Moore, Williams shine in Faulkner scrimmage
Ryan Williams was big offensive threat during Saturday's scrimmage
August 9, 2008
Sophomore quarterback Phillip Moore and freshman running back Ryan Williams turned in excellent performances for the new-look Faulkner offense Saturday at Cramton Bowl during the Eagles' first scrimmage of the fall.
Moore was 10-for-21 passing for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while Williams ran the ball eight times for 84 yards. Faulkner's two other quarterbacks - Nick Garrett and David Jones - also had solid days, with Garrett completing 9 of 14 passes for 83 yards and Jones 8 of 15 for 47 yards. Running back Brandon Lockhart, who had been impressive in early practices, sat out the scrimmage with a sore ankle.
Quarterback Philip Moore finds a receiver in the endzone for the first touchdown of the morning
The Eages ran 60 plays in the scrimmage, 43 of which were passes. Head coach Jim Nichols said, overall, he and his staff got what they needed out of the controlled workout.
"We really wanted to look at the offense and defense as a whole, what we're doing with our philosophies and direction and not so much at individual players,'' Nichols said. "I really like our plan and how we're going to attack on both sides of the ball.''
Nichols liked the play of wide receiver Danny Bise and tight end Jake Lanier in the scrimmage, as well as the effort of placekicker Jared Corder during kicking drills. Also standing out to Nichols was the play of the secondary, as well as the individual efforts of linebacker Sean Thom, defense end Jason Evans and noseguard Ryan Nixon.
Ryan Nixon hammers the running game in the preseason's first scrimmage
During the spring game in May, the Eagle offense struggled with turnovers. Only one turnover was committed Saturday.
"That was certainly a positive transition from what we saw a few months ago,'' Nichols said. "It's all about concentration and commitment. I was pleased with that aspect today.''
Faulkner will continue full contact workouts next week, and will then conduct a more wide-open scrimmage next Saturday.
"Next Saturday will be better for looking at specific players and the changes we’ve made,'' he said. "We want to look at film and get an overall view. It was fun, especially for the young guys, who got to see what it’s like with everything tied together.''
Eagles take flight; the secondary proved fast and furious for the defense today
Nichols said the team's progress over the next week and in the second scrimmage will be important in its preparation for the season opener against Samford on Sept. 6.
"We have to take a big step next week and really get ready for the next scrimmage,'' he said. "This offense wears people down. You keep going at them and you wear them down. We keep doing what we’re doing and it will eventually start working for us. We're still not at the best shape yet, but were getting there.''
Nichols said the team will attend church together Sunday morning before working on conditioning that afternoon. Practice resumes Monday Cramton Bowl at 3 p.m. Practice is open to the public.