Mike Foster (Staff Writer)
KSU head coach Brian Bohannon and his assistants made the speed of practice a top priority Wednesday, despite intense heat throughout the morning. Practice began with “Owl Time,” (better known as Oklahomas) followed by individual position drills and eventually 11-on-11, including a running clock, first downs, and self-called penalties from coaches.
For the most part, Bohannon likes what he’s seen since the team began full-padded practice last Friday. His greatest task has been installing the triple-option offense, especially for players who didn’t run a similar system in high school.
Here’s some news and notes from the morning session:
- Bohannon preached “speed of the game” multiple times. Practice has been broken up into fast-paced drills, which players have to run to and from. Despite plenty of apparent tempo, coaches continued to tell players they were running behind.
- Players also practiced open-field tackling, 1-on-1, with receivers winning most of the battles.
- Quarterback Jaquez Parks (Griffin HS | Griffin, Ga.) got a little dinged up, visiting a trainer for a groin strain and an impact injury to his throwing shoulder. Parks seemed fine both times and was active in practice.
- Defensive lineman Todd Blackwell (Johns Creek HS | Johns Creek, Ga.) made a great tackle in the backfield during 11-on-11, but was immediately told to leave the field after doing an NFL-style kick celebration.
- Walk-on tailback Che Darious Robinson (Salem HS | Conyers, Ga.) had the play of the day, receiving a late pitch from Parks on an option off right tackle and racing past multiple defenders for a long touchdown run.
Video Highlights
Here’s a look at Robinson’s long run, which drew plenty of “oohs” and “ahs” from teammates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fStlUN6Uvo0
And here’s a look at some 1-on-1 tackling. Battles were won on both sides.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilu2CU92cgU
Quotables
Bohannon on players learning the speed of the game…
“You’ve got 86 freshman out here that have never played college football. The speed of the game is very much different than what they’re used to. And learning and practicing at the speed you play is the hardest part.”
Bohannon on using a running clock, counting downs during 11-on-11…
“The only way you really learn what you’re doing is get out here and play. You can learn things in drills, but in 11-on-11, when it’s time to go, the game’s on the line, we find out what kids know and what they’re going to do when they get tired. So, we made improvement. We still have a long ways to go. The ball has been on the ground, credit to the defense, but for gold jerseys that’s not good. We’ve got a lot of work to do but I think we made improvement from Monday to Wednesday.”
Quarterback Chandler Burks (South Paulding HS | Douglasville, Ga.) on moving from a spread offense in high school to the triple-option…
“It’s been a transition coming from the spread in high school to the triple-option in college. It’s our second week of practice now and we’re actually getting better every day. We don’t really know where we want to be right now, but we know we are making progress.”
Running back Jae Bowen (South Paulding HS | Douglasville, Ga.) on learning the new system…
“For me, the biggest thing is the stance. The tempo of the game is different. You’ve got to figure out how to push yourself or the coaches will do it for you.”
Redshirt sophomore quarterback transfer Trey White (The Citadel | Atlanta, Ga.) on learning the offense.
“It doesn’t really matter what offense you came from, we’ve just been working on fundamentals. That’s the main thing and laying that foundation and building off of those.”
