Carroll's Landers picks Grambling
· Playing for Super Bowl quarterback Doug Williams played an important part in the decision. December 11, 2003
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Carroll High quarterback Brandon Landers, the area's top local offensive recruit, confirms that he has verbally committed to play for Doug Williams at Grambling State.
"To be coached by the first black quarterback to win the Super Bowl had something to do with it," Landers said. "He knows the game. I'd like to follow in his footsteps and do some of the things he's done at Grambling State University."
Williams has said that any prep signings this off-season would redshirt in 2004 behind senior Bruce Eugene, the top quarterback in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Coach Jesse Smith has installed a similar spread offense at Carroll High.
"Whatever move he made, I'd support," Smith said of Landers' commitment. "But we do a lot of the same things that Grambling does. He will be in a system where he will throw the football. I believe, with the experience that he has gotten over the years, that this is as fine a program as he could be going to."
Landers also recognized the opportunity to quickly integrate into the SWAC's best passing offense the past two seasons.
"I feel like Grambling would treat me better," Landers said. "The offense they run is basically the same offense that we run."
Landers, who led Carroll to a second straight District 2-3A crown this season, finished his prep career with 2,302 yards on 140-for-245 passes, along with 16 TD passes and five interceptions. He was The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare player of the week for Week 5 this season - after passing for 300 yards and a score against Ferriday, while also returning an interception for a touchdown.
"In my opinion, he had an outstanding year," said Smith. "He pretty much led the team. He was able to run the football and pass it too. He did everything we expected."
In his last high school game, the multi-talented Landers passed for 204 yards and ran for a score in a third-round playoff loss.. He also had 48 career tackles and three interceptions for Carroll.
Landers says he was recruited by McNeese State, Northwestern State, Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana Tech. Others like Texas A&M were reportedly interested as well.
"But I never really considered anywhere else," Landers said. "I felt like Grambling fit me."
Landers follows in the footsteps of Grambling State legend James "Shack" Harris, who is also a Carroll High alum. Harris was the first black quarterback to be drafted into the NFL, playing for Buffalo, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Cooper's departure could shift QB status
Carroll High quarterback Brandon Landers could immediately move into the No. 2 slot at Grambling State. Coach Doug Williams granted two-year backup quarterback Gary Cooper a release on Monday.
"I'm not a guy who believes in a two-quarterback system," Williams said. "Somebody has to take the bull by the horns. It's unfortunate for Cooper, because he wants to play. But as long as Bruce is healthy, he's our starter."
Cooper had career numbers of 14-for-36 at GSU, with three interceptions and two scores.
Further back in the quarterback rotation are Texas freshmen Brandon Logan from San Antonio and Arnel Rolfe of Dallas. Neither has taken a game-day snap.
"They've got to step it up in the spring," Williams said.
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Landers learns another lesson the hard way
September 12, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
NORMAL Ala. - The grounds crew at Louis Crews Stadium can thank Grambling State quarterback Brandon Landers for all the work facing them this morning.
I expect there are several freshman-shaped holes out there today.
Perhaps that was expected for Landers, who got his first collegiate start a year early when senior All-American Bruce Eugene was injured last week.
Still, the timing couldn't have been worse, as GSU arrived in Alabama to face one of the Southwestern Athletic Conference's most inventive and aggressive defenses.
Alabama A&M relentlessly harassed Landers. It threw everything at him - linebackers, safeties, the kitchen sink, other appliances. That ensured Landers wouldn't win the game, yet his fiery determination would again win over the coaches.
"We have believed that Brandon Landers could handle the things we do," said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears, who fell to 0-2 with the loss to Alabama A&M. "Brandon and Bruce worked closely together all summer. He has grasped the information at a very fast pace."
There were moments of shimmering promise, followed by thudding despair.
That's a freshman quarterback for you.
For instance, Landers took advantage of a blocked punt by Winnfield junior Donald Alexander on A&M's first possession of the third quarter, firing a brilliant pass to Mangham senior Chad White over the middle for a critical completion at midfield.
But the inevitable sack ended that drive. Landers ran right into the rush on that play, a rookie error.
He kept his head up.
"My athleticism will always help me," Landers said. "As I get more familiar with the offensive scheme, I will only get better."
As soon as Landers got going on Saturday, he would get leveled.
A sack - no surprise, that - by A&M's Cedric Harris killed the first promising drive of Landers' night in Alabama. After starting 0-of-4, Landers had finally completed an underneath pass to junior Henry Tolbert that turned into a 15-yard gain.
GSU didn't score, but Landers kept going. He kept getting hit, but he kept going.
With 6:03 left in the game, Grambling State had used all of its timeouts. This was how this tough night would end, in real time - a slow wait.
Somebody forgot to tell Landers.
With 54 seconds left, he was still flinging it. GSU's first 0-2 start since 1996 - when former coach Eddie Robinson lost his initial three contests on the way to a 3-8 record - would have to wait. Landers hit Tolbert for a 25-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 21-9.
But, too often, even when Landers could get a throw off, a very young receiving group again dropped it. GSU was also without its top target from last year's A&M game, as Moses Harris joined Eugene with a season-ending injury during Week 1.
"It hasn't been roses for them. They've faced some challenges," said third-year Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones, who had never before won against GSU - a streak that included the 2002 SWAC title game. "Grambling has enough guys on that team that are used to winning. One thing I know about winning, once you get that taste in your mouth, you don't roll over for anybody."
So A&M kept coming.
Sacks count against a team's rushing yardage on the official stat sheet, so it's no surprise that the Tigers ended up with a staggering minus-two yards in the first half. Junior Ab Kuaan's first-down yardage was leaking out with each defensive play on his quarterback.
Yet, Landers was always out there under center when the whistle blew, lined up again and ready to go. He prides himself on that.
"I lead by action," said Landers, The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare Offensive Player of the Year as a senior at Carroll. "I've never been a very vocal person. So, I lead by what I do."
A big, tough unit, GSU's offensive line was simply outnumbered by A&M's zone-blitz scheme. It often had seven hats on eight defenders.
That's why Landers could have been confined to bed rest by a doctor and not spent as much time on his back. Adding insult to injury, Grambling State wore white - meaning those grass stains may never come out.
But Spears takes solace in that flickering passion from his first-year signal-caller. You won't find many players still gunning for the end zone with under a minute left in an already-decided game.
"He's very athletic, very versatile, with an outstanding arm," enthused the ever-upbeat Spears. "When the lights come on, he's a different kind of player. He has a flair as a leader. I think we are in good hands."
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Saving the day has been child's play for Grambling freshmen
September 20, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
CINCINNATI- Remember when they used to make freshmen carry the older players' shoulder pads back in after practice?
Now, they're carrying the team.
Witness Grambling State's first win of the 2004 season. Quarterback Brandon Landers hands off to Landry Carter, who runs it in from four yards in the third quarter on Saturday against Bethune-Cookman, GSU's first points on the day.
Defensive end Jason Banks also notches two sacks for 14 yards in losses.
Landers tosses a 46-yard scoring strike to Clyde Edwards to get GSU to within two points.
Every one of the playmakers mentioned is a freshman. GSU would beat Bethune-Cookman 24-23 on Saturday in the Ohio Classic.
"I couldn't ask for anything better," said Landers, a Carroll High product named offensive player of the year just last spring by The News-Star. The ... high school ... offensive player of the year.
"To be on the Cincinnati Bengals field, being a young player," Landers marvelled from inside Paul Brown Stadium. "I've waited for this my whole life."
His whole life. Landers was born on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, 1985.
But we've never seen anything like this before: Kid's stuff is now the stuff of legend. Landers has led GSU to 32 fourth-quarter points in three games.
"Leaders," Landers mused, and he couldn't be more right, "are born."
Born in the second Reagan administration.
And not just Brandon Landers, who replaced All-American Bruce Eugene after the senior suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of 2004.
First-year Georgia running back Danny Ware exploded for three scores against Georgia Southern. Tennessee's Brent Schaeffer became the first true freshman to start an SEC opener since 1945. A youngster named Darius Walker might have turned Notre Dame's season around with 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a second-week win over Michigan.
Landers' first start was somewhat less glamorous. But playing through it made him a better quarterback in Cincinnati.
"They were sending six or seven people at me last week (against Alabama A&M)," said Landers. "So (interim GSU) Coach (Melvin) Spears told me that we were going to the shotgun (against BCC), and that I should be patient and stay with it. He put the ball in my hands."
That Alabama A&M nightmare included just 11 completions on 40 tries. GSU didn't convert a single third-down - putting freshman punter Tim Manuel just one punt away from the school record for attempts in a game.
"Bouncing back from a performance like that," said Eugene, "is all about character."
Alabama A&M was credited with a five sacks, but Landers was hurried and pushed around all night.
"He's taken so many licks," said offensive coordinator Sammy White. "To keep getting up, that says a lot about him."
Landers would flourish Saturday in the shotgun, a scheme that made all the more sense when senior center Lance Wright left the game with an injury.
"What we were trying to do was to take some of the pressure off of Brandon," said Spears. "When you get down a couple of touchdowns, you've got to keep passing. But we wanted to give him a better opportunity. At halftime, we told him: `It's your show. Show us what you've got.' "
But just in case the freshmen get too comfortable, however, note that Landers' first collegiate win came with some veteran help.
Junior Henry Tolbert made a key scoring grab to narrow BCC's lead to two points in the third quarter. And Eugene attended Saturday's game, encouraging the team during warmups and helping out with playcalling upstairs with running backs coach Vyron Brown.
"We're going to keep him around," Spears said of Eugene, laughing. "He'll basically be our cheerleader - and he'll also help us with Brandon."
Saturday's game was Eugene's first since undergoing knee surgery a week ago on Thursday.
"I can help him, because I've been there," said Eugene, who was given wide latitude last season to audible from the line based on what he saw on the field. "That hands-on experience will make a difference."
A Landers scramble for a quick 53 yards seemed to loosen up this offense in the third quarter. The team's biggest second-half adjustment had to do with confidence.
"Those are the intangibles that Brandon brings to the table," said Spears. "He had great poise. In the end, he looked like Bruce Eugene back there - and that's a good comparison."
The move into the booth will also ensure that Eugene can stay for the entirety of the game, without enduring whatever pain comes from standing on the sidelines. Eugene, who moved around on crutches, is applying for another year of eligibility on a medical waiver.
"Everything is progressing very well for Bruce," said Spears, who is also taking a more prominent role in the offense, after concentrating on the defense early in the season. "As he heals, we'd like to give him an opportunity to look at the game from a different perspective. Hopefully, when he gets back, he will have a better understanding - and be a better player."
You could criticize GSU's hard-headed focus on making Landers pass. After all, he had attempted 62 throws in five quarters of play before arriving in Cincinnati. But whether they ran or he threw, there was going to be a learning curve.
"When you lose your trigger guy, it makes you a little stagnated - until you get the new trigger guy in place and working," said Spears. "I knew you would start seeing an outstanding quarterback soon - one who happens to be a freshman - in Brandon Landers."
NICK DERISO, named columnist of the year this summer by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, is sports editor at The News-Star, 411 N. Fourth St., Monroe, 71201. Contact him at (318) 362-0233 or at nderiso@thenewsstar.com.
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Landers' stellar freshman season may not yield sophomore one
December 14, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Another week brings another freshman of the year honor for Carroll High product Brandon Landers. Yet, he still doesn't know whether he will get to start again next season at Grambling State.
Landers, who was honored Saturday night by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, took over when senior GSU quarterback Bruce Eugene went down in the third quarter of the 2004 season opener. Landers was also named freshman of the year by the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
"It never ran across my mind to win both awards," said Landers, who broke the school's single-season passing yards record for a freshman - set by Doug Williams in 1974. "You always set goals for a season - you know, once I got the starting job, I decided I wanted to win. But awards like this are a great feeling. I didn't even think I was going to play."
GSU defender Kenneth Pettway and place-kicker Brian Morgan, both seniors, also received first-team All-Louisiana honors from the LSWA, while sophomore offensive tackle Andre' Bennett was given an honorable mention.
The awards come as GSU awaits word on a medical exemption for Eugene. If the NCAA grants Eugene an extra year of eligibility, coaches have said Landers would be redshirted.
"We talked with the NCAA, and it's still under review," said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears. "If Bruce comes back, Landers will redshirt. He will get an opportunity to watch more, and to learn. But if Bruce doesn't come back, then Landers will be the incumbent in camp."
GSU signed LaMarque High product Larry Kerlegan out of Houston last season - who was ranked No. 11 nationally among dual-threat quarterbacks by Rivals.com - but grades kept him off the roster. Kerlegan is expected to be in camp this spring.
"I talked to Bruce the other day, and he still doesn't know whether he will be back or not. We'll wait and see," said Landers, who posted a 6-4 mark as a starter while completing 132-of-316 passes for 2,283 yards, along with 18 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. "In the meantime, I know we're going to start back up in January. I am going to work on getting stronger, on my technique. Redshirting, if that happens, could make me better - just sitting back and watching and learning. I could get more of the experience I need."
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GSU's quarterbacks battle as friends
Camp competition at Grambling is far from combative
August 17, 2005
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - There's a sure sign that Bruce Eugene is feeling it again.
Grambling State's former All American quarterback is trash talking once more during the team's stretching exercises before practice.
"This offense," Eugene was saying the other day, "has speed for sale."
GSU coach Melvin Spears has consistently hedged on how that return impacts his depth chart. After all, Brandon Landers rocketed to conference freshman of the year honors once Eugene lost his senior season to a knee injury in the 2004.
"Brandon did a wonderful job for us last year down the stretch," Spears said. "But when you talk about experience, Bruce Eugene knows the system. We will let the best guy play."
Landers has a different answer.
"I know what the situation is," he said. "Bruce is getting his old position back."
Even so, the expected creative tension hasn't followed.
In fact, these two remain friends. As they enter the practice field, one will say to the other: "Be perfect today."
"That way," Landers said, "we know we are pushing each other to do better. At the same time, I am trying to learn from him."
Eugene also says that competition hasn't gotten in the way of their relationship: "The whole thing of `let's be perfect' is that we are trying to make each other better. We get along just fine."
Eugene still wears a knee brace - though Spears says that's simply as a precaution.
"He's the only guy I've ever seen go through an ACL injury and not lose any flexibility," said Spears. "Bruce is better than he was before. First off, his rehab was extensive, but also he's a fast healer."
Questions about the knee haven't trumped Eugene's past performances, which likely pushed Grambling to the top of the Southwestern Athletic Conference's Western division in more than one preseason poll so far.
Grambling's career total offense leader with 10,172 yards, he was last seen as a junior in 2003 passing for 3,805 yards and 34 touchdowns. Eugene also ran for 412 yards - second most on the team - and another six touchdowns on the ground.
That makes Eugene, despite the fact that he spent the last season earning his degree, the most productive returning quarterback in Division I-AA.
Yet Landers never stopped working, even as a move to the No. 2 spot became clear.
The Carroll product paid particular attention to his upper-body strength this offseason, focusing on bench pressing on an incline and lifting by shoulder shrug. The result has been a sharper release, and better ball speed.
Spears, wary after an injury-marred 2004, said he won't consider redshirting Landers.
"The nature of the beast is that you never know how the game goes, and how it may fall," said Spears, who lost Eugene in the third quarter of the season opener last year.
Landers isn't interested either.
"A quarterback who redshirted might relax," said Landers, who threw for almost 2,300 yards as a freshman. "It's a mind thing. I'm not thinking about next year. I'm thinking about right now. That will help me stay ready, as always."
The No. 3 quarterback is a celebrated prep prospect, Larry Kerlegan of Houston's LaMarque High.
"You always have to think in terms of two or three years down the road," said Spears. "You've got to be prepared. Bruce Eugene won't be back - one way or another. Those other guys have to be ready to play."
Still, as even Landers admits, it's clear the team belongs to the likeable Eugene right now.
Eugene has always been gregarious, knowledgeable and well regarded, even if he is only just now completely inhabiting the leadership role.
"The kids really rally around Bruce," said GSU offensive line coach Carl Roberts. "He not only knows his own assignment, but also the linemen's assignment. He has that leadership quality."
Eugene earned a lot of credibility when he led Grambling to the 2002 championship, after a season behind Randy Hymes - quarterback on those 2000-01 title teams.
But Eugene gained real authority as a team captain when he wrestled down a more common nemesis: His weight.
"I know within the circle of this team, they believe in me," Eugene said. "That's what I go on."
Spears sent Eugene to the Duke University diet and fitness center over the summer, where he lost 25 pounds in just four weeks on a diet of 1,800 calories a day.
Eugene was just getting started. He's now dropped more than 40 pounds.
"In rehab, and while I'm lifting weights or walking, every time I get ready to eat something I shouldn't be eating, I think about the naysayers," said Eugene, who at one point ballooned up to a startling 308 pounds. "Everybody said I couldn't lose weight. Let them talk. I know in the end I will be standing on top."
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For Grambling State quarterback Brandon Landers ...
Waiting was the hardest part
March 15, 2006
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Brandon Landers was brought in to be the Next Big Thing at Grambling State.
The Carroll High product expected to apprentice during the 2004 season behind record-smashing quarterback Bruce Eugene, then assume the spotlight.
Something happened on the way to his debut.
Eugene went down with a knee injury, and suddenly Landers - just months after playing Class 4A ball in high school - was under center.
It took time and adjustment for both Landers and the staff, but he eventually claimed conference freshman of the year honors after leading a newly run-oriented GSU to a winning season.
"My freshman year, they wanted give the ball to the veteran backs," Landers said. "Having guys like that, it took some pressure off of me."
Landers then got his belated redshirt, gaining more valuable experience, when Eugene was given a medical exemption before the 2005 campaign.
