April 4, 2007
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) -
As Lafayette hits the field for the eighth of its 15 spring football practices on Wednesday afternoon, head coach Frank Tavani has announced that the session originally scheduled for Friday afternoon has been moved to Thursday night from 8-10 p.m.
The final periods of Thursday's practice will include a live 40-play scrimmage, using a similar format to the Maroon-White Spring Game which will be held Saturday, April 21 at Fisher Stadium.
"We've had a chance to take a closer look at some of the guys that are a little less experienced, and they'll have the opportunity to impress the coaches both in the scrimmage Thursday night and the spring game in a couple weeks," said head coach Frank Tavani. "The veterans are seeing enough reps so they can stay sharp, but I'm really looking forward to some of the younger guys showing what they can do."
Tavani pointed to two positions that match up against each other every day as groups that have been particularly impressive to date.
"I like the progress of our entire group of wide receivers, led by Shaun Adair, as guys who will be playmakers for us in the fall. Duaeno Dorsey, Kevin Logan and Kyle Roeder are really stepping up as seniors, and Tim Watson looks extremely fast and has shown good hands as he starts to get comfortable at that position," Tavani mentioned.
"In the secondary, the top group of Adrian Lawson and Marvin Clecidor at corner and Marcel Quarterman and Nigel Bryant at safety has been very good and has shown some cohesiveness," Tavani continued. "I really like the progress of Eric McGovern and Nick Oliver at safety. Ryan Williams will certainly challenge at corner, and he's being pushed by Phillip Vincent who is progressing as well."
At quarterback, Tavani reemphasized that he is not looking to name a starter this spring, but instead wants to evaluate the three quarterbacks on their ability to throw the ball and their decision making process.
"That's the obvious question, but I don't want to put a time frame or any pressure on the situation other than to let them know that we're watching closely to see what we have going into fall camp," Tavani said. "Mike DiPaola is playing with the confidence that you'd expect from a senior and Rob Curley is really coming along nicely. Josh Jones, for a guy who essentially had no reps coming into this spring, is making great progress."
The Leopards will receive four days off over the Easter holiday before they return to practice next Tuesday. The remainder of the spring practice schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, April 10 - 4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 13 - 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 14 - 9:00 a.m.
Tuesday, April 17 - 4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 20 - 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 21 - 11:00 a.m. (Maroon-White Spring Game)
