Keeping The Tempo Up In Spring Ball
4/1/2016 11:51:00 AM | Football
One week away from the 2016 Sam Houston Orange-White football game, the Bearkats will hold their first scrimmage of the spring Saturday morning.
Bearkat head coach K. C. Keeler has been sensitive to keeping his team healthy during workouts the past three weeks.
“I've done this before,” Keeler said. “When I think I have a good experienced team, we try to eliminate some of the wear and tear. For example, I don't think the offensive linemen need that wear and tear. The big thing is we're getting the tempo going. We're working on being assignment sound – know your job, do your job. It's important that we make sure we're smart in terms of the physical contact.”
The Kats return 54 lettermen from last year's 11-4 team that reached the NCAA Division I Football Championship semifinals for the fourth time in the past five years. That number includes 17 starters.
In two seasons as Bearkat head coach, Keeler has directed Sam Houston to a 22-9 record, back-to-back NCAA Division I Football Championship semifinals berths and a multitude of school records. The Kats stood No. 3 in the final STATS FSC national poll.
The new job assignments and new faces on Keeler's staff this spring are working out well. Brad Sherrod is now the Bearkats' defensive coordinator. Rodrique Wright has taken over as defensive line coach and Kyle Segler has added special teams coordinator to his duties as tight ends and tackles coach.
New to the staff include Troy Douglas (defensive secondary), Greg McGraw (cornerbacks), Zack Petterson (running backs) and Justin Roberts (defensive tackles).
Other returning coaches include Phil Longo (offensive coordinator), Terrance Archer (wide receivers) and Bart Tatum (offensive line).
“For how late everything got put together, we're really happy with the staff,” Keeler said. “The kids bought right in and it's been good.”
During the last five years (since 2011), Sam Houston has won more FCS playoff games (13-5 record) and posted an overall better mark (56-19) than any program except North Dakota State.
“I'm looking forward to seeing us scrimmage tomorrow,” Keeler said. “We want to see how we tackle to the ground. We're going to get more bodies out there.”
The Bearkats will complete spring practice with the annual Orange-White game at 7:30 p.m. on Friday April 8.
“We're progressing. We started strong but we've kind of leveled off,” Keeler said. “We're hoping tomorrow's scrimmage can get us moving again and finish this thing off strong. The big thing is we're getting the tempo going.”
