Aug. 5, 2006
The Baylor football team completed its second workout of fall camp Saturday evening with a two-and-a-half hour practice in helmets and shorts on the grass fields at Floyd Casey Stadium.
The Bears' defense, which lost seven starters from last year's unit which ranked No. 63 nationally in total defense (378.0 ypg), was without three projected senior starters for Saturday's practice. Defensive end Marcus Foreman (muscle strain), nose tackle M.T. Robinson (sore hamstring) and defensive end Julian Hill (sore knee) have all missed the first two workouts with a variety of aliments.
Despite having three projected starters on the sidelines with nagging injuries, third-year defensive coordinator Bill Bradley has been pleased with his unit's continued progress since the end of spring practice.
"I see some good athleticism in our linebackers spot and a lot of speed on the ends, especially (junior) Geoff Nelson," said Bradley. "He's getting around the arm pretty good. Of course, we have veteran tackles and they are going to be alright, but we'd like to have Hill (Julian) and Foreman (Marcus) back. They need to be practicing, so we need to get them healed up and back out there.
"On the flip side of that, Lamb (Jason) has been getting a lot of reps and he looks better and better every day," he added. "Geoff Nelson is working and the young guys are getting reps. We need the veterans in there, but the young guys are getting reps, which is the good thing."
With the graduation of Baylor's 2005 starting linebackers Colin Allred and Jamaal Harper, junior Nick Moore and redshirt freshman Antonio Jones have stepped to the forefront, according to Bradley.
"Nick Moore is solid as a rock and Antonio Jones is learning every day," said Bradley. "He's got great ability. Jeremy Williams is doing a good job at safety sam. He's (Williams) behind a season veteran in Maurice Linguist, so he learns by watching, too.
"The secondary is fantastic," Bradley continued. "Dwain Crawford made a great interception tonight. He traveled a long way to make that play. I think we are coming along, but we have a long way to go. We have to get some experience in these practices, because when game time rolls around they have to be sharp. But, I can see a little bit of progress between yesterday and today."
Baylor returns to the practice field Sunday evening at 6 p.m. Sunday's schedule all includes weight lifting, walk-through and position meetings, as well as a 90-minute presentation by the Speaking Specialists.
Notes: Senior wide receiver Dominique Zeigler and sophomore wide receiver Mikail Baker were both slowed by sore hamstrings during the workout, which was held in 100-plus degree heat ... "I thought our effort (tonight) wasn't a problem, but we have to understand that there are going to be times when things are not going to go perfect and we can't let a fumbled snap or dropped ball lead to another mistake," said Baylor coach Guy Morriss following the practice. "When those things happen, you have to rally from that. We didn't seem to have the same energy and chatter, especially the offense. That kind of bugs me a little bit."
