66-play scrimmage.
“There were a lot of good things on tape from the scrimmage,” Barlow said after reviewing the footage. “Offensively, I thought they moved the ball well as a unit. Of course, there's always some things you have to get cleaned up. With
Greg Jenkins as a veteran quarterback, you can't throw the ball back across your body into traffic (leading to an interception). You can't get those plays back. Overall, there was improvement. We saw improvement out of some particular players we had our eye on. You look at the calendar and see how close we are to gametime; we've really got to crank it up and identify those players who will be our core guys and give us an opportunity to win.”
Barlow briefly alluded to after the scrimmage the conundrum of when one unit does well, it means the other struggled. The defense forced only one turnover this past Saturday and yielded more yards than it did in the first scrimmage on August 11.
“I try to keep everything in perspective,” Barlow said. “When we're in the scrimmage, (Defensive Coordinator) Cedric Thornton doesn't have anyone in the press box giving him personnel changes for the offense, so there were some calls where defenders got on the field late and weren't lined up properly. That was the reason we had some of the mental mistakes. However, it was good to see the offense move the ball last week. In the first scrimmage, the defense completely dominated and did some good things. We see that both the offense and defense can do what they need to. Now, we just have to put it together on the same day.”
The Hornets return to practice Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. and Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
