From Tech:
Replacement(s) Starting to Emerge at Running Back for Louisiana Tech
RUSTON, La. (March 16, 2016) – Louisiana Tech continued to take advantage of the long sought after warm, dry weather in North Louisiana as the Bulldogs practiced for two hours at Joe Aillet Stadium Wednesday afternoon in the team’s fourth practice session of the spring.
Wednesday’s session, the second in shells (helmets and shoulder pads), once again ended with the Oklahoma Drill but featured a majority of teaching sessions for a young team looking to put the pieces of the puzzle in attempting to formulate a depth chart this spring.
“We’ve talked about how important it is for us to get out here and get the work that we need to get with a lot of these young guys,” Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz said after Wednesday’s practice. “A lot of the individual work that we are getting from inside, pass skell, one-on-ones and then trying to put it all together for the team, I think right now it is invaluable. I can’t sit here and say this group is doing better than that one as much as I can say that there are some guys showing some promise, really maturing and growing up and doing some good things over the first three or four days. I’m excited about some of the growth but we’ve got 15 days total so we still have to get these others in.”
Through four sessions in the spring, a handful of younger players that redshirted last season or did not see much playing time are starting to stand out.
“I think Jaqwis Dancy is doing some really good things,” said Holtz. “I’ve really been encouraged with Bobby Holly and some of the things he is doing right now.”
The development of the running backs and fullbacks for Louisiana Tech this spring will be critical after the Kenneth Dixon exhausted his collegiate eligibility after finishing his career with 87 career touchdowns, the second most in NCAA history.
“I think Boston Scott is the farthest along of all of them and he is also healthy,” Holtz said of the 2015 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl leading rusher. “Jarred [Craft] is still coming off his knee and has limited reps out here in practice and is just starting to go through everything but I think Boston is going to play a major role. I’ve talked about Jaqwis Dancy because he has gone from not playing at all to showing that he is going to play a prominent role. Both of those guys are going to play a prominent role and we are hoping as Jarred continues to get healthy and gets both of his legs underneath him that he is going to pick up where he left off by the middle of the season and I feel like we are going to have three running backs that we will be able to play with this year.”
The key goal for that position this spring is developing a stable of backs that combined can carry the load that a workhorse like Kenneth Dixon shouldered each game.
“You don’t try and replace a Kenneth [Dixon] or a Vernon Butler, you try and take the pieces to the puzzle you have and make the prettiest picture you can,” Holtz explained. “There is some talent there, those guys are going to be different and we many play more tailbacks. Where Kenneth was playing 80 to 90 percent of the reps as the back last year, these guys may play more of 30 to 35 percent role in what we are doing as an offense and keeping a fresh back in the game.”
Louisiana Tech’s next open practice will be Monday, March 21 at 4 p.m. with the school’s annual Pro Day workouts set for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 22 at Joe Aillet Stadium.
Replacement(s) Starting to Emerge at Running Back for Louisiana Tech
RUSTON, La. (March 16, 2016) – Louisiana Tech continued to take advantage of the long sought after warm, dry weather in North Louisiana as the Bulldogs practiced for two hours at Joe Aillet Stadium Wednesday afternoon in the team’s fourth practice session of the spring.
Wednesday’s session, the second in shells (helmets and shoulder pads), once again ended with the Oklahoma Drill but featured a majority of teaching sessions for a young team looking to put the pieces of the puzzle in attempting to formulate a depth chart this spring.
“We’ve talked about how important it is for us to get out here and get the work that we need to get with a lot of these young guys,” Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz said after Wednesday’s practice. “A lot of the individual work that we are getting from inside, pass skell, one-on-ones and then trying to put it all together for the team, I think right now it is invaluable. I can’t sit here and say this group is doing better than that one as much as I can say that there are some guys showing some promise, really maturing and growing up and doing some good things over the first three or four days. I’m excited about some of the growth but we’ve got 15 days total so we still have to get these others in.”
Through four sessions in the spring, a handful of younger players that redshirted last season or did not see much playing time are starting to stand out.
“I think Jaqwis Dancy is doing some really good things,” said Holtz. “I’ve really been encouraged with Bobby Holly and some of the things he is doing right now.”
The development of the running backs and fullbacks for Louisiana Tech this spring will be critical after the Kenneth Dixon exhausted his collegiate eligibility after finishing his career with 87 career touchdowns, the second most in NCAA history.
“I think Boston Scott is the farthest along of all of them and he is also healthy,” Holtz said of the 2015 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl leading rusher. “Jarred [Craft] is still coming off his knee and has limited reps out here in practice and is just starting to go through everything but I think Boston is going to play a major role. I’ve talked about Jaqwis Dancy because he has gone from not playing at all to showing that he is going to play a prominent role. Both of those guys are going to play a prominent role and we are hoping as Jarred continues to get healthy and gets both of his legs underneath him that he is going to pick up where he left off by the middle of the season and I feel like we are going to have three running backs that we will be able to play with this year.”
The key goal for that position this spring is developing a stable of backs that combined can carry the load that a workhorse like Kenneth Dixon shouldered each game.
“You don’t try and replace a Kenneth [Dixon] or a Vernon Butler, you try and take the pieces to the puzzle you have and make the prettiest picture you can,” Holtz explained. “There is some talent there, those guys are going to be different and we many play more tailbacks. Where Kenneth was playing 80 to 90 percent of the reps as the back last year, these guys may play more of 30 to 35 percent role in what we are doing as an offense and keeping a fresh back in the game.”
Louisiana Tech’s next open practice will be Monday, March 21 at 4 p.m. with the school’s annual Pro Day workouts set for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 22 at Joe Aillet Stadium.
