March 29, 2010

RUSTON, La. - Quotes following Louisiana Tech's eighth spring practice of 2010.

"I thought we had a good, competitive day. It was good to have Ross Jenkins back at practice today; I thought he practiced well for someone who has missed five or six practices. It was encouraging to get him out here and it was good to get him around his teammates. I thought he really practiced well today."

"I thought both quarterbacks had a good day, both Ross Jenkins and Steven Ensminger did some good things and got the majority of the reps today. It is going to be a good competition between all of these guys and those two specifically have been more consistent right now but we’re going to keep competing for spots. I like that we’re starting to develop a little bit of depth at the skill positions. It is a competition and that is what makes you better."

"Same thing on the offensive line, I think there are some good position battles going on as well as at linebacker. I like what I am seeing from those guys at linebacker, especially some of the young guys. Some of the older guys are going to have to fight to keep their job."

On the offensive line:
"Rob McGill has been the guy who has been the steadiest for us. We moved him over to left tackle today, making a position change. We felt like he would be a little bit better on the left side and he adjusted real well. He had some experience playing there last year and I thought he did a lot of good things [today]. Those guys have played as a group and I have really been impressed with them, especially the second offensive line group. Those guys have been really solid and I think we have eight to 10 pretty good options on the offensive line, which is pretty good."

On youth in the offensive line:
"We’ve got some young faces mixed in with some older ones that are more experienced and have been around for a while. That is always a good combination. The younger guys are talented, the older guys are talented as well but also bring a lot of experience to the table."

"What I like, on both sides of the ball, is you can see guys working hard and improving. I think we’ve gotten a whole lot better at wide receiver since we started. We’re inconsistent, we’re young, kind of inexperienced but those guys are making a lot of strides. We’ve also gotten a lot better at the linebacker position. I’ve been impressed with those guys running around and making plays. There is going to be great competition there for starting spots as well."

On good and bad halfway through spring practice:
"I think the consistent effort is the thing I have been most pleased with. Our kids have really practiced hard and they are trying to learn. You can see guys starting to coach each other now and being in-tune to what we’re trying to teach and buying into what we’re trying to accomplish. That’s a really, really positive step. I also like the tempo of our practices but we still need to continue to improve that. I think we’re starting to understand, on both sides of the ball, how important it is to be organized, communicate, line up quickly and be able to execute, especially when they get tired."

"One thing we need to improve on is our overall ability to stay focused and concentrate for an extended period. We do some good things at times but we lose our concentration at times also and we have to become a mentally tougher football team to be able to grind through three hours of practice, just like we’ll have to grind through three hours of a football game."

Printer-friendly format	Email this article