So, there's little drama in this: Landers is penciled in at starter as GSU's spring sessions get underway today.
The plot thickens, however, when examining how Landers' return could affect the playbook.
"We might put in a few wrinkles here or there to play up to Brandon's strengths," GSU coach Melvin Spears said. "But a year behind Bruce has given Brandon a much better grasp of the offense, both in terms of being able to make all the different adjustments and running the team more efficiently."
Landers, always gritty and confidant, says the days of running the ball to mask immaturity are over. He's ready to fit into a passing system that has established itself as the Southwestern Athletic Conference's most dangerous and entertaining.
"I don't know about any changes (to the scheme); I hope they keep it the same so we can keep rolling," Landers said.
Then, after some thought, he adds: "Playing behind a guy like Bruce, everyone will be expecting a whole lot of things. I'm just going to go out and play the game that I know how to play."
Questions about the offensive focus can be forgiven, even by some of the players, after the way Landers' presence in 2004 so radically altered Grambling's look.
His freshman campaign ended with redemptive win over Southern, but Landers had just 13 passing attempts on the day. (To put that into perspective, Eugene had as many tries by the first GSU possession of the second quarter in the 2005 Bayou Classic.)
Ab "Killer" Kuuan was the tip of the sword in this reworked ground attack, averaging 131 rushing yards a game over the final month of the season. The last time he and Landers shared the field, Kuuan was receiving his Bayou Classic MVP trophy after running for 126 punishing yards against Southern.
"That was my first question: Are we still going to have the same offense? Or are we going to run it?" said senior Henry Tolbert, who just set a new school record for receiving touchdowns in a season.
"The coaches feel like it's on him," Tolbert said. "If Brandon can show this spring that he can run the offense the way Bruce did, everything will be the same."
Spears said he has always known that Landers was physically gifted. He just felt Landers needed more time to adjust to the speed of decision-making in the college game.
He got that chance when Eugene returned for a rare sixth season of eligibility - though the bench wasn't always a comfy spot for a competitor like Landers.
"It was tough; that was my first time ever sitting out an entire season, but I learned a whole lot," said Landers, who earned offensive player of the year honors from The News-Star and Glenwood SportsCare in 2003.
"I paid attention to the game, learning about what was called on the field," he said. "I knew my role. I did what was asked."
In the end, Landers had a front-row seat as Eugene marched through the record books. A capstone came when Eugene smashed a 20-year-old Division I-AA mark for touchdown passes in a season during the SWAC championship win last December.
Landers found that, in the end, he had made a friend.
"We bonded together; we developed a really good friendship," Landers said. "I hope to be a leader and do the same things Bruce did. It was honor playing behind him."
Landers also grew closer to Tolbert, sure to be one of his primary targets in `06, over the past two seasons. That chemistry translates off the field too, where the two are roommates.
"I feel really good about Brandon taking over," Tolbert said. "I don't think I could feel any better about anybody. I was here when he first got here, so I've seen a lot of progress. Sitting behind Bruce was great for him. My expectations are really high coming in."
Look for a strong push for starting time from second-year passer Larry Kerlegan, a celebrated former Texas recruit. Grambling was also still in the market for another quarterback signee as late as last weekend.
But in the end, the stage is set. It's Landers' job to lose.
"Brandon Landers showed a lot of maturity last year in the way he handled things," Spears said. "It allowed him to learn a lot from Bruce Eugene. What we will do this spring is polish that. We're eager to see what he learned from the whole process."
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Landers lays down the law
Grambling QB interned as local marshal this summer
August 7, 2006
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — When Grambling State holds its first fall practice this afternoon, quarterback Brandon Landers will be the new sheriff in town.
Well, marshal, actually.
The Carroll product, a criminal justice major, spent the summer interning with Ouachita Parish marshal Wince Highshaw Jr. — a stint that included serving warrants and working court security.
Landers said that real-world experience uniquely prepared him to take over a leadership role as GSU quarterback.
And to continue in that role in his impoverished neighborhood when football is over.
"I'm the first person in my family to go to college," Landers said. "Doing something like this, going to school and working hard, it's a way to show younger people that success is not about drugs. I want to be a role model in the neighborhood."
Landers — friends have already taken to calling him "Officer Landers" — is by far the most experienced returning quarterback at Grambling.
Pushed into duty after an injury to the now-departed Bruce Eugene, a two-time Walter Payton Award finalist, Landers would eventually earn conference freshman of the year honors.
He struggled with the assignment early on, but showed flashes of the talent that only months before helped lead Carroll to a second straight District 2-3A crown.
Landers now stands 309 attempts, 131 completions and 17 touchdowns further along than sophomore Larry Kerlegan, GSU's backup when Eugene returned and Landers redshirted a year later.
In fact, Kerlegan has just one college completion on seven attempts — a touchdown pass late in that blowout win over Concordia, an over-matched NAIA team. Presumptive No. 3 Desmond Brentley is a true freshman out of Pittsburgh's Perry High.
Still, GSU coach Melvin Spears has stressed that this will be a competitive camp for Landers, with Kerlegan and Brentley getting their share of reps.
"Our goal was to bring in enough competition so that we could make certain that Brandon doesn't get complacent," Spears said. "We've got a couple of guys who can do that. We want to be competitive everywhere, at every position."
Later, Spears reiterates one of this off-season's early mantras: "Leadership has no seniority."
A visibly more mature Landers welcomes the challenge.
Time spent in local courtrooms, where he's gotten an up-close examination of how life can turn on a bad decision, along with a year behind Eugene helped reshape this flinty former high school star. Landers is focused, energetic, and a bit humbled.
"Some people from my neighborhood have asked me, how can you be a police officer with where you come from?" Landers said. "I want to show them you can make it out. You don't have to do illegal things to get there."
Landers was already something of a neighborhood hero, finishing his prep career with 2,302 yards and 16 touchdown passes to go with 48 career tackles and three interceptions as a defensive back for Carroll.
His senior season in 2003 included a 300-yard, one-touchdown passing day against Ferriday. He also returned an interception for a touchdown that night, on the way to <I>News-Star</I>/Glenwood SportsCare player of the week honors. Landers' final prep game was a third-round playoff loss, but he passed for 204 yards and ran for a score.
"He was able to run the football and pass it too," said Carroll coach Jesse Smith when Landers committed to Grambling. "He did everything we expected."
That led to offensive player of the year recognition at the All-Northeast banquet — though Landers couldn't attend because he was also a crucial contributor on the Bulldogs' basketball team, which was playing that night.
Recruiters, Landers said, came calling from ULM, Louisiana Tech, McNeese State, Northwestern State and Texas A&M. But he chose to stay close to home, hoping to play one day for former Grambling coach Doug Williams.
Landers figured to have some time to gather himself, since he arrived as Eugene entered what promised to be a heralded senior season. But in short order, Williams left for an executive job in the NFL — turning the reins over to Spears, his former offensive coordinator — and then Eugene blew out his knee in the season opener.
"Brandon did an outstanding job in 2004 when Bruce went down," Spears said. "He has a great feel for the game when the lights come on."
Still, the life lesson was clear: Be prepared.
Landers started contemplating on a longer timeline.
"You gotta think about life after football," he said. "The air might go out of the ball one day."
Landers said Highshaw, a family friend, helped him get the internship — and it's been something that helped Landers frame everything that's important right now, not just football.
"When I got into criminal justice, and found out the type of things that they do, I got really interested," Landers said. "Marshal Highshaw gave me the opportunity to get some hands-on training, and I've learned so much that will help me."
Landers took the summer to get in shape, and not just physically. That's something that will bolster a maturation process his coach thinks is critical for Grambling's success on the field this year.
"He's learned the system; he has the tangibles," Spears said of Landers. "It's just going to be a matter of how quickly he can show that on the field."
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Landers handled it all on and off the field
September 4, 2006
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The context surrounding Grambling State quarterback Brandon Landers' numbers on Saturday makes them all the more impressive.
While attempting to mediate an argument, Landers saw his brother murdered and his cousin critically wounded in his hometown of Monroe just two Fridays ago. Yet, he still threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns against Hampton at legendary Legion Field.
"I tried to go on with my everyday life," said Landers, a former Carroll High standout. "I tried to stay close to my team and my coaches, really just to take my mind off of things. Coach kept telling me that everything happens for a reason. I just looked at is as motivation."
Perhaps accordingly, Landers had his struggles, from a one-pass possession stopped on an interception to several attempts that badly overshot receivers.
But in the end, he was efficient enough to put the team in position to win — even if it didn't work out that way — and he did a good job of distributing the ball, hitting four different receivers for touchdown passes.
"He's had some ups and downs the week, certainly," GSU coach Melvin Spears said. "But he worked hard, and he executed for the most part. It's a whole lot for a young man to have on his shoulders. I'm ready proud of him."
The funeral for Frank Landers, 18, of Monroe, is set for Tuesday, Brandon Landers said.
Tallying it up: Hampton got big numbers courtesy of its big stars against Grambling, from NFL prospect Justin Durant — who led the team with eight tackles and 2½ for a loss — to running back Alonzo Coleman.
Coleman, the MEAC's preseason offensive player of the year, amassed 78 yards on 12 carries, despite missing the latter part of the game to injury. Van Morgan took over and added another 83 yards on 14 carries.
Princeton Shepherd left the game as well, but still passed for a team-best 120 yards, along with a touchdown. T.J. Mitchell spelled Shepherd and connected on 6-for-16 attempts for 89 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Marquay McDaniels was stellar, with 113 yards and a score at wideout, 48 yards on punt returns, and 8 yards rushing on three tries.
Shepherd (passing), Coleman (rushing), McDaniels (receiving) and Durant (tackles and sacks) were the team leaders last year, as well.
Sweet home, Alabama: Six Grambling teammates played for linebackers coach Andre Robinson during a previous tenure at Birmingham's Parker High School.
They include: linebackers Brandon Arnold and Josh Bester; center Tavarus Cockrell; wide receivers Reginald Jackson; Xavier Jackson and Henry Tolbert; and defensive lineman Donald Williams.
Senior running back Ab Kuuan is also from nearby Sylacauga, Ala.
They'll be headed right back this week, as Grambling returns for a rematch of last December's SWAC Championship Game against Alabama A&M.
"We've got to come out and take care of A&M," said safety Bryan Langford. "We've got to be ready, even if it goes to overtime, to go the distance."
Tolbert had four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown at Legion Field. Kuuan had 37 yards on 17 carries and a special-teams tackle.
Bester had six tackles, including an assist for a loss; Williams had four, with one for a loss.
Kuuan and Tolbert were pregame team captains, as well.
Gave them five: Hampton and Grambling shared the Sheridan Broadcasting Network's black college national title in 2005. But the Pirates have owned Grambling as of late.
GSU actually has a 57-25 overall record against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but it has fallen to 2-6 all time against Hampton — including five losses in a row.
But GSU didn't go easy, fighting until the last play of the game as it went to overtime.
"It's what you expected," Landers said. "It was a hard-fought battle to the end. Hopefully, we gave the people what they came out to see, two great teams trying to be victorious."
You have to go all the way back to former GSU coach Eddie Robinson's 1994 team to find a win — and it was a squeaker, too: Grambling won 32-29.
Spears has lost to HU three times, twice as a offensive coordinator in 1998-99 and then this year as head coach. GSU, under Doug Williams, lost by scores of 28-15 and 27-7.
Grambling is now 2-2 on ESPN affiliates since 2003, beating Alabama State and Alabama A&M last year and falling to San Jose State in '03 and Hampton over the weekend.
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Landers back as GSU's starting QB
October 11, 2006
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Three games into Grambling State's two-quarterback experiment, the race is a dead heat.
Larry Kerlegan and Brandon Landers, both redshirt sophomores, have each shown the ability to take charge — and to take a leave of absence.
Kerlegan was the dynamo at Houston, winning a weekly Southwestern Athletic Conference award while Landers posted negligible stats. The roles were reversed at Mississippi Valley State, where the opposing coaches clearly schemed to stop Kerlegan and Kerlegan alone.
The two passers also shared duties, though they had more similar success, in a rout against Prairie View in between.
"I think they are getting there," GSU coach Melvin Spears said. "We're still looking for a little more continuity."
Landers will get the start this week against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, as first reported at www. thenewsstar.com on Tuesday morning. But Spears said that Kerlegan will again spell him at quarterback.
Situations, Spears said, will dictate who plays and when.
"It's a studying process," he said, "and I think Brandon is a little further along. That's why he's getting a few more reps."
Landers, who won SWAC freshman of the year honors while subbing for the injured Bruce Eugene at Grambling in 2004, has played with renewed vigor since Kerlegan hit the field. The competition seems to have emboldened both to work harder.
Still, add in the bye week, and it's been a month since these two began splitting duties and the numbers still don't provide an easy answer as to who should start.
The efficiency ratings are lopsided in Kerlegan's direction, with a 68 percent completion rate compared with 53 percent. But Landers has piled up nearly twice as much passing production. Through this week, he has 882 yards and nine passing touchdowns while Kerlegan has 418 yards and 4 scores.
That means they'll continue to share time, Spears said.
"We're not asking them to win the game, just to manage it and get the ball to our receivers and running backs," Spears said.
Kerlegan got 285 of those passing yards against Houston, while Landers went 0-for-3. Landers then had 213 yards in the air last week at Valley, while Kerlegan had minus-2.
In Dallas against Prairie View, they almost perfectly split 297 total passing yards, as Kerlegan sparked the offense with 172 yards.
Again, no clear frontrunner.
Kerlegan is the team's second-leading rusher with 180 yards, but Landers is the only one of the two with a score on the ground.
And so it goes.
"Larry Kerlegan throws the ball just as well," Spears said, "He just needs to continue to learn the system. Brandon can run too, though he's not as a fast as Kerlegan. They both have things we like. That's why we'll continue to use both."
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AGENT OF CHANGE: Monroe's Landers settles in with new Grambling staff, playbook
August 5, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Brandon Landers, now a redshirt junior, has seen it all during his time at Grambling State.
He's been the green freshman, unexpectedly inserted in 2004 when GSU's record-smashing passer Bruce Eugene blew out a knee.
He's been the camp underdog, fighting to get that same job back, when Eugene returned.
Once relied upon, in 2005 Landers was eventually redshirted.
He's been the presumptive No. 1 himself, struggling in 2006 to fight off a flinty backup.
Today, the Monroe native is, simply, the starter.
"I always live by the idea of being ready for anything," said Landers, a criminal justice major and volunteer with the Marshal's Office. "Things will come at you. I am making the necessary adjustments, but I don't think of it as a difficult thing. Football is football."
Landers' career has been the definition of things coming right at you. He is, in fact, the first quarterback to start consecutive seasons at Grambling since '04.
Then coming off All-Northeast offensive player of the year honors at Carroll, Landers was recruited in 2003 by Doug Williams, played in 2004 and '06 under Melvin Spears and will finish his career under new Grambling coach Rod Broadway.
"Brandon has something about him that you can't help but like," Broadway said. "He has shown some leadership skills. The guys have taken to him, and he's a nice guy to be around."
The first transition was largely seamless, since Spears had run Williams' offensive for six seasons before succeeding him as head coach.
Broadway, however, is installing a completely new look — one that will test both Landers' decision making and his ability to manage the playcalling in a variety of offensive situations.
Landers, bolstered by the new coaches' confidence in him, remains steadfastly optimistic as he faces perhaps his most rigorous challenge yet.
"We're excited about being back at it," Landers said. "We're bonding as a team, trying to get better. You can sense the change, and the excitement about the coaching staff. I feel a difference already in the team."
Landers was productive last season, averaging 194.4 yards per game. A highpoint was his 350-yard passing performance at home against Jackson State, which earned Landers Southwestern Athletic Conference player of the week honors. He also passed for 17 scores, which ranked second in the league.
The offense's troubles at closing out games contributed to Grambling's disastrous 3-8 record, but it still would finish with a SWAC-best average of 348.3 yards per game.
New offensive coordinator James Spady loses six starters from that group, but can find some solace in the return of Landers and senior receiver Clyde Edwards, his favorite target.
Both have been meeting three to four times a day, Landers said, as a new playbook has been installed. Gone is the flashy go-for-broke style associated with Spears' tenure.
This offense will certainly take its shots, but it's more in keeping with the pro-style offense that Williams always favored.
"It's different from last year, when we were wide open," Landers said. "This is more of a set-up type offense. We won't be stuck on the approach of just getting the big play."
That puts Landers in a place he's never been, having been asked to pass upwards of 50 times in games against Alabama A&M (his first start) and Jackson State in 2004. Landers never stopped competing, and eventually rose to Southwestern Athletic Conference and Louisiana Sports Writers Association freshman of the year honors.
He finished with a school-record 2,283 passing yards, besting a freshman mark that had stood since Williams's debut in 1974 under Eddie Robinson.
A highlight of that initial campaign came during the season-ending Bayou Classic when, in a style that could become familiar under Broadway, Landers attempted fewer than 20 passes as GSU slowly suffocated Southern.
"We're not asking him to win the game for us," Broadway said. "We want him to learn how to manage a game. Once he understands that, along with his continued growth as a player, he should be in pretty good shape — because if you have a triggerman, on all levels of football, then you have a chance to compete."
Landers, matured in a crucible of change, is taking it all in stride.
"I like the new look," Landers said, though he bristles at any suggestion that this offense might lack the implicit danger of GSU's old attack. "If you sleep on us, we'll hit you big."
BEHIND BRANDON
Senior Larry Kerlegan, an athlete of uncommon playmaking ability, is listed as the backup on Grambling State's fall depth chart.
Over seven games last season, Kerlegan passed for 633 yards and seven scores, while running for another 215 yards to rank second on the team in rushing. That led to a move by the staff to work Kerlegan into the wideout rotation.
