Blogging Maroon & Gold: Fall Camp (New Blood)
Written by Brant Freeman on 4:16 PM
Two
weeks of Fall Camp are just about in the books and it’s at this time that fans
want to know who’s having the best camp and what players to be most excited
about. More often than not, fans are
looking for new names as they know what to expect from the returning players
and it’s just natural to be curious about the “new blood” with so much turnover
from one year to the next in College Football.
Rest
assured, the star players from a season ago, Craig Mager, Mike Orakpo, David
Mayo, Tyler Jones, Ben Ijah, Robert Lowe, Adrian Bellard, etc. are all having
solid camps and will all be leaned upon for big things in 2014.
So
who are some unfamiliar names standing out in camp? Well, CB David Mims II (who did play last
season but backed up Mager & Xavier Daniels), OL Ryan Melton, DE Kris Peterson,
WR C.J. Best, LB Darnell Dailey, DE Jeff Banks and DL Will Trevillion have all
been players that either the coaches or their teammates have pointed out as
having strong camps or are much improved from this time last year. As far as true freshman are concerned, they
are all getting in plenty of work but ideally the coaches would like to
redshirt as many as possible this season (such as WRs Demun Mercer & Brice
Gunter last year). But, as we have seen
over the past few seasons, Coach Fran isn’t afraid to play freshman right away
(Jones, Bellard).
So
the question remains, who is having the best camp, and which newcomer can we
expect to have a huge impact this season?
The
answer to both is RB Terrence Franks.
Franks, a senior, obviously isn’t a newcomer but let me explain. After an outstanding redshirt freshman year
in 2011 (12 games, 8 starts, 863 rushing yards, 9 TDs), Franks hasn’t been the
same the past two seasons (combined 24 games, 4 starts, 470 yards, 7 TDs). There are a few factors that come in to play,
such as an increase in competition (Southland-WAC-Sun Belt) and positional
competition (Marcus Curry, Robert Lowe, Chris Nuttall) eating into his
carries. However, playing time is
earned, and those players simply had better practices, camps and games than
Franks, decreasing his workload.
That
could change this season. While Robert
Lowe (a Doak Walker candidate for nation’s best RB) will be the Bobcats’ first
team running back, he carried the ball 164 times last year, which out of the
298 carries for the team’s backs comes out to 55%. Assuming that number will be close to the
same in 2014, there will once again be an ample amount of opportunities for
the bench. Chris Nutall had 83 carries
to Franks’ 42 in 2013, but those carries could be more evenly dispersed this
year based on what Franks has done in camp so far.
It
seems that every day throughout camp that Franks is breaking off long run after
long run, and everyone has taken notice.
Co-Offensive Coordinator/RBs Coach Jeff Conway says Franks
entered fall camp self-motivated and that he’s been working “like a maniac”,
realizing that the end of his college career is coming up. Something else that Coach Conway and Coach
Fran have pointed out is that Franks’ pass-protection has vastly improved,
something that kept him off the field in passing situations over the past two
seasons. So when I label Franks as a “newcomer”,
it’s because we’re seeing a Terrence Franks we haven’t seen before at Texas
State.
Other
notes as the Bobcats approach the end of Week 2 of camp:
- Coach Conway says the no-huddle
offense could be very beneficial for the team’s running game, with linemen
paving bigger holes for backs to run through against a worn-down defensive
front seven.
- The offense is really standing
out at camp so far, and Coach Conway gives two reasons for that: 1) The
offensive line is as deep as ever since the ‘Cats moved up to the FBS and 2)
Tyler Jones has been outstanding. The
best Fall a QB has had at Texas State in quite some time.
- The coaching staff wasn’t
pleased with the play of the defense during Friday’s morning practice. 1st year Defensive Coordinator
John Thompson says camp started well for the defense, but the entire unit has
hit a lull and it needs to push through it.
- I asked Coach Thompson if
communication is the issue (several new starters, new defensive coordinator)
and he said it isn’t; it’s more execution right now. Specifically, missed tackles.
- When talking about defensive
line, the biggest unknown going into the 2014 season, Coach Thompson harkened
it to a “picture at the mall” (I assume he means those 3D pictures) where it’s
not yet in focus. The staff is still
piecing together the D-line depth chart, and we might see some moving parts as
the season progresses.
Two
weeks down, two to go until UAPB. Until
then, we’ll keep you covered. Keep
sending your questions and comments on Twitter with #BobcatAccess
Eat
‘Em Up!
Brant
Freeman (@Brant_Freeman)
Bf17@txstate.edu
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