Published: April 29, 2008 07:46 pm            

Tech football coach says team still has room for improvement

MONTGOMERY — Overall, first-year WVU Tech football coach Scott Tinsley says he saw some good things from his Golden Bears as they concluded spring practice with a controlled scrimmage Sunday.

But, he says much work still needs to be accomplished before the opening kick of the 2008 season this fall.

Tinsley said he “really appreciated” the crowd in attendance, estimated at about 300. “Most everyone came out of there with a pretty good feeling,” said Tinsley.

“The only ones who were not real happy were the coaches,” he added. “Yes, we’ve improved, but we’re not where we need to be.”

For one thing, Tinsley said the offense had “way too many dropped balls.” And, he said the kicking game needs shored up.

The running back corps performed pretty well as a unit, he added, and “the offensive line protected well, although they could have run-blocked better” in a few situations.

On the other side of the ball, the No. 1 defense, which didn’t see a lot of playing time, played well when it was on the Martin Field turf, allowing only one first down to the first-team offense.

In particular, inside linebackers Eric Putmon and Ralph Hines “have had a great spring, and it continued Sunday,” said Tinsley. Outside linebacker Frank Jennings was solid, and Kendrell Fuller, Jermaine Jack and Johnathon Frierson (two interceptions) were among those making contributions in the secondary.

And, another positive was that “we came out of spring ball healthy,” Tinsley said.

Tech will initiate the 2008 season Saturday, Aug. 30 at Urbana University. The first home encounter is Sept. 27 against Campbellsville.

        

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