"He plays the way you want kids to play, and that's fast," first-year Grambling coach Rod Broadway said. "We're going to use him in a variety of offensive situations."
Sophomore Al Hawkins, the former minor-league baseball player, is the only other quarterback on the roster. He didn't attempt a pass in the Black and Gold game.
"The guys who were backups in the spring will have to step up in the fall and get better," Broadway said. "They'll have to perform well or get out of the way for some of the freshmen we're going to give a chance to play."
Grambling's remaining quarterbacks from the 2006 roster included Desmond Brentley, who has apparently transferred; and Zak Latif, who's now listed at tight end. --Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com.
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Academics could sideline Grambling's senior quarterback
July 26, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Monroe product Brandon Landers, a three-year letterman at Grambling State, will likely miss next season over an academic issue.
"I'm trying to see what I can do," the quarterback said. "I didn't get the grade I needed (in a history class), so it's up in the air right now if I will even play."
Landers, a fifth-year senior after redshirting in 2005 at Grambling, most recently posted career highs for completions, yards and touchdowns in the inaugural season under GSU coach Rod Broadway. That helped the Tigers advance to their fifth Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game since 2000, before falling to Jackson State last December.
Landers' absence opens the door to a spirited competition at the position just weeks before the year's much-anticipated opening kick. Grambling was again picked to win the SWAC's Western crown in preseason polling at the league's media day.
Greg Dillon, a 6-0, 200-pound sophomore, is listed as Landers' backup in the 2008 season prospectus. The academic status of Larry Kerlegan, the No. 2 Grambling passer in 2005-07, is also unclear.
GSU signed three prep athletes with quarterbacking experience, including Rayville product Justin Higgins. The 6-2, 185-pounder passed for more than 6,000 yards, rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and scored 60 touchdowns in high school.
El Paso, Texas, product Brendon Crawford (2,207 passing yards and 20 scores as a senior) and South Boston, Va., product Rodale Pippen (who split time at wideout, recording nearly 5,000 yards of total offense last year) were announced in GSU's most recent signing day.
The most intriguing option might be J.P. Tillman, a redshirt freshman transfer from the University of Missouri who has been participating during informal summer 7-on-7 drills at Grambling. The 6-3, 250-pound prospect was a three-sport high school athlete, and ranked No. 22 in the nation among dual-threat quarterbacks by Rivals.com as a senior.
Landers said it was unclear if an appeal could be made on his behalf. He is pursuing a degree in criminal justice.
"They are trying to do all they can do," Landers said. "I hope to know more by Tuesday (when Grambling football players report for fall practice sessions)."
Grambling coaches were unavailable for comment on Friday afternoon. The team opens this season Aug. 30 in Reno at the University of Nevada.
Landers, who was named prep offensive player of the year by The News-Star after his senior season at Carroll High in 2003, ranks third all-time among Grambling passers with 7,024. He needs 1,388 to pass Doug Williams for second place.
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Final narrative for Grambling's Landers hasn't been written
August 1, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Brandon Landers' time at Grambling, as impressive as it is statistically, will always be one of lost promise. But his narrative is far from finished.
Landers initially signed as a prep quarterback with Doug Williams, only to see his would-be mentor leave for an NFL job. Then he was pushed too early, and with too little instruction, into the starting position as a true freshman in 2004 when Bruce Eugene went down. Then pushed back into a redshirt, and largely ignored, a season later when Eugene returned. Then pushed around as a redshirt sophomore in 2006, having belatedly retaken the starting position without ever having been properly prepared for it.
He remained erratic, able to gut out terrific wins (Bethune-Cookman in Cincinnati, Bayou Classic XXXI) on the one-hand but still subject to deflating breakdowns (memorable OT losses to Alabama A&M and Hampton, last year's Southwestern Athletic Conference title match).
Landers finally caught a decent break with the hiring of yet another new staff before his junior season. He was on his third head coach, but seemed to finally connect.
That's when the interior of his line fell apart. Landers withstood the kind of blows that would bring down buildings, and occasionally fell into old habits.
Grambling ended up one win shy of a championship. But Landers had become a vastly improved passer, a stronger locker room presence and, most importantly, an emerging leader off the field: He planned a successful offseason mentoring camp, volunteered as a marshal at the courthouse.
"He wants to become an inspiration for kids in this area by becoming a mentor," said Esther Gallow, who has done so much important outreach work in the economically depressed Booker T. community that Landers was raised in. "He's saying, even if I don't go pro, I still want to show young people that they can get out of the neighborhood, get a college education and do something great with their lives."
Sports fans don't like to hear it, but that's the important stuff.
Just like that, though, and just 1,400 yards shy of Doug Williams' No. 2 all-time passing marks at Grambling, Landers came up short on a summer course — and a football career that never reached its full potential is apparently over.
Yet what Landers accomplished, despite so much adversity (both the crushing poverty of his childhood environment and then at GSU), shouldn't be defined in total by the number of Bayou Classics or SWAC titles won or lost.
Landers is one credit away from doing something more notable than winning that last game on the gridiron. He has dreams of becoming a law enforcement officer, and then a community leader of enduring substance — and that's more urgently needed than another shiny item for the program's trophy case.
When he does all of that, and I think he will, football will perhaps finally be put in perspective as just one part of Brandon Landers' still-evolving story.
Showing posts with label Brian Morgan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brian Morgan. Show all posts
Monday, October 06, 2008
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Selected 2005 Grambling preseason stories
Two veterans to compete for top offensive position
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - All eyes were on competing quarterbacks Bruce Eugene and Brandon Landers throughout Grambling State's spring sessions.
They will be again in the fall. Coach Melvin Spears said he won't make a final determination on who will lead GSU's offense until after the arrival of heralded quarterback prospect Larry Kerlegan.
So these sessions, though upbeat, didn't reveal much about the offensive scheme for 2005.
"We'll evaluate the films, see how well we played. We'll look at Kerlegan when he gets here. But there will be no big changes in what we do," said Spears, who was 6-5 as interim last year after finishing with three wins in the final four games.
Eugene, a former two-time Walter Payton Award finalist, was just one of several injured players from last year who rejoined the offense - including senior receiver Moses Harris.
"Practices were a lot more up tempo," said Landers, who shot to conference freshman of the year honors when Eugene went down in Week 1 of last season. "We were moving from station to station in a more timely manner."
Talented newcomers from the 2004 season, like freshmen receiver Clyde Edwards and lineman Tavarus Cockrell, also returned as savvy veterans.
"Injuries last year meant our kids got an opportunity to play at a young age," said Spears. "We had 15 freshmen playing last year - and that's been the difference this spring. They had participated and could work on the little things now. They got better."
A POSITIONAL LOOK
QB: Eugene's heralded return, though marred by an obvious weight gain, was capped by a stellar performance at GSU's Black and Gold game. He was 19-of-34 for 275 yards, including three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Landers, on the other hand, was just 4-of-13 for 100 yards.
"I felt like it was a good spring practice, that there was good competition," said Landers, the former Carroll standout. "The spring game was tough for me, but you have games like that. We will go back and evaluate the film then go from there."
Despite that game's disparity, coaches insist that the position hasn't been filled yet.
"Bruce Eugene brings great leadership," said GSU offensive coordinator Sammy White. "His experience tell him to change the play, if need be. Brandon has different skills. When he first came in, straight out of high school, that was big adjustment - just getting used to the speed of the college game. But he's been working, and he's gotten stronger."
RB: Senior Ab Kuuan's MVP performance in the Bayou Classic - along with a sturdy spring game - has solidified his position as the offense's every-down rusher.
"He's become a complete back," said Spears. "He does all the little things."
Kuuan, oozing confidence, finished the Black and Gold scrimmage with 11 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown.
"He's starting to see the hole better," said Landers. "He's beginning to get a great feel for where he's supposed to be when he gets the ball. He's built a lot of confidence."
A bevy of talented change-of-pace runners back up Kuuan - including Michael Rainey, a newcomer who impressed coaches throughout the sessions with his toughness. Ruben Mayes, a punishing runner and blocker, returns at fullback.
OL: The loss of starting center Lance Wright, a team leader, and right guard Darryl Rodgers might have meant a steeper learning curve. But Wright had been out since the first play of the Jackson State game last October, when he went down with a lower-leg injury.
Cockrell got some valuable experience as a substitute, as did senior Chris Wiggins.
"They have had a chance to gel," Spears of the offensive line. "Wiggins is the most athletic guy out there. He can play all five spots, including center."
Left tackle Jonathan Banks, left guard Charles Wilson and right tackle Andre Bennett return. They will be bolstered by mammoth Mississippi State transfer Donovan Davis.
"We will have a couple of different combinations, with new guys who are coming in here," Spears confirmed.
TE: GSU hasn't had a reliable performer here since the departure of all-conference tight end Gershone Jessie in 2003. Coaches aren't that concerned, though, since their scheme doesn't rely on the tight end to make plays. Jerome Spears made two big catches in the spring game, but it appears Matt Feeheley will get most of the snaps.
WR: The return of Harris, who broke his ankle in the week before 2004's season opener, balances the unit across from the burner Edwards.
"Moses' conditioning is not where it needs to be," said White, "but he's coming on in a hurry. We didn't push him too much this spring. We want to make sure he's ready for fall."
Harris had four catches for 51 yards, including a score, in the Black and Gold scrimmage. Edwards added a 39-yard reception.
Henry Tolbert will play the slot. The senior caught three passes for 49 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game.
GSU's thunderous four- and five-wide sets will feature Reginald Jackson, Kovarus Hills and Paul Hardiman.
"Hills is pushing all of those guys," said Spears. "He's certainly going to be in that rotation. Paul Hardiman is asserting himself. All he's got to do is become a little more physical."
Depth chart
OFFENSE
QB: Brandon Landers*, Bruce Eugene
TB: Ab Kuuan*, Michael Rainey
FB: Ruben Mayes*, Terrion Rodgers
WR: Clyde Edwards*, Moses Harris
SLOT: Henry Tolbert*, Tim Abney
TE: Matt Feeheley, Jerome Spears
LT: Jonathan Banks*, Derrek Governor
LG: Charles Wilson*, Jamar Dorsey
C: Tavarus Cockrell, Chris Wiggins
RG: Chris Wiggins, Tommy Dural
RT: Andre Bennett*, Doug Smith
* - returning starter
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Replacing defensive line, secondary brings battles
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Battles for starting jobs on the defensive line and secondary took a backseat to the ongoing quarterback derby this off-season at Grambling State.
Perhaps they shouldn't have.
"We've got a dogfight right now at defense end, with (sophomore Jason) Banks and (converted senior tight end Matt) Duhe," said GSU coach Melvin Spears. "There's a great competition there. But the good thing is they are all interchangeable. We can allow all of them to play."
Coaches also converted another offensive player, wide receiver Bakari Guice, in an effort to replace Lewis Carter at the corner. The junior was lost to a knee injury before spring sessions had begun.
Guice showed promise, as did Texas Tech transfer Ivory McCann, but the team jumped at an opportunity to sign Oregon transfer Marques Binns - who coaches say will push them all.
A POSITIONAL LOOK
DL: All-conference defensive tackle Lennard Patton, who sat out last season with academic problems, brought needed experience to a unit that lost three of its four starters - including Houston Texans draftee Kenneth Pettway.
Patton, who is already getting postseason game invites, lived up to the hype: He had seven solo tackles in the spring game, including five for a loss of 21 yards. Patton added four sacks for a loss of 49 yards and a safety, along with a recovered fumble.
The other spring starters were tackle Kevin Wiggins, Banks and Jena product Jason Hatcher. But then Matt came over from tight end.
"The big, big surprise is Matt Duhe," said Spears. "That light has finally come on."
LB: This unit was decimated by graduation, with the loss of Pettway, Marcus Yanez and John Petty. But no one played better down the stretch run in 2004 than returning middle linebacker Dimitri Carr. The Farmerville product finished as GSU's leading tackler.
David Hicks and Joshua Bester have emerged at the top of the depth chart on the strong and weak side, respectively.
But two other performers had impressive showings at the spring scrimmage: Tim Wilson had nine tackles, including five solo. Cedric Harris, a sophomore from Monroe's Neville High, had seven tackles, with three for a loss of 12 yards.
Linebackers coach Andre Robinson said Harris was this unit's most improved player during the spring.
"He's gotten bigger, after having a really good off season," said Robinson, himself a former consensus All-American linebacker at Grambling. "I'm pretty pleased with all of the guys."
Richwood product Michael Gilbert - who, like Bester, is a converted strong safety - has been working on both the strong and weak sides as a backup.
Out last season with academic problems, Hicks has also been playing behind Carr, but Wilson is Carr's main backup.
DB: Greg Fassitt, a smart junior from New Orleans, secured a starting position on one side of the defense, while the other remains competitive.
"Greg Fassitt can just flat-out play," said Spears. "He's got a 3.3 GPA, and does everything the right way. A model guy."
Guice, a product of Wossman in Monroe, showed steady improvement throughout the camp and will play nickel situations.
"Bakari has great speed," said Spears. "He just has to gain some confidence in playing a new position - and come to the weight room this summer."
While the school continued to sort through transfer problems for McCann, coaches continued tinkering.
Sterlington's DeMichael Dizer, along with talented newcomers Tyrone King Jr. and Deshon Pennie, were competitive. But GSU will also bring in Binns, the Oregon transfer.
"I think Ivory is one of the most promising guys out here," said Spears. "But we don't know now about his situation with Texas Tech."
Binns left with 61 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery in 26 games during the past three seasons at Oregon. His best season was a breakout freshman year in 2002 when he had 30 tackles after a starter went down.
Zaire Wilborn and Jermaine Mills - who Spears calls "Mr. Consistency" - are the starting safeties.
Specialists: The team returns a stellar return tandem in Landry Carter and Keantwon Gray. These two combined to help lead GSU to the top of Division I-AA in returns for several weeks last season. Carter, then a freshman, was the No. 12 kick returner in the nation.
But the kicking and punting game is less settled. GSU lost Brian Morgan, the conference's top kicker last year, to graduation. Punter Tim Manuel returns, but he sometimes struggled through his freshman season - finishing ranked No. 9 in the 10-team conference.
Several promising kicking recruits are expected to arrive in the fall.
Depth chart
DEFENSE
DE: Jason Hatcher*, Antonio Hughes
DT: Kevin Wiggins, William Nance
DT: Lennard Patton, Johnathan Favors
DE: Matt Duhe, Jason Banks
WLB: Joshua Bester, Michael Gilbert
MLB: Dimitri Carr*, Tim Wilson
SLB: David Hicks, Cedric Harris
CB: Bakari Guice, Deshon Pennie
SS: Zaire Wilborn, Bryan Langford
FS: Jermaine Mills*, Antonio Rainey
CB: Greg Fassitt*, DeMichael Dizer
* - returning starter
GSU buzz list
Signal-calling smoke signals: GSU coach Melvin Spears said no decision had been made in the quarterback battle, but senior Bruce Eugene was taking the majority of the snaps with the first team by the end of spring - and had the far better spring game.
Secondary consideration: Sterlington product DeMichael Dizer could work his way into multiple-set cornerback situations, and might even see game-time action elsewhere in the secondary. "He had probably the best camp of them all," said Spears. "He can play safety or corner, and with great speed. We saw a lot from him."
Hills climbs up: Clinton sophomore Kovarus Hills secured a role in the wide receiver rotation. "He got better every day," said Spears. "He's a Sammy White-type player, a game-time player. You can't really tell how fast he is."
Duhe gets defensive: Matt Duhe flourished at defensive end this spring. "He is playing," Spears said, "at another level." Like starter Jason Hatcher of Jena, Duhe is a converted tight end.
- Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com
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Guessing GSU's success
Preseason rankings quite varied for Tigers
July 1, 2005
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Grambling State is either one of the Top 10 Division I-AA programs in the nation - or has tumbled all the way down to No. 36, depending on the preseason predication.
GSU coach Melvin Spears sees both rankings as grist for the inspirational mill.
"I don't think it necessarily matters," Spears said. "It can be a pride thing, but you can't let either one leave you stranded in one place. Either way, it can be used to motivate our troops."
A middle ground might be found in I-AA.org's consolidated Top 25 preseason rankings, where Grambling - which finished 6-5 overall, but third in the SWAC's West division with a 3-4 mark - was a respectable No. 19. That was the highest ranking for a Southwestern Athletic Conference school.
GSU fared best in Street and Smith's, where writer Lut Williams had the Tigers at No. 9 in I-AA.
"That's a whole lot of respect built up over the years with Coach (Eddie Robinson) and Doug (Williams)," Spears said. "We've just got to play like a No. 9 team."
Grambling returns its top rusher in Ab Kuuan, last year's Bayou Classic most valuable player, as well as top receiver Clyde Edwards on offense. Former two-time Walter Payton Award finalist Bruce Eugene and Brandon Landers, last year's conference freshman of the year, are battling for the quarterback spot.
Street and Smith's preview said that returning experience makes Grambling the team to beat in the West this year, facing Alabama State from the East in the title game. It did not select a conference champion.
"The loss of Eugene in Melvin Spears' first game as head coach knocked conference favorite Grambling State for a loop," said Williams, editor of the online Black College Sports Page. "With Eugene back after being granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA, the Tigers will come in as West division favorites."
Still, GSU could only manage No. 24 in Lindy's Poll. Hampton was the top-ranked historically black college in that poll, debuting at No. 13.
"We just want to go out and prove them wrong," said Eugene, a senior who missed 2004 with a knee injury. "We know when the dust clears, we will be in it - regardless of preseason ranking."
The worst preseason ranking for GSU comes courtesy of the AnyGivenSaturday.com poll, which had Grambling at No. 36 - one spot behind Southern. The top-ranked black school in the AGS poll was again Hampton, at No. 22.
