HEADLINES
Camp Report - Day 4 - Rattlers scrimmage
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida A&M Rattlers Football Team had their first scrimmage of the spring today at the Rattler practice field. The scrimmage of all units took place at the lower field, dubbed "The Pit," during the Jake Gaither years.
The offensive and defensive unites were divided into three units each, that each saw action is planned segments. Head coach Joe Taylor barked combinations from the field as to which groups he wanted to see matched against one another. Taylor said today's scrimmage carried more importance than just another practice.
"Today was our first game of the 2011 season," Taylor exclaimed. He went on to explain the importance scrimmages are to what the coaches can expect on Saturdays. He also said with confidence, "We are farther along at this point this year, than we were at this point last year for sure."
Taylor was pleased with the overall activity of the team. "I saw guys flying around, being active," Taylor said. "That is a good sign. When you get that type of activity...whenever you are a contact team, you will always be competitive. We appreciate our veterans and their leadership and their growth," he added.
Austin Trainor took the first snaps from center with the first team offense. Trainor was methodical in his approach, and guided the offense with precision. The offense moved up and down the field on the second and third teams, but had much more difficulty sustaining drives on the veteran first string defense.
Padric Scott was impressive for the first team defense. Along with a cadre of linemen, Scott broke through to the quarterback several times, including against the first team offense. Brandon Hepburn also showed his agility. Hepburn's lateral movement an ball pursuit was showcased in the scrimmage.
On special teams, the usual solid trio of Trevor Scott, Brandon Holdren and Jay Culpepper, continued their consistent play. Culpepper's long snaps were on point, Scott had some booming kicks and Holdren had good hangtime on his punts. But, the emergence on special teams came from speedster James Owens.
Owens took a kick and scampered 101 yards for a score. Owens, the fastest man on the Rattlers squad, took the kick up the left sideline, made a cut toward the center and used his speed to race tot he end zone. That was shortly after projected starter Jarrel Stewart had completed an earlier return for roughly 40 yards.
Incoming quarterback Tyler Bass was plagued with stalled drives in the first segment. Several miscommunicatons with receivers left passes floating to empty spots. During the break, coach Lawrence Kershaw and Steven Jerry adjusted their offense to what Bass was comfortable with, and his success was immediate. His confidence and productivity increased dramatically, showing the allstar form he posseses.
Third string quarterback, Dane James, from Boyd-Anderson High School, had some impressive sets himself. He moved the third offense with confidence. He showed the quickness of his feet and his good decision making.
Taylor expressed to the guys the importance of continuing to take care of business in the classroom. "If you don't take care of business up there (classroom), this has no meaning," Taylor added. He stressed the mandate to continue to help the team's APR.
To add reality to the scrimmage, the coaching staff brought in a full team of referees . The referees not only called the game, but briefed the team on the new rules changes. Of particular interest was the new "taunting/premature celebration" rule. In the past, you would get the touchdown and be penalized on the extra point or kickoff. This season, if you taunt a player on a score, you will not get credited with the score.
The Rattlers concluded the two hour scrimmage and separated into groups for evaluation. They will return to regular practice on Monday, in preparation for the ext scrimmage, The Orange and Green Game on April 2.
