If the emotion of their coach is any indication, the Towson University football team should be more than ready for spring football practice.
“I?m tired of lifting and running,” Gordy Combs said. “And I didn?t have to do any of it.”
The Tigers (7-4 in 2006) will hit the practice field this afternoon at 3:30 for the first of 14 practices. The spring schedule will culminate May 5 with the spring game.
The Tigers, who return 17 starters, will head into camp with a solid lineup. The biggest questions will be at left tackle, defensive line and in the secondary.
“I think one of the things we have to do is solidify that left tackle position,” Combs said.
Leon Stevenson, a 6-foot-4, 292-pound sophomore, is the favorite to lock up the position. Towson signed two more defensive linemen after signing day, but the team isn?t expecting much from its true freshmen, particularly on the defensive line, where sophomore Richard Lee andsenior Haines Holloway are expected to line up next to senior tackle T.J. Foley.
“Hopefully, we can get him through a season without an injury,” Combs said of Foley, who started the first seven games in 2006 before missing significant time with a back injury. “He?s a pretty good player when he?s healthy.”
On the surface, the Tigers should be concerned about the loss of their two top receivers from the past two seasons. But experienced upperclassmen ? such as junior Marcus Lee and seniors Paul Perry, Demetrius Harrison and Dayron Arnold ? should fill in nicely. Lee had 101 catches in his first two seasons, while Perry ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash in a junior workout day recently.
The Tigers are excited about their skill positions on offense, even though they?ll be without starting tailback Nick Williams (lacrosse). Basketball standout Tommy Breaux (6-foot-9) will get plenty of work at wide receiver, while Combs is excited about speedy freshman receiver Hakeem Moore (5-11, 160).
Aside from Williams, the Tigers are only expecting to be without senior center Nick Bradway, who injured his ankle in the offseason.
NOTES: Linebacker Brian Bradford, receiver Demetrius Harrison, quarterback Sean Schaefer, defensive back Kenny Scott and linebacker John Webb have been named 2007 captains. … Towson returns 46 letter-winners, having lost 21. Only four underclassmen are listed as starters on the pre-camp depth chart.