"A lot of folks are putting us down in the pack, because we've got some holes to fill - in particular defensively," said Spears, who lost five starters - though returning linemen Jason Hatcher and Jason Banks combined for 10 sacks. "We need to find out if we can play consistent football."
Grambling's overall preseason rankings were damaged by finishing 94 out of 120 schools in I-AA.org's final Gridiron Power Index for 2004.
That score is weighted down by the sometimes-weak SWAC's strength of schedule, something the GPI includes as a main statistical base. For instance, the Tigers only cracked the Top 20 in that rating system once (at No. 20, in 2001) during their 2000-02 three-peat conference title run under Doug Williams.
Still, the uneven nature of the talent in their home conference, some writers said, could easily spark another title run for the Tigers - though the instate Bayou Classic rivalry game always looms as a deal breaker.
"After opening with Alcorn State followed by Alabama A&M, the G-Men should take a 2-0 record into a payday game against Washington State in Seattle," said Steve Brown, a radio host who writes for TheSportsConnection.org. "Afterwards, expect them to roll off six consecutive victories until they face rival Southern - where they could pick up their only conference loss of the season. Unfortunately, it could be such a loss that could thwart their championship hopes in a tight Western Division race."
Athlon, Phil Steele's and Sporting News, a trio of the best-known football prognosticators, didn't mention Grambling because they do not produce preseason Division I-AA previews.
GSU's star power
A trio of Grambling State athletes have been recognized in the positional preview series by The Sports Network's Matt Dougherty.
Senior quarterback Bruce Eugene, on the comeback from a season-ending knee injury in 2004, was named the No. 7 returning quarterback in Division I-AA.
"On numbers alone, Eugene could earn a spot in the top two or three or even No. 1," writes Dougherty. "Eugene finished in the top three of the Walter Payton Award voting in 2002 and 2003, and leads all returning quarterbacks with 84 career touchdowns and 9,122 yards passing."
Meanwhile, Dougherty named junior Ruben Mayes as the top fullback and senior Jonathan Banks as the No. 2 offensive tackle in Division I-AA.
"The mammoth Banks returns at left tackle for a Tigers line that boasts three players over 350 pounds," writes Dougherty.
GSU also swept Street and Smith's offensive and defensive players to watch in the Southwestern Athletic Conference for 2005. They are Eugene and defensive lineman Lennard Patton.
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - All eyes were on competing quarterbacks Bruce Eugene and Brandon Landers throughout Grambling State's spring sessions.
They will be again in the fall. Coach Melvin Spears said he won't make a final determination on who will lead GSU's offense until after the arrival of heralded quarterback prospect Larry Kerlegan.
So these sessions, though upbeat, didn't reveal much about the offensive scheme for 2005.
"We'll evaluate the films, see how well we played. We'll look at Kerlegan when he gets here. But there will be no big changes in what we do," said Spears, who was 6-5 as interim last year after finishing with three wins in the final four games.
Eugene, a former two-time Walter Payton Award finalist, was just one of several injured players from last year who rejoined the offense - including senior receiver Moses Harris.
"Practices were a lot more up tempo," said Landers, who shot to conference freshman of the year honors when Eugene went down in Week 1 of last season. "We were moving from station to station in a more timely manner."
Talented newcomers from the 2004 season, like freshmen receiver Clyde Edwards and lineman Tavarus Cockrell, also returned as savvy veterans.
"Injuries last year meant our kids got an opportunity to play at a young age," said Spears. "We had 15 freshmen playing last year - and that's been the difference this spring. They had participated and could work on the little things now. They got better."
A POSITIONAL LOOK
QB: Eugene's heralded return, though marred by an obvious weight gain, was capped by a stellar performance at GSU's Black and Gold game. He was 19-of-34 for 275 yards, including three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Landers, on the other hand, was just 4-of-13 for 100 yards.
"I felt like it was a good spring practice, that there was good competition," said Landers, the former Carroll standout. "The spring game was tough for me, but you have games like that. We will go back and evaluate the film then go from there."
Despite that game's disparity, coaches insist that the position hasn't been filled yet.
"Bruce Eugene brings great leadership," said GSU offensive coordinator Sammy White. "His experience tell him to change the play, if need be. Brandon has different skills. When he first came in, straight out of high school, that was big adjustment - just getting used to the speed of the college game. But he's been working, and he's gotten stronger."
RB: Senior Ab Kuuan's MVP performance in the Bayou Classic - along with a sturdy spring game - has solidified his position as the offense's every-down rusher.
"He's become a complete back," said Spears. "He does all the little things."
Kuuan, oozing confidence, finished the Black and Gold scrimmage with 11 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown.
"He's starting to see the hole better," said Landers. "He's beginning to get a great feel for where he's supposed to be when he gets the ball. He's built a lot of confidence."
A bevy of talented change-of-pace runners back up Kuuan - including Michael Rainey, a newcomer who impressed coaches throughout the sessions with his toughness. Ruben Mayes, a punishing runner and blocker, returns at fullback.
OL: The loss of starting center Lance Wright, a team leader, and right guard Darryl Rodgers might have meant a steeper learning curve. But Wright had been out since the first play of the Jackson State game last October, when he went down with a lower-leg injury.
Cockrell got some valuable experience as a substitute, as did senior Chris Wiggins.
"They have had a chance to gel," Spears of the offensive line. "Wiggins is the most athletic guy out there. He can play all five spots, including center."
Left tackle Jonathan Banks, left guard Charles Wilson and right tackle Andre Bennett return. They will be bolstered by mammoth Mississippi State transfer Donovan Davis.
"We will have a couple of different combinations, with new guys who are coming in here," Spears confirmed.
TE: GSU hasn't had a reliable performer here since the departure of all-conference tight end Gershone Jessie in 2003. Coaches aren't that concerned, though, since their scheme doesn't rely on the tight end to make plays. Jerome Spears made two big catches in the spring game, but it appears Matt Feeheley will get most of the snaps.
WR: The return of Harris, who broke his ankle in the week before 2004's season opener, balances the unit across from the burner Edwards.
"Moses' conditioning is not where it needs to be," said White, "but he's coming on in a hurry. We didn't push him too much this spring. We want to make sure he's ready for fall."
Harris had four catches for 51 yards, including a score, in the Black and Gold scrimmage. Edwards added a 39-yard reception.
Henry Tolbert will play the slot. The senior caught three passes for 49 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game.
GSU's thunderous four- and five-wide sets will feature Reginald Jackson, Kovarus Hills and Paul Hardiman.
"Hills is pushing all of those guys," said Spears. "He's certainly going to be in that rotation. Paul Hardiman is asserting himself. All he's got to do is become a little more physical."
Depth chart
OFFENSE
QB: Brandon Landers*, Bruce Eugene
TB: Ab Kuuan*, Michael Rainey
FB: Ruben Mayes*, Terrion Rodgers
WR: Clyde Edwards*, Moses Harris
SLOT: Henry Tolbert*, Tim Abney
TE: Matt Feeheley, Jerome Spears
LT: Jonathan Banks*, Derrek Governor
LG: Charles Wilson*, Jamar Dorsey
C: Tavarus Cockrell, Chris Wiggins
RG: Chris Wiggins, Tommy Dural
RT: Andre Bennett*, Doug Smith
* - returning starter
g g g
Replacing defensive line, secondary brings battles
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Battles for starting jobs on the defensive line and secondary took a backseat to the ongoing quarterback derby this off-season at Grambling State.
Perhaps they shouldn't have.
"We've got a dogfight right now at defense end, with (sophomore Jason) Banks and (converted senior tight end Matt) Duhe," said GSU coach Melvin Spears. "There's a great competition there. But the good thing is they are all interchangeable. We can allow all of them to play."
Coaches also converted another offensive player, wide receiver Bakari Guice, in an effort to replace Lewis Carter at the corner. The junior was lost to a knee injury before spring sessions had begun.
Guice showed promise, as did Texas Tech transfer Ivory McCann, but the team jumped at an opportunity to sign Oregon transfer Marques Binns - who coaches say will push them all.
A POSITIONAL LOOK
DL: All-conference defensive tackle Lennard Patton, who sat out last season with academic problems, brought needed experience to a unit that lost three of its four starters - including Houston Texans draftee Kenneth Pettway.
Patton, who is already getting postseason game invites, lived up to the hype: He had seven solo tackles in the spring game, including five for a loss of 21 yards. Patton added four sacks for a loss of 49 yards and a safety, along with a recovered fumble.
The other spring starters were tackle Kevin Wiggins, Banks and Jena product Jason Hatcher. But then Matt came over from tight end.
"The big, big surprise is Matt Duhe," said Spears. "That light has finally come on."
LB: This unit was decimated by graduation, with the loss of Pettway, Marcus Yanez and John Petty. But no one played better down the stretch run in 2004 than returning middle linebacker Dimitri Carr. The Farmerville product finished as GSU's leading tackler.
David Hicks and Joshua Bester have emerged at the top of the depth chart on the strong and weak side, respectively.
But two other performers had impressive showings at the spring scrimmage: Tim Wilson had nine tackles, including five solo. Cedric Harris, a sophomore from Monroe's Neville High, had seven tackles, with three for a loss of 12 yards.
Linebackers coach Andre Robinson said Harris was this unit's most improved player during the spring.
"He's gotten bigger, after having a really good off season," said Robinson, himself a former consensus All-American linebacker at Grambling. "I'm pretty pleased with all of the guys."
Richwood product Michael Gilbert - who, like Bester, is a converted strong safety - has been working on both the strong and weak sides as a backup.
Out last season with academic problems, Hicks has also been playing behind Carr, but Wilson is Carr's main backup.
DB: Greg Fassitt, a smart junior from New Orleans, secured a starting position on one side of the defense, while the other remains competitive.
"Greg Fassitt can just flat-out play," said Spears. "He's got a 3.3 GPA, and does everything the right way. A model guy."
Guice, a product of Wossman in Monroe, showed steady improvement throughout the camp and will play nickel situations.
"Bakari has great speed," said Spears. "He just has to gain some confidence in playing a new position - and come to the weight room this summer."
While the school continued to sort through transfer problems for McCann, coaches continued tinkering.
Sterlington's DeMichael Dizer, along with talented newcomers Tyrone King Jr. and Deshon Pennie, were competitive. But GSU will also bring in Binns, the Oregon transfer.
"I think Ivory is one of the most promising guys out here," said Spears. "But we don't know now about his situation with Texas Tech."
Binns left with 61 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery in 26 games during the past three seasons at Oregon. His best season was a breakout freshman year in 2002 when he had 30 tackles after a starter went down.
Zaire Wilborn and Jermaine Mills - who Spears calls "Mr. Consistency" - are the starting safeties.
Specialists: The team returns a stellar return tandem in Landry Carter and Keantwon Gray. These two combined to help lead GSU to the top of Division I-AA in returns for several weeks last season. Carter, then a freshman, was the No. 12 kick returner in the nation.
But the kicking and punting game is less settled. GSU lost Brian Morgan, the conference's top kicker last year, to graduation. Punter Tim Manuel returns, but he sometimes struggled through his freshman season - finishing ranked No. 9 in the 10-team conference.
Several promising kicking recruits are expected to arrive in the fall.
Depth chart
DEFENSE
DE: Jason Hatcher*, Antonio Hughes
DT: Kevin Wiggins, William Nance
DT: Lennard Patton, Johnathan Favors
DE: Matt Duhe, Jason Banks
WLB: Joshua Bester, Michael Gilbert
MLB: Dimitri Carr*, Tim Wilson
SLB: David Hicks, Cedric Harris
CB: Bakari Guice, Deshon Pennie
SS: Zaire Wilborn, Bryan Langford
FS: Jermaine Mills*, Antonio Rainey
CB: Greg Fassitt*, DeMichael Dizer
* - returning starter
GSU buzz list
Signal-calling smoke signals: GSU coach Melvin Spears said no decision had been made in the quarterback battle, but senior Bruce Eugene was taking the majority of the snaps with the first team by the end of spring - and had the far better spring game.
Secondary consideration: Sterlington product DeMichael Dizer could work his way into multiple-set cornerback situations, and might even see game-time action elsewhere in the secondary. "He had probably the best camp of them all," said Spears. "He can play safety or corner, and with great speed. We saw a lot from him."
Hills climbs up: Clinton sophomore Kovarus Hills secured a role in the wide receiver rotation. "He got better every day," said Spears. "He's a Sammy White-type player, a game-time player. You can't really tell how fast he is."
Duhe gets defensive: Matt Duhe flourished at defensive end this spring. "He is playing," Spears said, "at another level." Like starter Jason Hatcher of Jena, Duhe is a converted tight end.
- Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com
g g g
Guessing GSU's success
Preseason rankings quite varied for Tigers
July 1, 2005
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Grambling State is either one of the Top 10 Division I-AA programs in the nation - or has tumbled all the way down to No. 36, depending on the preseason predication.
GSU coach Melvin Spears sees both rankings as grist for the inspirational mill.
"I don't think it necessarily matters," Spears said. "It can be a pride thing, but you can't let either one leave you stranded in one place. Either way, it can be used to motivate our troops."
A middle ground might be found in I-AA.org's consolidated Top 25 preseason rankings, where Grambling - which finished 6-5 overall, but third in the SWAC's West division with a 3-4 mark - was a respectable No. 19. That was the highest ranking for a Southwestern Athletic Conference school.
GSU fared best in Street and Smith's, where writer Lut Williams had the Tigers at No. 9 in I-AA.
"That's a whole lot of respect built up over the years with Coach (Eddie Robinson) and Doug (Williams)," Spears said. "We've just got to play like a No. 9 team."
Grambling returns its top rusher in Ab Kuuan, last year's Bayou Classic most valuable player, as well as top receiver Clyde Edwards on offense. Former two-time Walter Payton Award finalist Bruce Eugene and Brandon Landers, last year's conference freshman of the year, are battling for the quarterback spot.
Street and Smith's preview said that returning experience makes Grambling the team to beat in the West this year, facing Alabama State from the East in the title game. It did not select a conference champion.
"The loss of Eugene in Melvin Spears' first game as head coach knocked conference favorite Grambling State for a loop," said Williams, editor of the online Black College Sports Page. "With Eugene back after being granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA, the Tigers will come in as West division favorites."
Still, GSU could only manage No. 24 in Lindy's Poll. Hampton was the top-ranked historically black college in that poll, debuting at No. 13.
"We just want to go out and prove them wrong," said Eugene, a senior who missed 2004 with a knee injury. "We know when the dust clears, we will be in it - regardless of preseason ranking."
The worst preseason ranking for GSU comes courtesy of the AnyGivenSaturday.com poll, which had Grambling at No. 36 - one spot behind Southern. The top-ranked black school in the AGS poll was again Hampton, at No. 22.
"A lot of folks are putting us down in the pack, because we've got some holes to fill - in particular defensively," said Spears, who lost five starters - though returning linemen Jason Hatcher and Jason Banks combined for 10 sacks. "We need to find out if we can play consistent football."
Grambling's overall preseason rankings were damaged by finishing 94 out of 120 schools in I-AA.org's final Gridiron Power Index for 2004.
That score is weighted down by the sometimes-weak SWAC's strength of schedule, something the GPI includes as a main statistical base. For instance, the Tigers only cracked the Top 20 in that rating system once (at No. 20, in 2001) during their 2000-02 three-peat conference title run under Doug Williams.
Still, the uneven nature of the talent in their home conference, some writers said, could easily spark another title run for the Tigers - though the instate Bayou Classic rivalry game always looms as a deal breaker.
"After opening with Alcorn State followed by Alabama A&M, the G-Men should take a 2-0 record into a payday game against Washington State in Seattle," said Steve Brown, a radio host who writes for TheSportsConnection.org. "Afterwards, expect them to roll off six consecutive victories until they face rival Southern - where they could pick up their only conference loss of the season. Unfortunately, it could be such a loss that could thwart their championship hopes in a tight Western Division race."
Athlon, Phil Steele's and Sporting News, a trio of the best-known football prognosticators, didn't mention Grambling because they do not produce preseason Division I-AA previews.
GSU's star power
A trio of Grambling State athletes have been recognized in the positional preview series by The Sports Network's Matt Dougherty.
Senior quarterback Bruce Eugene, on the comeback from a season-ending knee injury in 2004, was named the No. 7 returning quarterback in Division I-AA.
"On numbers alone, Eugene could earn a spot in the top two or three or even No. 1," writes Dougherty. "Eugene finished in the top three of the Walter Payton Award voting in 2002 and 2003, and leads all returning quarterbacks with 84 career touchdowns and 9,122 yards passing."
Meanwhile, Dougherty named junior Ruben Mayes as the top fullback and senior Jonathan Banks as the No. 2 offensive tackle in Division I-AA.
"The mammoth Banks returns at left tackle for a Tigers line that boasts three players over 350 pounds," writes Dougherty.
GSU also swept Street and Smith's offensive and defensive players to watch in the Southwestern Athletic Conference for 2005. They are Eugene and defensive lineman Lennard Patton.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Remembering: The 2004 season
A happy ending
GSU overcame series of setbacks to finish on high note
Thursday, December 2, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - One collision in the north endzone of the Grambling State practice field, on the Tuesday before the season opener, summed up this year.
Texas Tech transfer Ivory McCann came down on the leg of projected No. 1 receiver Moses Harris. His ankle would be broken, and McCann's paperwork didn't clear. Neither played a down of football for GSU.
A season of lost promise for the Southwestern Athletic Conference's top passing attack would follow, as GSU finished 6-5 and out of title contention for the first time since 1999.
