Troy spring game observations
March 29, 2008
I’m at the Troy-New Orleans baseball game, where UNO got 6 hits and 4 runs in the first inning off Travis Burge. UNO is getting a bunch of bloop hits, but they count the same.
QUARTERBACKS: Jamie Hampton put up the best numbers and he’s the most versatile quarterback. He made some really nice throws in the latter part of the scrimmage and I think he’s got the highest ceiling among the quarterbacks. I think Levi Brown’s probably better in the pocket and has a better arm, and can run a little bit himself. Tanner Jones was decent, made some good throws, but wasn’t quite as good as the other two. I think, and this is just my prediction, that the final two QBs will be Hampton and Levi Brown and it seems like coaches really want Hampton to step up and be the man because he’s the most versatile. He’s got good size being around 6’2 and has the frame to get a little thicker.
Here are a few non-quarterbacks who stood out to me. Bear in mind that these are spring practices and a lot of the bigger names don’t play as much because they don’t need to. We didn’t see a lot of Boris Lee or Jerrel Jernigan, nor did we need to.
1. Xavier Lamb - The redshirt freshman took advantage of Boris Lee not playing and was all over the field, as evidenced by his 21 tackles. He’s listed behind Lee at MLB but if he keeps playing well, they’ll move him around
2. Patrick Cherry - The sophomore receiver caught what was thrown from him, took some hits and still held on. He’s a guy that’s starting to prove reliable when called upon.
3. Xavier Moreland - Who knows how much he’ll be playing at running back, but he’ll keep getting looks this spring and if he can control his fumble-itis, he’ll give the offensive staff more options at running back.
4. Donnell Golden - Another guy who was all over the field, especially in the second half of the scrimmage. The redshirt freshman played like a guy who knows there’s some spots up for grabs.
5. DuJuan Harris - Coaches feel like the sophomore running back will be a star in the Sun Belt. He showed some goods Saturday.
I’m not good at telling you who is a good lineman or not, but the first group included, from left to right, Chris Jamison, Tyler Clark, Danny Franks, Steven Merkel and Dion Small
Troy scrimmages again next Saturday. Check back here for a few updates this week.
