Kats begin second half of spring work
4/2/2014 11:21:00 AM | Football
Halfway through 2014 spring football, head coach K. C. Keeler says he likes what he sees but that the 2014 Bearkats have a ways to go because of injuries.
“All in all, it's been good work halfway through,” Keeler said. “I'm anxious to see the rest of the spring and see if we can keep on improving,” Keeler said. “We're way behind on where I'd thought we'd be. I didn't realize we'd have that many injured players going into the spring.”
The Bearkats have six more practices set for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this week and Monday and Wednesday next week before the Orange-White spring game April 11.
“I really like the kids. They've really bought in to what we're trying to do,” Keeler said. “Football is important to them. They just want to win. I feel good that when we get the whole group together, I think we'll have a chance at a solid team.”
While the fact that many returning first team players from last year's FCS playoff squad are sidelined, the coach says that there is a silver lining to the cloud.
“Life is about opportunities. We've had some guys get more reps than they've ever gotten,” Keeler said. “We've got some guys who are starting to show some things to assistant coaches.
“On the depth chart, you may be sitting at a certain number. That really doesn't matter because you're going to get a great spring evaluation. We're going to get guys a lot of reps. It develops depth.
“Also, it shows you what guys can play some special teams for you. There are a lot of ways for these guys to earn that plane trip to Eastern Washington (for the Sept. 23 regular-season opener).”
De'Chaar Greer and Yedidiah Louis were two of many Bearkats who served as backups in the past, but are looking to climb the depth chart as well. They got their opportunity to show coaches what they could do while plenty of veteran players are dealing with injuries.
On an 80-yard touchdown drive that opened Saturday's first spring scrimmage, Louis caught a pass from quarterback Don King III in the seam and got an extra 12 yards after the reception.
On the next play, tight end Ragan Henderson reeled in a catch from King and broke three would-be tackles before being brought down in the red zone.
De'Chaar Greer scored on a nifty 16-yard touchdown run after bowling over a defender to cap the first offensive possession.
“We're a work in progress,” said receiver Rickey Smith. “We clearly made some improvement out there. The first couple of days we had guys running around out here, trying to figure everything out. I think it looked pretty promising.”
For the offense and the defense, Saturday was the first time taking part in drills with tackling to the ground to simulate the speed of the game.
“Being a Sam Houston receiver the last few years, you have to have a tough mind-set and block on the perimeter,” Smith said. “We were part of a physical offense. Being able to run routes and throw the ball. You can practice day in and day out but once you get that live look at a defense, you can really see where you're are. Tackling to ground and stuff, it's a pretty fun experience.”