No. 2 receiver Tim Abney also missed the year with a nagging groin injury. Senior All-American quarterback Bruce Eugene then tore his ACL in Week 1. Center Lance Wright, a senior team captain, also suffered a season-ending injury.
The Tigers' offense never recovered from those personnel losses: After averaging 465 yards per game last season, GSU averaged 374. The Tigers converted on third down 45 percent of the time last year, but fell to 32 percent in 2004.
Scoring dropped by 10 points per contest. After totaling 57 touchdowns in 2003, GSU finished with 36 - three fewer than its opponents - this season.
But, in the end, GSU overcame its inexperience, both among its players and coaches, to fashion a winning season.
"All you can do is play with the hand that's dealt," said Melvin Spears, named interim coach in February after the sudden departure of sixth-year coach Doug Williams to the NFL. "Nobody knows going in that my quarterback is going to get hurt in the very first game. Or that two or three of the receivers weren't going to play. You've just got to play. And we've come out every week and done that."
With a hole now in his well-known vertical scheme, Spears struggled to adapt. Not until Week 9 did GSU settle into a pounding run game that would win its final two contests - including the emotional in-state rivalry game against Southern.
Perhaps that was expected.
"Over the past five or six years, this team might have had a good running game, but what we've done best is making receiving plays," said offensive coordinator Sammy White. "That got us on the scoreboard. That got us to championships."
PASSING CONCERNS
GSU stumbled badly in its first two games with true freshman Brandon Landers under center. There were also problems on defense, which had worked under four coordinators in less than one calendar year.
Before he left, Williams hired Tom Lavigne to run the defense and Luther Palmer to work with the defensive line. Lavigne replaced Heishma Northern, who had filled in for Michael Roach when Roach abruptly quit early last season.
But Spears almost immediately fired Lavigne and moved Palmer, with whom he had a better working relationship, into the coordinator spot.
"When we came in this fall, it would have been nice to have spring to work," said Palmer. "But we'd only had seven or eight weeks to put in this new terminology. We were still teaching them how to do their jobs, and let every thing flow to them."
Former Grambling State great Calvin Spears then returned to coach the secondary - which vastly improved in technique, if not in big-play potential. That unit didn't make many glaring errors, but finished with eight interceptions for a conference-worst 1 yard - yes, 1 single yard - in returns.
But the year turned on offensive turnovers, anyway.
Despite Week 3's thrilling come-from-behind victory over Bethune-Cookman, Landers was, after all, a freshman - gutsy, but inexperienced and prone to fatal errors. He would lead the conference in yards per completion, but also interceptions.
So, the Cincinnati game may best be remembered as the moment when Spears began to trust in Landers' nascent promise a bit too much. Those mishaps would cost GSU some games - including Jackson State, when coaches called a staggering 46 passing plays.
It was easy to get lost in the upside, though: Landers was named the SWAC's co-newcomer of the week after accounting for 293 of Grambling State's 360 yards in total offense in the 24-23 win against Bethune-Cookman.
"The one thing that Brandon brings to the game is such poise," Spears said. "He took over that ball game - and I think the guys were starting to rally around Brandon Landers."
Northern was given the task of quarterbacks coach as Landers tried to make his way - and did an admirable job. By Week 11, Landers had settled down into quiet efficiency.
"I just want to thank the coaches for the opportunity," said Landers, The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare prep offensive player of the year at Carroll High in 2003. "I've just got to keep studying film, keep studying every kind of defense that they can throw at me. I just want to keep improving."
REDIRECTING THE FOCUS
The season quietly began to improve with stellar play by the special teams, where Northern did his best work as a coach. Not only were the Tigers second in the SWAC for kick coverage, Tallulah freshman Landry Carter shot to national recognition as he helped GSU to the top spot in all of Division I-AA for kick returns in early November.
Sophomore Keantwon Gray ripped off two returns of more than 90 yards in consecutive games against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Jackson State.
Carter was named SWAC specialist of the week after he gained 240 yards in returns in the Tigers' win over Prairie View. But that contest would be marred by an on-field fight, which brought suspensions from the conference and fines for Spears from President Judson. In all, nine members of the GSU team and eight from Prairie View - along with an assistant from each school - were suspended. That made the Tigers' game at Mississippi Valley a more competitive affair.
Upon returning home , GSU continued to rely on its traditional pass-first mentality, even as the losses piled up.
Freshman wide receiver Clyde would earn co-newcomer of the week honors in late October after catching seven passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns against Jackson State. Yet, GSU fell in that game, part of an 0-4 year at Robinson Stadium.
"We were trying to figure out their motivation - whether that be playing in front of a national crowd, or just having pride in Grambling," said Calvin Spears. "It's not soul searching for talent. It's soul searching for effort. That's all we were missing."
Some of the blame for the offensive struggles could have been an over-reliance on the pass. The freshman quarterback was game, even in the face of so much adversity.
"Brandon has a lot of character about himself," said White. "When he fumbled the ball, or threw an interception, he kept his head in the game."
If Spears stayed with the vertical attack too long, he said it was the best option against the defensive looks that opponents were giving GSU. "We got everything that we wanted," said Spears. "But when you're in the red zone, your guys have to beat their guys. We just didn't cash in."
But no one could argue with the late-season success of this team's rushers. GSU's Ab Kuuan and Rueben Mayes grinded out 159 yards - and a startling combined average of eight years per carry - in a loss to Alabama State that was keyed on passing errors.
The coaches took notice. When the Tigers committed to the run, their season finally got on track. On the strength of that late surge in rushing yardage, GSU rushed for six more touchdowns this year than it had in 2003.
"We had to get 60 minutes of play out of this young team," said Spears. "Some of it was doing the little bitty things; it was execution. They had to buy into what we were doing. You saw that in the last game."
THEN FINISHING STRONG
The capstone on the season was that Nov. 27 victory over Southern, putting GSU one game over .500. The Tigers averaged 5 yards per attempt and 279 total yards rushing in New Orleans.
"That is such an emotional game. There are reunions, the spectacle, the bands. But in the end, it's about football," said Spears, who will now become part of a national search to permanently replace Williams. "It comes down to guts, to heart - to the players who really want it."
The win was so transformative, as GSU teetered on a losing campaign, that the school sponsored a Wednesday victory parade then a party at Men's Memorial Gym on campus. Cheers of "Keep Coach Spears" broke out.
GSU's defense - which limited Southern to 300 fewer total offensive yards this year - slowly rounded into shape, as well. Opponents were held to 1,031 fewer yards passing, and five fewer touchdown tosses. Though the defense gave up a scant 51 more total rushing yards, there were actually 9 fewer rushing scores.
"Eventually, we are going to be very, very good in this secondary," said Spears. "Our team stuck together, no matter what was said. They may have been rattled sometimes, but they endured."
Grambling State, perhaps fittingly, scored 105 of its 294 points this season during the fourth quarter. The last quarter of play in this 11-game season was also the Tigers' best. GSU would win three of the final five games, notching its 51st non-losing season since 1945.
"I think it finished up in a way that showed how much we had progressed," said Spears, who is awaiting word on Eugene's application for a medical exemption. "We're going to look at it as building momentum. The seasoning of these freshmen makes our future look very bright - and we're getting some people back."
THE 2004 SEASON
Final record: 6-5 overall, 3-4 in the SWAC.
Best game: GSU finally put together four quarters of football in the Nov. 27 Bayou Classic, rushing with consistency and making stops when needed. The coaching staff also showed the needed patience, sticking with the run-first game plan - even when Southern pulled ahead.
Worst game: Having lost, in quick succession, three of its best playmakers on offense, GSU stumbled badly at Alabama A&M on Sept. 11 - the only game this year where the Tigers weren't competitive. How bad was it? GSU, while its freshman fill-in quarterback was sacked six times for 54 yards in losses, was 0-for-18 on third down in the 21-9 drubbing.
Turning point: Falling to Alabama State on Nov. 6 ensured an unprecedented losing season at Robinson Stadium, but it also convinced the coaching staff that junior Ab Kuuan was ready to run. GSU would account for 735 of its 1,656 rushing yards on the season in the final three games - and go 2-1, including an emotional Bayou Classic victory.
Most telling stat: Senior quarterback Bruce Eugene's season-ending injury forever altered Spears' interim campaign. He played less than three quarters of football in 2004, yet still ended up at No. 4 for total offense on the GSU roster.
Most valuable player: Walk-on freshman sensation Landry Carter, a McCall-Tallulah product, did it all. Not only was he the top punt and kick returner, Carter was also GSU's third-leading receiver with 177 yards and third leading rusher with 211 yards. That helped him notch a team-best 1,046 all-purpose yards.
Top offensive player: Freshman Carroll product Brandon Landers, despite problems with ball placement that had the young quarterback leading the conference in picks, was a rallying point for the offense. His passing average per game was fourth in the SWAC - and his yards per completion, 17.3, was tops.
Top defensive player: The biggest loss on defense is senior Kenneth Pettway, a player of uncommon drive and intensity who would perform well both end and outside linebacker. He was second in the SWAC in 2004 for both sacks and tackles for a loss.
Top special teams player: Carter led Division I-AA nationally for several weeks on kick returns. He helped GSU finish the year atop the conference standings with an average of 23.9 yards per attempt - despite being kicked away from late in the season, notably by Southern.
Unsung hero: Senior kicker Brian Morgan quietly put together one of his best seasons, finishing 29-of-30 on extra points, 13-of-20 on field goals and second among SWAC kickers with 68 points. He also ably filled in on punting duties, averaging 36.3 yards per attempt.
Top newcomer: True freshman receiver Clyde Edwards, given the same jersey number of the departed record-smashing Tramon Douglas, displayed flashy big-play brilliance - and quickly earned a starting position. He finished the season as GSU's leading receiver in receptions, total yards and yards per game.
Emerging star: Junior running back Ab Kuuan, who coaches hoped would become an every-down runner in the offseason, exploded for consecutive 100-yard games in the final three weeks of the year - including a MVP performance on national television at the Bayou Classic.
Key injury: Senior quarterback Bruce Eugene - who led the SWAC in passing yards and total offense a season ago - went down in the season opener against Alcorn State. GSU would go from scoring 36.6 per game last year to 26.7, from passing for 3,853 yards a season ago to 2,452.
Returning starters, offense: (9) QB Brandon Landers, WR Clyde Edwards, TB Ab Kuuan, FB Rueben Mayes, LT Jonathan Banks, LG Charles Wilson, RT Andre Bennett, TE Matt Duhe and WR Zerrick Haymon.
Returning starters, defense: (7) DT Jimmy Zachary, DT Joshua Kador, DE Jason Banks, LB Dimitri Carr, CB Greg Fassitt, CB Lewis Carter and FS Zaire Wilborn.
Returning specialists: (2) P Tim Manuel, KR Landry Carter
- By Nick Deriso
GSU overcame series of setbacks to finish on high note
Thursday, December 2, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - One collision in the north endzone of the Grambling State practice field, on the Tuesday before the season opener, summed up this year.
Texas Tech transfer Ivory McCann came down on the leg of projected No. 1 receiver Moses Harris. His ankle would be broken, and McCann's paperwork didn't clear. Neither played a down of football for GSU.
A season of lost promise for the Southwestern Athletic Conference's top passing attack would follow, as GSU finished 6-5 and out of title contention for the first time since 1999.
No. 2 receiver Tim Abney also missed the year with a nagging groin injury. Senior All-American quarterback Bruce Eugene then tore his ACL in Week 1. Center Lance Wright, a senior team captain, also suffered a season-ending injury.
The Tigers' offense never recovered from those personnel losses: After averaging 465 yards per game last season, GSU averaged 374. The Tigers converted on third down 45 percent of the time last year, but fell to 32 percent in 2004.
Scoring dropped by 10 points per contest. After totaling 57 touchdowns in 2003, GSU finished with 36 - three fewer than its opponents - this season.
But, in the end, GSU overcame its inexperience, both among its players and coaches, to fashion a winning season.
"All you can do is play with the hand that's dealt," said Melvin Spears, named interim coach in February after the sudden departure of sixth-year coach Doug Williams to the NFL. "Nobody knows going in that my quarterback is going to get hurt in the very first game. Or that two or three of the receivers weren't going to play. You've just got to play. And we've come out every week and done that."
With a hole now in his well-known vertical scheme, Spears struggled to adapt. Not until Week 9 did GSU settle into a pounding run game that would win its final two contests - including the emotional in-state rivalry game against Southern.
Perhaps that was expected.
"Over the past five or six years, this team might have had a good running game, but what we've done best is making receiving plays," said offensive coordinator Sammy White. "That got us on the scoreboard. That got us to championships."
PASSING CONCERNS
GSU stumbled badly in its first two games with true freshman Brandon Landers under center. There were also problems on defense, which had worked under four coordinators in less than one calendar year.
Before he left, Williams hired Tom Lavigne to run the defense and Luther Palmer to work with the defensive line. Lavigne replaced Heishma Northern, who had filled in for Michael Roach when Roach abruptly quit early last season.
But Spears almost immediately fired Lavigne and moved Palmer, with whom he had a better working relationship, into the coordinator spot.
"When we came in this fall, it would have been nice to have spring to work," said Palmer. "But we'd only had seven or eight weeks to put in this new terminology. We were still teaching them how to do their jobs, and let every thing flow to them."
Former Grambling State great Calvin Spears then returned to coach the secondary - which vastly improved in technique, if not in big-play potential. That unit didn't make many glaring errors, but finished with eight interceptions for a conference-worst 1 yard - yes, 1 single yard - in returns.
But the year turned on offensive turnovers, anyway.
Despite Week 3's thrilling come-from-behind victory over Bethune-Cookman, Landers was, after all, a freshman - gutsy, but inexperienced and prone to fatal errors. He would lead the conference in yards per completion, but also interceptions.
So, the Cincinnati game may best be remembered as the moment when Spears began to trust in Landers' nascent promise a bit too much. Those mishaps would cost GSU some games - including Jackson State, when coaches called a staggering 46 passing plays.
It was easy to get lost in the upside, though: Landers was named the SWAC's co-newcomer of the week after accounting for 293 of Grambling State's 360 yards in total offense in the 24-23 win against Bethune-Cookman.
"The one thing that Brandon brings to the game is such poise," Spears said. "He took over that ball game - and I think the guys were starting to rally around Brandon Landers."
Northern was given the task of quarterbacks coach as Landers tried to make his way - and did an admirable job. By Week 11, Landers had settled down into quiet efficiency.
"I just want to thank the coaches for the opportunity," said Landers, The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare prep offensive player of the year at Carroll High in 2003. "I've just got to keep studying film, keep studying every kind of defense that they can throw at me. I just want to keep improving."
REDIRECTING THE FOCUS
The season quietly began to improve with stellar play by the special teams, where Northern did his best work as a coach. Not only were the Tigers second in the SWAC for kick coverage, Tallulah freshman Landry Carter shot to national recognition as he helped GSU to the top spot in all of Division I-AA for kick returns in early November.
Sophomore Keantwon Gray ripped off two returns of more than 90 yards in consecutive games against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Jackson State.
Carter was named SWAC specialist of the week after he gained 240 yards in returns in the Tigers' win over Prairie View. But that contest would be marred by an on-field fight, which brought suspensions from the conference and fines for Spears from President Judson. In all, nine members of the GSU team and eight from Prairie View - along with an assistant from each school - were suspended. That made the Tigers' game at Mississippi Valley a more competitive affair.
Upon returning home , GSU continued to rely on its traditional pass-first mentality, even as the losses piled up.
Freshman wide receiver Clyde would earn co-newcomer of the week honors in late October after catching seven passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns against Jackson State. Yet, GSU fell in that game, part of an 0-4 year at Robinson Stadium.
"We were trying to figure out their motivation - whether that be playing in front of a national crowd, or just having pride in Grambling," said Calvin Spears. "It's not soul searching for talent. It's soul searching for effort. That's all we were missing."
Some of the blame for the offensive struggles could have been an over-reliance on the pass. The freshman quarterback was game, even in the face of so much adversity.
"Brandon has a lot of character about himself," said White. "When he fumbled the ball, or threw an interception, he kept his head in the game."
If Spears stayed with the vertical attack too long, he said it was the best option against the defensive looks that opponents were giving GSU. "We got everything that we wanted," said Spears. "But when you're in the red zone, your guys have to beat their guys. We just didn't cash in."
But no one could argue with the late-season success of this team's rushers. GSU's Ab Kuuan and Rueben Mayes grinded out 159 yards - and a startling combined average of eight years per carry - in a loss to Alabama State that was keyed on passing errors.
The coaches took notice. When the Tigers committed to the run, their season finally got on track. On the strength of that late surge in rushing yardage, GSU rushed for six more touchdowns this year than it had in 2003.
"We had to get 60 minutes of play out of this young team," said Spears. "Some of it was doing the little bitty things; it was execution. They had to buy into what we were doing. You saw that in the last game."
THEN FINISHING STRONG
The capstone on the season was that Nov. 27 victory over Southern, putting GSU one game over .500. The Tigers averaged 5 yards per attempt and 279 total yards rushing in New Orleans.
"That is such an emotional game. There are reunions, the spectacle, the bands. But in the end, it's about football," said Spears, who will now become part of a national search to permanently replace Williams. "It comes down to guts, to heart - to the players who really want it."
The win was so transformative, as GSU teetered on a losing campaign, that the school sponsored a Wednesday victory parade then a party at Men's Memorial Gym on campus. Cheers of "Keep Coach Spears" broke out.
GSU's defense - which limited Southern to 300 fewer total offensive yards this year - slowly rounded into shape, as well. Opponents were held to 1,031 fewer yards passing, and five fewer touchdown tosses. Though the defense gave up a scant 51 more total rushing yards, there were actually 9 fewer rushing scores.
"Eventually, we are going to be very, very good in this secondary," said Spears. "Our team stuck together, no matter what was said. They may have been rattled sometimes, but they endured."
Grambling State, perhaps fittingly, scored 105 of its 294 points this season during the fourth quarter. The last quarter of play in this 11-game season was also the Tigers' best. GSU would win three of the final five games, notching its 51st non-losing season since 1945.
"I think it finished up in a way that showed how much we had progressed," said Spears, who is awaiting word on Eugene's application for a medical exemption. "We're going to look at it as building momentum. The seasoning of these freshmen makes our future look very bright - and we're getting some people back."
THE 2004 SEASON
Final record: 6-5 overall, 3-4 in the SWAC.
Best game: GSU finally put together four quarters of football in the Nov. 27 Bayou Classic, rushing with consistency and making stops when needed. The coaching staff also showed the needed patience, sticking with the run-first game plan - even when Southern pulled ahead.
Worst game: Having lost, in quick succession, three of its best playmakers on offense, GSU stumbled badly at Alabama A&M on Sept. 11 - the only game this year where the Tigers weren't competitive. How bad was it? GSU, while its freshman fill-in quarterback was sacked six times for 54 yards in losses, was 0-for-18 on third down in the 21-9 drubbing.
Turning point: Falling to Alabama State on Nov. 6 ensured an unprecedented losing season at Robinson Stadium, but it also convinced the coaching staff that junior Ab Kuuan was ready to run. GSU would account for 735 of its 1,656 rushing yards on the season in the final three games - and go 2-1, including an emotional Bayou Classic victory.
Most telling stat: Senior quarterback Bruce Eugene's season-ending injury forever altered Spears' interim campaign. He played less than three quarters of football in 2004, yet still ended up at No. 4 for total offense on the GSU roster.
Most valuable player: Walk-on freshman sensation Landry Carter, a McCall-Tallulah product, did it all. Not only was he the top punt and kick returner, Carter was also GSU's third-leading receiver with 177 yards and third leading rusher with 211 yards. That helped him notch a team-best 1,046 all-purpose yards.
Top offensive player: Freshman Carroll product Brandon Landers, despite problems with ball placement that had the young quarterback leading the conference in picks, was a rallying point for the offense. His passing average per game was fourth in the SWAC - and his yards per completion, 17.3, was tops.
Top defensive player: The biggest loss on defense is senior Kenneth Pettway, a player of uncommon drive and intensity who would perform well both end and outside linebacker. He was second in the SWAC in 2004 for both sacks and tackles for a loss.
Top special teams player: Carter led Division I-AA nationally for several weeks on kick returns. He helped GSU finish the year atop the conference standings with an average of 23.9 yards per attempt - despite being kicked away from late in the season, notably by Southern.
Unsung hero: Senior kicker Brian Morgan quietly put together one of his best seasons, finishing 29-of-30 on extra points, 13-of-20 on field goals and second among SWAC kickers with 68 points. He also ably filled in on punting duties, averaging 36.3 yards per attempt.
Top newcomer: True freshman receiver Clyde Edwards, given the same jersey number of the departed record-smashing Tramon Douglas, displayed flashy big-play brilliance - and quickly earned a starting position. He finished the season as GSU's leading receiver in receptions, total yards and yards per game.
Emerging star: Junior running back Ab Kuuan, who coaches hoped would become an every-down runner in the offseason, exploded for consecutive 100-yard games in the final three weeks of the year - including a MVP performance on national television at the Bayou Classic.
Key injury: Senior quarterback Bruce Eugene - who led the SWAC in passing yards and total offense a season ago - went down in the season opener against Alcorn State. GSU would go from scoring 36.6 per game last year to 26.7, from passing for 3,853 yards a season ago to 2,452.
Returning starters, offense: (9) QB Brandon Landers, WR Clyde Edwards, TB Ab Kuuan, FB Rueben Mayes, LT Jonathan Banks, LG Charles Wilson, RT Andre Bennett, TE Matt Duhe and WR Zerrick Haymon.
Returning starters, defense: (7) DT Jimmy Zachary, DT Joshua Kador, DE Jason Banks, LB Dimitri Carr, CB Greg Fassitt, CB Lewis Carter and FS Zaire Wilborn.
Returning specialists: (2) P Tim Manuel, KR Landry Carter
- By Nick Deriso
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
The time that ... They were No. 1
Who's No. 1?
June 12, 2005
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
It's a central issue in football, this idea of being No. 1.
Fans argue over it, while statisticians furiously calculate yardage and tackles. We set our sights a little lower, taking the question more literally.
Who actually wore No. 1 on their jerseys? We looked for players from Grambling State, we stumbled upon some singular stories, as well:
--Kicker Brian Morgan, who sported '1' from 2001-04, was only the latest in a long line of GSU kickers to use that number.
None was perhaps more intriguing than Gilad Landau, a multiple all-Southwestern Athletic Conference team member from Netanya, Israel, who was a former Israeli Army veteran. He had not played or even seen a football game before coming to the United States and enrolling in Grambling.
Landau's senior season in 1994 included a game played after the observance of Yom Kippur, a day of atonement in which Jews are prohibited from eating or drinking. The weakened Landau had to be given fluids intravenously.
He finished at Grambling with Division I-AA records for extra points attempted and made - conference records that still stand.
Morgan's just-finished four-year stay was stellar, too. A three-time all-SWAC selection, he is the conference record holder in most field goals made in a single season with 18 and in a career with 50.
Surprisingly, Landau (1990-94) is not the only Middle Eastern kicker to share the number and position. His tenure was followed by Palestine-born Ayman Nawash (1995-97), a kicker who prepped at East Jefferson in New Orleans.
· Landau's No. '1' stat: Gilad won the first-ever Ernie Davis Award - given by the Leukemia Foundation to a Division I-AA player in recognition of character and integrity through adversity - in 1992 as a sophomore.
Not the only '1': Receiver Scotty Anderson, a key component in two titles after the 2000-01 seasons, was drafted by Detroit in the fifth round and played for the Lions until 2003. The Jonesboro product's school records include those for most receiving yards and touchdowns in a career, most catches as a sophomore and longest reception.
Other '1's: Ardashir Nobahar, another No. 1 who kicked in 1985-86, holds the SWAC record for longest field goal, a 54-yarder. ... Nobody was No. 1 in 1975, 1978-79, and 1990.
June 12, 2005
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
It's a central issue in football, this idea of being No. 1.
Fans argue over it, while statisticians furiously calculate yardage and tackles. We set our sights a little lower, taking the question more literally.
Who actually wore No. 1 on their jerseys? We looked for players from Grambling State, we stumbled upon some singular stories, as well:
--Kicker Brian Morgan, who sported '1' from 2001-04, was only the latest in a long line of GSU kickers to use that number.
None was perhaps more intriguing than Gilad Landau, a multiple all-Southwestern Athletic Conference team member from Netanya, Israel, who was a former Israeli Army veteran. He had not played or even seen a football game before coming to the United States and enrolling in Grambling.
Landau's senior season in 1994 included a game played after the observance of Yom Kippur, a day of atonement in which Jews are prohibited from eating or drinking. The weakened Landau had to be given fluids intravenously.
He finished at Grambling with Division I-AA records for extra points attempted and made - conference records that still stand.
Morgan's just-finished four-year stay was stellar, too. A three-time all-SWAC selection, he is the conference record holder in most field goals made in a single season with 18 and in a career with 50.
Surprisingly, Landau (1990-94) is not the only Middle Eastern kicker to share the number and position. His tenure was followed by Palestine-born Ayman Nawash (1995-97), a kicker who prepped at East Jefferson in New Orleans.
· Landau's No. '1' stat: Gilad won the first-ever Ernie Davis Award - given by the Leukemia Foundation to a Division I-AA player in recognition of character and integrity through adversity - in 1992 as a sophomore.
Not the only '1': Receiver Scotty Anderson, a key component in two titles after the 2000-01 seasons, was drafted by Detroit in the fifth round and played for the Lions until 2003. The Jonesboro product's school records include those for most receiving yards and touchdowns in a career, most catches as a sophomore and longest reception.
Other '1's: Ardashir Nobahar, another No. 1 who kicked in 1985-86, holds the SWAC record for longest field goal, a 54-yarder. ... Nobody was No. 1 in 1975, 1978-79, and 1990.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Selected 2004 Grambling preseason stories
GSU's program regroups after bumpy ride
August 7, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - The prevailing attitude, as Grambling State reconvenes for summer sessions, can be summed up with one word: Finally.
Players report on Sunday to a program remade through personnel changes, but resilient after all the adversity, said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears.
"These bumps in the road have had the tendency of drawing our players closer together," Spears said.
Fans knew a few familiar faces would not be on hand when practice begins again on Monday. All-conference wide receiver Tramon Douglas, along with three of the team's four starting defensive backs, graduated in May.
But, beginning with the dismissal of defensive line coach Gabe Northern in early December, the look of the program's leadership began a drastic overhaul. Sixth-year head coach Doug Williams then hired a new defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, only to leave for a job in the NFL as they took over.
Spears was named interim, and then made another change at defensive coordinator. That was all before athletics director Al Dennis was let go on July 1. The defensive coordinator position remains open.
But now it's time to get to work. Coaches and players alike are eager for the comfortable repetition that the summer sessions will bring.
"For me, practice is a joy," said GSU defensive line coach Luther Palmer, the leading candidate for a defensive coordinator spot that's been vacant since late April. "Getting back on the football field will be a relief from everything - regardless of where we're coming from. Being on that field is not exactly work. It's a labor of love. This time of year, you're biting at the bit."
Defensive standout Kenneth Pettway said Palmer's infectious energy has helped the team pull through.
"Even if the team got down, he didn't," said Pettway, who led the team in tackles in 2003. "When the season rolls around, and we get to December, that will be the payoff - when we get another ring. He keeps the whole team's spirit up, every day."
Selected at the Southwestern Athletic Conference's annual media day to finish second in the West, Grambling State enters the summer sessions with pitched battles to replace Douglas and those defensive backs. They'll also be entering an off-season for the first time since 2001 without a new championship trophy in the athletic support facility's lobby.
"We'll have to focus in on the task at hand," Spears said. "We're not the champs anymore. Coach Williams always stressed that there would be trials and tribulations. But you've got to tie your shoes and come on in to work, every day. Our guys have done that."
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GSU has new passing pattern
With Douglas gone, WR stable emerges
August 8, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
It will take an army to fill the shoes of departed three-time all-conference receiver Tramon Douglas at Grambling State. Literally.
"Our philosophy this year," said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears, "is to play between six and eight guys at wide receiver."
The Tigers report for summer sessions today with a remade coaching staff and a remade secondary. But there may be no more important position to resolve than who will be downfield for quarterback Bruce Eugene, named to the preseason I-AA All America team by The Sports Network.
"I've got to get used to not seeing him out there," Eugene said of Douglas, who hauled in 28 touchdown strikes from Eugene in just two seasons. "He was that safety valve that I always had."
Douglas graduated in May, but not before breaking GSU's single-season receiving records for catches, yards and touchdowns - as well as career receptions.
"He was the heart of what we did last year," said Sammy White, who coached receivers for six seasons before being named offensive coordinator this spring.
Douglas is the only person in Southwestern Athletic Conference history, including such luminaries as Jerry Rice and White himself, to record more than 1,700 receiving yards in a single season.
"There will always be an initial drop-off when you lose a guy like Tramon Douglas," Spears said. "But I think we've got some guys who are going to step up. There's going to be a dog fight at wide receiver."
But losing Douglas isn't the unit's only challenge: Tim Abney, the team's No. 3 receiver last year, hasn't practiced this off-season because of a lingering groin injury. He had six touchdown catches - tied with senior Moses Harris, this year's presumptive No. 1 target.
"Moses had a decent year," White said. "But this year we look for him to break out."
Henry Tolbert - who the coaches call "Mr. Do Anything" - will move from running back to Douglas' position in the slot.
"A utility guy," White enthuses. "I can put him outside, too. I can put him in the backfield. He's working hard."
The top receivers going into summer sessions are Harris, transfer Frank Green and freshman Paul Hardiman, who redshirted last year. Talented performers who could quickly push into the top six include junior Bakari Guice, a former Wossman High standout, and Houston-Westbury High signee Clyde Edwards.
"We have a bunch of great receivers," Eugene said, after ticking off the list of hopefuls.
His coach agreed: "We just got a wealth of outstanding wide receivers," Spears said. "So it's going to be great to watch."
GSU's August Agenda
Interim GSU coach Melvin Spears will tell you that winning often comes down to a play or two.
He will tell you that one or two moments in its final game of 2003 kept Grambling State from an unprecedented fourth trip to the Southwestern Athletic Conference title game.
"That's correct," he said, looking determined. "That's exactly the way we are approaching this season."
So, he'll tinker with the well-established template left behind by former GSU coach Doug Williams, Spears' mentor. He'll add a flourish, or a feint.
But this is not an out pattern. No, Spears talks about the legacy of his adopted school often, taking as his mantra: "Raising the bar." He repeats it often, adding. "That's all we're going to do."
Last season, Grambling State would fall behind, only to mount a succession of late-game offensive explosions. It was October before someone other than the quarterback scored a rushing touchdown.
As GSU reports for its first summer sessions in six seasons without Williams, his former offensive coordinator will challenge them to do a little more, and do it a little better:
Camp competition: It wasn't going to be easy replacing senior All-SWAC receiver Tramon Douglas - who led the team in receiving and the conference in all-purpose yardage last year.
Then Tim Abney, a sophomore on the rise, spent the spring and summer trying to recover from a lingering groin injury. That leaves the door open behind senior Moses Harris, who is slated for the No. 1 position.
Aaron Johnson, the sophomore out of Shreveport's Huntington High, would presumably move into Abney's No. 2 role, if he sits out. Junior Bakari Guice, freshman Paul Hardiman and sophomore transfer Frank Green will compete there, too. Junior wide receiver Henry Tolbert will start in the slot.
Numbers crunch: Even though Spears has played a larger role on the defensive side this off-season, the assistants have a lot of ground to make up in working with a unit that finished No. 9 out of 10 SWAC school in pass and red-zone defense in 2003.
On the cusp: Senior linebacker Kenneth Pettway excelled after he was called upon to work on the defensive line when injuries felled ends Lennard Patton and Jason Hatcher. That versatility, and his non-stop motor, has him poised for a breakout season.
Instant impact: Clyde Edwards, the receiver out of Houston-Westbury High, has already exhibited the kind of athleticism and polish to start - even as a freshman. "He has shown that, with a little bit of coaching, he could do very well," said GSU offensive coordinator Sammy White. "He's catching everything in sight."
Shallow pool: There has been little consistency in the punting and return game. Freshman punter Larry Anderson from Redemptorist was signed, and could see immediate playing time. There hasn't been a solid returner since Kenneth Shanklin's breakout season a couple of years back. While running back Keantwon Gray looked good in the spring, a deep pool of receiver talent could also be raided to fix this lingering problem.
On the mend: Abney was poised for a breakout season, before a groin injury failed to heal properly. The staff thought resting him through the off-season would help, but Abney's still slowed by the problem. Losing almost 17 yards per reception - or, say, his four-catch, two-touchdown performance against Southern in the 2003 Bayou Classic - would be a crushing blow.
Gone with the wind: Junior backup quarterback Gary Cooper, perhaps tired of waiting for Bruce Eugene to falter, has quit the program. In two seasons, Cooper played in parts of just eight games - with 260 yards passing, two touchdowns and three interceptions. All but 54 of those yards, and both touchdowns, were in 2002.
Camp chatter: "There will always be an initial drop-off when you lose a guy like Tramon Douglas," said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears. "But I think we've got some guys who are going to step up. There's going to be a dogfight at wide receiver. The entire secondary was also a focus. Right now, the jobs don't belong to anyone. The best guys after these next 28 days will start."
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Coaching staff set at GSU
Palmer moved to defensive coordinator
August 10, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Grambling State defensive line coach Luther Palmer has been promoted to defensive coordinator by interim coach Melvin Spears.
Several other new coaches - each a celebrated local product - also took the field Monday morning as GSU began a month of preseason practices.
Palmer, originally hired by former coach Doug Williams, has been running the defense since Tom Lavigne was let go on April 29.
"I think he's going to do a really good job," said senior Kenneth Pettway, a linebacker who worked with Palmer this spring after converting to defensive end. "The players already relate to him. He could turn this defensive line alone into one that has three or four All-Americans come out of it."
Meanwhile, former GSU All-American Andre Robinson will oversee the linebackers. Calvin Spears and Chris Brown, members of the multiple Southwestern Athletic Conference championship teams under Williams, will assist with the cornerbacks.
The announcement of a new coordinator was reportedly slowed by the exit of an interim president at Grambling State and then the dismissal of the university's athletics director.
"Doug Williams gave me this opportunity, right before he left," said Palmer, whose 2001 squad at Virginia Union led Division II in both interceptions and pass defense. "It was a thrill. I'm happy to carry on his and Eddie Robinson's tradition. I think they'd agree that Grambling still has a future in front of it. There is unlimited potential here - not just in athletics but from an academic standpoint."
Palmer first caught his former head coach's eye, Williams said, when they shared the bench at the Black College All-Star Game in 1995 at Birmingham, Ala.
GSU's defensive MVP for Eddie Robinson in 1981, Andre Robinson made a head coaching position at Parker High in Birmingham into a bully pulpit for his college alma mater - establishing a pipeline of talent to Grambling.
"Andre Robinson is one of those ultimate Gramblinites," Melvin Spears said. "We feel like, with the support he has given us over the years, he deserves an opportunity to be on our staff."
Notable recent roster members include running back Henry Tolbert, strong safety Joshua Bester and defensive end Antonio Hughes. Three-time All-SWAC linebacker Robert Taylor also attended the Birmingham school.
The connections actually stretch from the earliest days of Grambling State football - when Eddie Robinson recruited future Pro Football Hall of Famer Junious "Buck" Buchanan from Parker - all the way into 2004's freshmen signees. Receiver Xavier Jackson and offensive lineman Tavares Cockrell are among the latest products to arrive at GSU.
"That's one of the biggest thrills of my life, seeing kids continue the tradition of Parker-to-Grambling," said Robinson, one of just 150 high school coaches and administrators invited to the NFL's Youth Football Summit in 2002.
Meanwhile, Calvin Spears played for the NFL's Browns and Giants for two years, then spent last season with AFL's New Orleans VooDoo. "That opportunity to play professional football will benefit our players," Melvin Spears said. "And he'll bring a younger mindset."
The son of former GSU wide receiver Calvin Nicholas, Calvin Spears is perhaps best remembered for an interception he made as Alabama A&M, trailing 7-6, was putting together a long drive late in the 2000 SWAC championship game. Spears returned the pick 47 yards for a touchdown, the decisive play in a 14-6 win.
But his former assistant head coach said Spears never finished college: "He's less than 12 hours away from graduating - and that's a priority," said Melvin Spears, who endured an off-season tempest over a master's degree that wasn't awarded because of minor unfinished paperwork. "He needs to graduate."
Brown, who played one NFL season at Jacksonville, was a member of The Sports Network's 2002 Division I-AA Preseason All-America Team.
The final decision to promote Palmer, Melvin Spears said, was borne out of a summer spent game planning, weightlifting and praying.
"Palmer and I really hit it off, because we have similar personalities," Spears said. "We both put Christ first. I think of myself as a workaholic, and he was the same kind of guy. He's here when I get here. I'll be leaving at 10 or 11 o'clock and he'll be leaving at 10 or 11 o'clock. He's been tireless."
Pettway says he shares that admiration for Palmer's work ethic.
"You think you are sneaking in here to work, trying to do something early, and Coach Palmer will be here to meet you," said Pettway, the SWAC's defensive player of the week after GSU's 2003 opener. "I think: 'If he can get up early in the morning, I can too.' Everything he does is inspirational to me."
On the Tiger beat
Freshman Clyde Edwards from Westbury High in Houston, who lined up as the No. 2 receiver, wore departed All-American Tramon Douglas' old No. 5 jersey. ... Wide receiver Antonio Hargrove transferred from Mississippi State at the last minute, arriving just in time for Monday's practice. The senior wore No. 81. ... Freshman punter Tim Manuel from New Iberia boomed his first try more than 50 yards. His father Bucky was on hand for the practice. ... GSU has 18 players on its summer roster from northeastern Louisiana, and four more from nearby Vicksburg, Miss.
Spears says: "Anytime you have an individual who has been an assistant for so long in association with one school and his coach, it says a lot about (new defensive coordinator) Luther Palmer's loyalty. We wanted a guy with that kind of long-standing commitment - somebody not just with experience but with a history of sticking around."
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Just like brothers
Spears, Brown on same page with GSU backs
August 12, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - They communicate, on and off the field, like brothers.
They finish each other's sentences, working in tandem as they once did during multiple Southwestern Athletic Conference title runs at Grambling State.
As new defensive backs coach Calvin Spears drills down into a point, he knows that assistant Chris Brown will be on the same page.
That partnership - and the youthful insight each brings - already has ignited a completely remade GSU secondary.
"We've been friends since high school," said Spears, who spent time in the Browns and Giants camps before his breakout season in 2003 with the AFL's New Orleans VooDoo. "It's almost like a marriage between us. He knows what I'm going to say before I say it, because we've talked about these concepts so many times."
Interim coach Melvin Spears brought in the two former GSU standouts after the Tigers slipped to ninth out of the 10 Southwestern Athletic Conference teams in pass defense last season.
"He brings this enthusiasm," said Melvin Spears, who is cousin with Calvin Spears' mother. "We were looking for a guy who was a student of the game - and Calvin has always been one - but also a guy who can teach our players how it's done at the next level."
Starters in practice this week are Texas Tech transfer Ivory McCann and sophomore Greg Fassitt at the corners, with sophomore Brian Langford and senior Jermaine Mills at safety.
Players also vying for a spot include corners Houston freshman Deshon Pennie, Louisiana Tech transfer Lewis Carter and Jonesboro-Hodge freshman Brandon Thompson. Converted quarterback Brandon Logan is also turning heads at safety.
"Logan is going to be a big help to us," new defensive coordinator Luther Palmer said. "He runs a 4.46, but perhaps just as important he's heady - a 4.0 student. He can make the calls back there."
They're now being led by a former player whose production at Grambling State was legendary: Spears finished in 2001 with 188 tackles, 16 interceptions, 44 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and three fumbles recovered.
Spears started on former coach Doug Williams' first team, then helped lead Grambling State to its first conference title since 1994. He now will coach on Melvin Spears' first team, as well.
"I've got the same ambition," Spears said. "Even though we haven't fallen off much, we've got to get Grambling back in the championship. I want to keep the Grambling name going."
Brown helped the school win the last of its three straight SWAC titles in 2002, streaking to a 76-yard touchdown return as GSU exploded for 31 points in the fourth quarter to beat Alabama A&M. A former SWAC defensive player of the year, Brown was later in Jacksonville's NFL camp.
"Just to be back at Grambling," Calvin Spears said, "is a great feeling."
Brown jumped in: "We've got a lot of young guys. We're trying to get them back on the same page that we were on when we were here - back into championship form."
Then, it was Spears again: "We want to give back to dear old Grambling."
Both point to the connection they made with former GSU defensive backs coach Todd Bowles, who now holds the same coaching position with the Cleveland Browns.
"He was a young guy, too," Brown said. "And he could demonstrate some of the smaller things to us. That's all that's needed here. As far as the athletic ability, it's light years above where we were."
In keeping, Calvin Spears has focused on technique and discipline this first week of summer practice.
"Coach Spears told me this coming in, and it's true: This is a good team, but they don't understand some of the small details about the game of football," Calvin Spears said.
These two not only teach, Spears said, but show: "We demonstrate - put our feet where they are supposed to be, show them how to do it," he said.
The unit - which only returns one starter, the safety Mills, from 2003 - is responding. Their head coach isn't surprised.
"Remember, Calvin Spears started every down of every game he ever played at Grambling," Melvin Spears said. "He's was all-SWAC four times - something no one has ever done at Grambling. Even as a freshman, he was such a technician."
Palmer is high on the team's new talents in the secondary. But he's over the moon about Calvin Spears.
"That's key," Palmer said of the hiring. "This guy has played it. He knows what it feels like. He knows what it tastes like."
It tastes like a lot of work, right now. Calvin Spears admits to being a taskmaster, though he prides himself on fairness.
"They don't have to call me 'coach.' I don't mind if they call me 'Calvin,' " Spears said. "As long as they respect that I'm here to help."
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HALL'S HEAVY METAL
GSU assistant carries symbol of team unity
August 29, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - "Pull that chain," said Mark Hall, the former player who now serves as Grambling State's strength and conditioning coach.
He has been carrying around these heavy enclosed links of shiny symbolism all week.
"Just pull it," he said. "It's not going to break, is it?"
The words have resonance with players, coming from Hall - a two-time all-conference defensive end on two consecutive championship teams at GSU in 2000-01.
Still, it's the chain itself that had everybody talking.
"I'm verbal, but Mark is more symbolic," said defensive backs coach Calvin Spears, as he chuckled.
Spears - who played with Hall before joining him on a remade GSU coaching staff this year - says Hall's dogged determination has been impressive.
A person of such honest and clear intensity, Hall doesn't confine his enthusiasm to the gym. He has been an energetic presence during practices as well - exhorting the linemen to greatness.
"Mark's more physical than me," Spears said. "He's in that weight room all day. All I've got is mind games! Besides, that thing is too heavy for me to lug around all day."
But what did it mean?
"You've got me," said videographer Charlie Lewis, a former Grambling State defensive lineman who has documented countless practices over the past seven seasons. "I've got no idea. You'll have to ask him about that."
Coach Doug Porter, an assistant to both Eddie Robinson and Doug Williams, marvels at Hall's full-go motor - though the chain remains a mystery: "I haven't figured it out yet," he said, smiling.
One of Grambling State's most important additions this off-season, Hall has helped produce a team that showed up remarkably conditioned for summer sessions. The message each morning has been as steely and simple as those thick silver rings over his shoulder.
"If you've got a unit as tight as that chain, you've got a good unit," Hall said. "That's why I wear it. That's the message: We're not going to break."
Interim GSU coach Melvin Spears thinks small things like the chain, as with so many other symbolic gestures, can mean a lot.
"The thing you struggle with, is keeping guys motivated when they are tired," Spears said, as the team entered the bottom half of another smothering summer session this week. "Mark does that so well. He's the spark plug - and a big part of why we are doing so well in this preseason."
But what, you know, about the chain?
Tim Hudson, a tireless volunteer trainer, could only allow that it "may be his lucky chain. Maybe that explains it."
Coach Spears shook his head, as a big smile bloomed: "Hard core," he said, then thought about the question.
"It's about working hard every day, and never giving up on each other," Spears said. "That's what that chain means. No one needs to be the weak link."
Tiger bites: Backup quarterback Brandon Landers has been reliable while running the two-minute drills. He'll need to put on some weight before next season. ... Wide receiver Tim Abney is the only GSU player who'll miss Saturday's season opener, Spears said. Abney - who has already used his redshirt - attended workouts this week. He says he's likely to remain out for the year, resting an aggravating groin injury. He'll file for a medical exception. ... Former longtime sports information director Collie J. Nicholson will be honored at the Alcorn State game this week.
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Teacher in the trenches
Roberts 'refining' the work done by GSU's O-line
August 30, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Sometimes a new eye sees different things.
That's been the case with first-year offensive line coach Carl Roberts, who has inherited a unit with starters from 2003 at all five positions.
"We're returning all the same guys. I'm just here to refine what they were doing," said Roberts - who spent 16 seasons as the offensive line coach at Jackson State before head coach James Bell chose not to retain him in 2003. Roberts had been out of coaching for a year when former GSU coach Doug Williams hired him to come to Grambling.
"My philosophy is simple: If I have the height and I have the weight (in an offensive line), then I can concentrate on the basic fundamentals. And we do," Roberts said. "At that point, then it doesn't matter where you are at. I can take that fundamental technique anywhere in America."
Simple, yet important stuff. The kind of stuff that caught Williams' eye after the departure of former offensive line coach Marshall Hayes - who is now at Delaware State. But then Williams himself left for the NFL in February.
Roberts forged ahead, quickly putting his unique imprint on this unit. After all, this is the personable front-line professor who sent four JSU linemen into the pros - including Lester Holmes, a No. 19 overall pick in 1993 for the Philadelphia Eagles.
"I pride myself on teaching," Roberts said. "Being technically sound, more than their size, is what will set this group apart."
In keeping, Roberts has focused on fundamentals, spending vast amounts of time even with veteran players - leaving no detail unexamined.
"That's what is going to help us win, week in and week out," Roberts said. "Game to game, we have to focus on those fundamental techniques. Hopefully, with that and our size, we can get in there and wear some people down."
The question remains if Roberts - who moved here without his family, since he'd just built a house in Jackson - will wear down himself.
He was quick to report that his wife Mildred and two daughters, Ashley and Cambria, visited over the weekend.
"It's tough," Roberts admitted. "But no tougher than being let go, or being out of coaching. You never know how the Lord is going to send opportunity."
That down-to-Earth presence is especially welcome as GSU continues to re-integrate Eddie Robinson's classic Wing-T running scheme into its offense, a process that began last season - when the team averaged 143 yards on the ground per game, up from 117 in 2002.
"We mainly are trying to get a little bit more into a demeanor of running the ball," said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears. "Running the ball comes from an attitude perspective and I think that Coach Roberts is doing an outstanding job in getting us there. I look forward to running the ball, as well as passing the ball. In our practices, we have done a real good job of protecting."
Senior center Lance Wright, for one, has been energized by the running assignments.
"It has been exciting," said Wright, a second-team preseason all-conference selection. "Once we make a commitment to the run, teams are not going to be able to defend us - not with the talent we have in the passing game."
Wright is one of those five returning starters, joining junior guards Charles Wilson and Darryl Rodgers. Senior Jonathan Banks and junior Andre' Bennett are at the tackles. The line's average height is an impressive 6-foot-5, with an average weight of 332.
"They are so big that I think the trap plays are going to be effective," Roberts said. "A lot of time a back can hide behind them."
The unit also has shown it can execute both the Wing-T assignments and some new zone-blocking schemes during the summer sessions.
"Banks moves really well for a big guy. Charles Wilson is also nimble," Roberts said. "We're working on pulling. We're working on their feet. But at the end of the day, you block. Being big is one thing, but being outstanding technically is another thing. That's our goal."
Wright has already developed a close working relationship with Roberts. It's based on respect for each other - and for the game of football.
Simple, yet important stuff.
"When Coach Roberts came, I liked his first statement to us on the football field," said Wright, who leads the team in prayer after every practice. "It was this: 'I'm about getting the job done. I'm not all about the talk. I just want the job done.' He doesn't do a lot of hollering. He just wants us to learn the game."
About Roberts
An offensive lineman during his playing days at Jackson State from 1979-83, Carl Roberts got his start in coaching as a volunteer at his alma mater in 1985. By 1987, Roberts had become a full-time member of the Jackson State staff. He would eventually add strength and conditioning, special teams and pro scout liaison to his duties with the offensive line.
But Roberts' journey to coaching the offensive line at GSU actually began in 1984 - when, as a gutsy guard on the USFL's Oklahoma Outlaws, he helped protect former coach Doug Williams at quarterback.
"If you stay with the basics, you will succeed," said Roberts. "I was never the biggest offensive lineman. In fact, I was often one of the shortest ones. But I felt like I played full-speed on every down - and I was technically sound."
An impressive coaching stint at JSU followed, and when Williams took over before the 1998 season at Grambling State, Roberts was a top hiring wish. But Williams could not pry Roberts away from JSU.
Only a housecleaning by a coach with no experience in the Southwestern Athletic Conference could dislodge a tactical legend like Roberts. Williams jumped at the opportunity.
- Nick Deriso
About those new guys
Despite established veteran leaders, two new faces on the GSU offensive line have garnered early praise.
Sophomore Chris Wiggins saw unexpected playing time, filling in at center for some of the summer sessions after a groin injury sidelined senior center Lance Wright.
"He has gotten some valuable reps, but he still doesn't have a lot of game experience," new GSU offensive line coach Carl Roberts said of Wiggins, a 6-5, 375-pound transfer out of Delaware State. "But he came in and solidified that center position."
The team has also seen a lot of potential in lineman Doug Smith Jr., the Houston prepster with an impressive lineage. The 6-7, 340-pound freshman - ranked in TexasInsider.com's Top 100 for Lone Star State prospects - is the son of defensive tackle Doug Smith, who played eight seasons for the Oilers.
"An outstanding talent," Roberts said. "He's not weight-room strong right now, but he's strong. His dad was an outstanding talent, so he comes by it naturally."
Smith will likely be used as a top backup, Roberts said.
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Grambling's quick slants
September 2, 2004
AFTER MOSES
A season-ending injury to Moses Harris puts more scrutiny on the other GSU receivers.
Freshman Clyde Edwards has recovered well from a slight ankle injury, only missing one pass on Tuesday that required him to get low. But redshirt freshman Paul Hardiman couldn't finish practice with a similar injury, and watched from the sidelines. Spears said neither should miss GSU's Saturday opener.
NEW FACE
GSU didn't see Alcorn State's top returning defender in Lorman, Miss., last season.
Even so, senior Alcorn State linebacker Dwan Wilson posted 52 tackles - despite missing not only the Grambling State game, but also Alabama State and Stephen F. Austin, with a sprained MCL. Wilson finished with four sacks, two passes broken up, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He was named to second-team All-SWAC honors.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Pro football scouts from Carolina and Green Bay watched this week's workouts in Grambling, with special attention paid to linebacker/defensive end Kenneth Pettway, defensive end Lennard Patton, middle linebacker John Petty and, of course, quarterback Bruce Eugene.
"Patton, with some dominating performances, could be a first-team All-American," said GSU defensive coordinator Luther Palmer. "He definitely has the potential to get it done."
An athlete in the best sense of the word, Petty started as a freshman at tight end. He then switched to strong-side linebacker before this season's move into the middle.
"That's his true position," Palmer said. "He feels comfortable there. He's running well."
RUNNING HARD
Former Richwood standout Lewis Carter had been pencilled in at cornerback opposite Ivory McCann. Until this week.
The multi-talented junior Bakari Guice - who, ironically enough, also prepped in Ouachita Parish, at Wossman - has been slowly working himself into a starting position.
Guice is also returning kicks and working as a receiver.
GO FIGURE
33 Points, of 40 total, scored by Grambling State in the second half last year at in Lorman, Miss.
5 Touchdowns by Bruce Eugene against ASU in 2003, including three in the air and two on the ground.
538 Combined passing yards by Eugene and Alcorn State's Donald Carrie last year.
- Nick Deriso
Getting to know... kicker Brian Morgan
We're seeing scouts out here at practice all the time. As a senior, are you getting some pro football nibbles?
I've talked to a few people. But it's going to come down to having a good season. Judging kickers is so hard - because there are so many scouts who don't know how to do it. Several of them so far have told Coach Spears I look good, but said they'd have to send a special-teams person down here to really evaluate me.
The combine is a place where the experts go to evaluate players. Where else can a kicker shop his talent?
There's a camp (an invite-only NFL special teams event sponsored by Paul Assad) in Reno in March. Hopefully, I'll get invited to the combine, too. I'd like to show them what I can get done.
Grambling signed a punter in New Iberia's Tim Manuel who is talented enough to start out of high school. That must have been a relief for a pure kicker like you, who was occasionally pushed into punting last year.
I just don't like to punt. I didn't like to punt, even back in high school. I did it then, and in my first year here, because they needed me to. But I don't practice punting anymore. So when the coaches said go out there and punt, it was all just on instinct.
Do you follow guys in the NFL who played college ball around here, like Louisiana Tech's Josh Scobee at Jacksonville?
Scobee is doing great. I know he's a heck of a kickoff guy, but I was surprised he won field-goal duty, too. The other guys ahead of him on the depth chart just kept getting hurt. Apparently, that was a good place for him to go! - Nick Deriso
THE MORGAN FILE
·Hobbies: Fishing and golf
· Favorite pro athlete, and why: Sebastian Janikowski, because of his attitude about being the best kicker in the NFL
· Favorite actor: Nicolas Cage
· Favorite actress: Jennifer Lopez
· Why did you choose GSU?: For the opportunity to play immediately - and win championships
August 7, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - The prevailing attitude, as Grambling State reconvenes for summer sessions, can be summed up with one word: Finally.
Players report on Sunday to a program remade through personnel changes, but resilient after all the adversity, said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears.
"These bumps in the road have had the tendency of drawing our players closer together," Spears said.
Fans knew a few familiar faces would not be on hand when practice begins again on Monday. All-conference wide receiver Tramon Douglas, along with three of the team's four starting defensive backs, graduated in May.
But, beginning with the dismissal of defensive line coach Gabe Northern in early December, the look of the program's leadership began a drastic overhaul. Sixth-year head coach Doug Williams then hired a new defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, only to leave for a job in the NFL as they took over.
Spears was named interim, and then made another change at defensive coordinator. That was all before athletics director Al Dennis was let go on July 1. The defensive coordinator position remains open.
But now it's time to get to work. Coaches and players alike are eager for the comfortable repetition that the summer sessions will bring.
"For me, practice is a joy," said GSU defensive line coach Luther Palmer, the leading candidate for a defensive coordinator spot that's been vacant since late April. "Getting back on the football field will be a relief from everything - regardless of where we're coming from. Being on that field is not exactly work. It's a labor of love. This time of year, you're biting at the bit."
Defensive standout Kenneth Pettway said Palmer's infectious energy has helped the team pull through.
"Even if the team got down, he didn't," said Pettway, who led the team in tackles in 2003. "When the season rolls around, and we get to December, that will be the payoff - when we get another ring. He keeps the whole team's spirit up, every day."
Selected at the Southwestern Athletic Conference's annual media day to finish second in the West, Grambling State enters the summer sessions with pitched battles to replace Douglas and those defensive backs. They'll also be entering an off-season for the first time since 2001 without a new championship trophy in the athletic support facility's lobby.
"We'll have to focus in on the task at hand," Spears said. "We're not the champs anymore. Coach Williams always stressed that there would be trials and tribulations. But you've got to tie your shoes and come on in to work, every day. Our guys have done that."
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GSU has new passing pattern
With Douglas gone, WR stable emerges
August 8, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
It will take an army to fill the shoes of departed three-time all-conference receiver Tramon Douglas at Grambling State. Literally.
"Our philosophy this year," said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears, "is to play between six and eight guys at wide receiver."
The Tigers report for summer sessions today with a remade coaching staff and a remade secondary. But there may be no more important position to resolve than who will be downfield for quarterback Bruce Eugene, named to the preseason I-AA All America team by The Sports Network.
"I've got to get used to not seeing him out there," Eugene said of Douglas, who hauled in 28 touchdown strikes from Eugene in just two seasons. "He was that safety valve that I always had."
Douglas graduated in May, but not before breaking GSU's single-season receiving records for catches, yards and touchdowns - as well as career receptions.
"He was the heart of what we did last year," said Sammy White, who coached receivers for six seasons before being named offensive coordinator this spring.
Douglas is the only person in Southwestern Athletic Conference history, including such luminaries as Jerry Rice and White himself, to record more than 1,700 receiving yards in a single season.
"There will always be an initial drop-off when you lose a guy like Tramon Douglas," Spears said. "But I think we've got some guys who are going to step up. There's going to be a dog fight at wide receiver."
But losing Douglas isn't the unit's only challenge: Tim Abney, the team's No. 3 receiver last year, hasn't practiced this off-season because of a lingering groin injury. He had six touchdown catches - tied with senior Moses Harris, this year's presumptive No. 1 target.
"Moses had a decent year," White said. "But this year we look for him to break out."
Henry Tolbert - who the coaches call "Mr. Do Anything" - will move from running back to Douglas' position in the slot.
"A utility guy," White enthuses. "I can put him outside, too. I can put him in the backfield. He's working hard."
The top receivers going into summer sessions are Harris, transfer Frank Green and freshman Paul Hardiman, who redshirted last year. Talented performers who could quickly push into the top six include junior Bakari Guice, a former Wossman High standout, and Houston-Westbury High signee Clyde Edwards.
"We have a bunch of great receivers," Eugene said, after ticking off the list of hopefuls.
His coach agreed: "We just got a wealth of outstanding wide receivers," Spears said. "So it's going to be great to watch."
GSU's August Agenda
Interim GSU coach Melvin Spears will tell you that winning often comes down to a play or two.
He will tell you that one or two moments in its final game of 2003 kept Grambling State from an unprecedented fourth trip to the Southwestern Athletic Conference title game.
"That's correct," he said, looking determined. "That's exactly the way we are approaching this season."
So, he'll tinker with the well-established template left behind by former GSU coach Doug Williams, Spears' mentor. He'll add a flourish, or a feint.
But this is not an out pattern. No, Spears talks about the legacy of his adopted school often, taking as his mantra: "Raising the bar." He repeats it often, adding. "That's all we're going to do."
Last season, Grambling State would fall behind, only to mount a succession of late-game offensive explosions. It was October before someone other than the quarterback scored a rushing touchdown.
As GSU reports for its first summer sessions in six seasons without Williams, his former offensive coordinator will challenge them to do a little more, and do it a little better:
Camp competition: It wasn't going to be easy replacing senior All-SWAC receiver Tramon Douglas - who led the team in receiving and the conference in all-purpose yardage last year.
Then Tim Abney, a sophomore on the rise, spent the spring and summer trying to recover from a lingering groin injury. That leaves the door open behind senior Moses Harris, who is slated for the No. 1 position.
Aaron Johnson, the sophomore out of Shreveport's Huntington High, would presumably move into Abney's No. 2 role, if he sits out. Junior Bakari Guice, freshman Paul Hardiman and sophomore transfer Frank Green will compete there, too. Junior wide receiver Henry Tolbert will start in the slot.
Numbers crunch: Even though Spears has played a larger role on the defensive side this off-season, the assistants have a lot of ground to make up in working with a unit that finished No. 9 out of 10 SWAC school in pass and red-zone defense in 2003.
On the cusp: Senior linebacker Kenneth Pettway excelled after he was called upon to work on the defensive line when injuries felled ends Lennard Patton and Jason Hatcher. That versatility, and his non-stop motor, has him poised for a breakout season.
Instant impact: Clyde Edwards, the receiver out of Houston-Westbury High, has already exhibited the kind of athleticism and polish to start - even as a freshman. "He has shown that, with a little bit of coaching, he could do very well," said GSU offensive coordinator Sammy White. "He's catching everything in sight."
Shallow pool: There has been little consistency in the punting and return game. Freshman punter Larry Anderson from Redemptorist was signed, and could see immediate playing time. There hasn't been a solid returner since Kenneth Shanklin's breakout season a couple of years back. While running back Keantwon Gray looked good in the spring, a deep pool of receiver talent could also be raided to fix this lingering problem.
On the mend: Abney was poised for a breakout season, before a groin injury failed to heal properly. The staff thought resting him through the off-season would help, but Abney's still slowed by the problem. Losing almost 17 yards per reception - or, say, his four-catch, two-touchdown performance against Southern in the 2003 Bayou Classic - would be a crushing blow.
Gone with the wind: Junior backup quarterback Gary Cooper, perhaps tired of waiting for Bruce Eugene to falter, has quit the program. In two seasons, Cooper played in parts of just eight games - with 260 yards passing, two touchdowns and three interceptions. All but 54 of those yards, and both touchdowns, were in 2002.
Camp chatter: "There will always be an initial drop-off when you lose a guy like Tramon Douglas," said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears. "But I think we've got some guys who are going to step up. There's going to be a dogfight at wide receiver. The entire secondary was also a focus. Right now, the jobs don't belong to anyone. The best guys after these next 28 days will start."
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Coaching staff set at GSU
Palmer moved to defensive coordinator
August 10, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Grambling State defensive line coach Luther Palmer has been promoted to defensive coordinator by interim coach Melvin Spears.
Several other new coaches - each a celebrated local product - also took the field Monday morning as GSU began a month of preseason practices.
Palmer, originally hired by former coach Doug Williams, has been running the defense since Tom Lavigne was let go on April 29.
"I think he's going to do a really good job," said senior Kenneth Pettway, a linebacker who worked with Palmer this spring after converting to defensive end. "The players already relate to him. He could turn this defensive line alone into one that has three or four All-Americans come out of it."
Meanwhile, former GSU All-American Andre Robinson will oversee the linebackers. Calvin Spears and Chris Brown, members of the multiple Southwestern Athletic Conference championship teams under Williams, will assist with the cornerbacks.
The announcement of a new coordinator was reportedly slowed by the exit of an interim president at Grambling State and then the dismissal of the university's athletics director.
"Doug Williams gave me this opportunity, right before he left," said Palmer, whose 2001 squad at Virginia Union led Division II in both interceptions and pass defense. "It was a thrill. I'm happy to carry on his and Eddie Robinson's tradition. I think they'd agree that Grambling still has a future in front of it. There is unlimited potential here - not just in athletics but from an academic standpoint."
Palmer first caught his former head coach's eye, Williams said, when they shared the bench at the Black College All-Star Game in 1995 at Birmingham, Ala.
GSU's defensive MVP for Eddie Robinson in 1981, Andre Robinson made a head coaching position at Parker High in Birmingham into a bully pulpit for his college alma mater - establishing a pipeline of talent to Grambling.
"Andre Robinson is one of those ultimate Gramblinites," Melvin Spears said. "We feel like, with the support he has given us over the years, he deserves an opportunity to be on our staff."
Notable recent roster members include running back Henry Tolbert, strong safety Joshua Bester and defensive end Antonio Hughes. Three-time All-SWAC linebacker Robert Taylor also attended the Birmingham school.
The connections actually stretch from the earliest days of Grambling State football - when Eddie Robinson recruited future Pro Football Hall of Famer Junious "Buck" Buchanan from Parker - all the way into 2004's freshmen signees. Receiver Xavier Jackson and offensive lineman Tavares Cockrell are among the latest products to arrive at GSU.
"That's one of the biggest thrills of my life, seeing kids continue the tradition of Parker-to-Grambling," said Robinson, one of just 150 high school coaches and administrators invited to the NFL's Youth Football Summit in 2002.
Meanwhile, Calvin Spears played for the NFL's Browns and Giants for two years, then spent last season with AFL's New Orleans VooDoo. "That opportunity to play professional football will benefit our players," Melvin Spears said. "And he'll bring a younger mindset."
The son of former GSU wide receiver Calvin Nicholas, Calvin Spears is perhaps best remembered for an interception he made as Alabama A&M, trailing 7-6, was putting together a long drive late in the 2000 SWAC championship game. Spears returned the pick 47 yards for a touchdown, the decisive play in a 14-6 win.
But his former assistant head coach said Spears never finished college: "He's less than 12 hours away from graduating - and that's a priority," said Melvin Spears, who endured an off-season tempest over a master's degree that wasn't awarded because of minor unfinished paperwork. "He needs to graduate."
Brown, who played one NFL season at Jacksonville, was a member of The Sports Network's 2002 Division I-AA Preseason All-America Team.
The final decision to promote Palmer, Melvin Spears said, was borne out of a summer spent game planning, weightlifting and praying.
"Palmer and I really hit it off, because we have similar personalities," Spears said. "We both put Christ first. I think of myself as a workaholic, and he was the same kind of guy. He's here when I get here. I'll be leaving at 10 or 11 o'clock and he'll be leaving at 10 or 11 o'clock. He's been tireless."
Pettway says he shares that admiration for Palmer's work ethic.
"You think you are sneaking in here to work, trying to do something early, and Coach Palmer will be here to meet you," said Pettway, the SWAC's defensive player of the week after GSU's 2003 opener. "I think: 'If he can get up early in the morning, I can too.' Everything he does is inspirational to me."
On the Tiger beat
Freshman Clyde Edwards from Westbury High in Houston, who lined up as the No. 2 receiver, wore departed All-American Tramon Douglas' old No. 5 jersey. ... Wide receiver Antonio Hargrove transferred from Mississippi State at the last minute, arriving just in time for Monday's practice. The senior wore No. 81. ... Freshman punter Tim Manuel from New Iberia boomed his first try more than 50 yards. His father Bucky was on hand for the practice. ... GSU has 18 players on its summer roster from northeastern Louisiana, and four more from nearby Vicksburg, Miss.
Spears says: "Anytime you have an individual who has been an assistant for so long in association with one school and his coach, it says a lot about (new defensive coordinator) Luther Palmer's loyalty. We wanted a guy with that kind of long-standing commitment - somebody not just with experience but with a history of sticking around."
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Just like brothers
Spears, Brown on same page with GSU backs
August 12, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - They communicate, on and off the field, like brothers.
They finish each other's sentences, working in tandem as they once did during multiple Southwestern Athletic Conference title runs at Grambling State.
As new defensive backs coach Calvin Spears drills down into a point, he knows that assistant Chris Brown will be on the same page.
That partnership - and the youthful insight each brings - already has ignited a completely remade GSU secondary.
"We've been friends since high school," said Spears, who spent time in the Browns and Giants camps before his breakout season in 2003 with the AFL's New Orleans VooDoo. "It's almost like a marriage between us. He knows what I'm going to say before I say it, because we've talked about these concepts so many times."
Interim coach Melvin Spears brought in the two former GSU standouts after the Tigers slipped to ninth out of the 10 Southwestern Athletic Conference teams in pass defense last season.
"He brings this enthusiasm," said Melvin Spears, who is cousin with Calvin Spears' mother. "We were looking for a guy who was a student of the game - and Calvin has always been one - but also a guy who can teach our players how it's done at the next level."
Starters in practice this week are Texas Tech transfer Ivory McCann and sophomore Greg Fassitt at the corners, with sophomore Brian Langford and senior Jermaine Mills at safety.
Players also vying for a spot include corners Houston freshman Deshon Pennie, Louisiana Tech transfer Lewis Carter and Jonesboro-Hodge freshman Brandon Thompson. Converted quarterback Brandon Logan is also turning heads at safety.
"Logan is going to be a big help to us," new defensive coordinator Luther Palmer said. "He runs a 4.46, but perhaps just as important he's heady - a 4.0 student. He can make the calls back there."
They're now being led by a former player whose production at Grambling State was legendary: Spears finished in 2001 with 188 tackles, 16 interceptions, 44 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and three fumbles recovered.
Spears started on former coach Doug Williams' first team, then helped lead Grambling State to its first conference title since 1994. He now will coach on Melvin Spears' first team, as well.
"I've got the same ambition," Spears said. "Even though we haven't fallen off much, we've got to get Grambling back in the championship. I want to keep the Grambling name going."
Brown helped the school win the last of its three straight SWAC titles in 2002, streaking to a 76-yard touchdown return as GSU exploded for 31 points in the fourth quarter to beat Alabama A&M. A former SWAC defensive player of the year, Brown was later in Jacksonville's NFL camp.
"Just to be back at Grambling," Calvin Spears said, "is a great feeling."
Brown jumped in: "We've got a lot of young guys. We're trying to get them back on the same page that we were on when we were here - back into championship form."
Then, it was Spears again: "We want to give back to dear old Grambling."
Both point to the connection they made with former GSU defensive backs coach Todd Bowles, who now holds the same coaching position with the Cleveland Browns.
"He was a young guy, too," Brown said. "And he could demonstrate some of the smaller things to us. That's all that's needed here. As far as the athletic ability, it's light years above where we were."
In keeping, Calvin Spears has focused on technique and discipline this first week of summer practice.
"Coach Spears told me this coming in, and it's true: This is a good team, but they don't understand some of the small details about the game of football," Calvin Spears said.
These two not only teach, Spears said, but show: "We demonstrate - put our feet where they are supposed to be, show them how to do it," he said.
The unit - which only returns one starter, the safety Mills, from 2003 - is responding. Their head coach isn't surprised.
"Remember, Calvin Spears started every down of every game he ever played at Grambling," Melvin Spears said. "He's was all-SWAC four times - something no one has ever done at Grambling. Even as a freshman, he was such a technician."
Palmer is high on the team's new talents in the secondary. But he's over the moon about Calvin Spears.
"That's key," Palmer said of the hiring. "This guy has played it. He knows what it feels like. He knows what it tastes like."
It tastes like a lot of work, right now. Calvin Spears admits to being a taskmaster, though he prides himself on fairness.
"They don't have to call me 'coach.' I don't mind if they call me 'Calvin,' " Spears said. "As long as they respect that I'm here to help."
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HALL'S HEAVY METAL
GSU assistant carries symbol of team unity
August 29, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - "Pull that chain," said Mark Hall, the former player who now serves as Grambling State's strength and conditioning coach.
He has been carrying around these heavy enclosed links of shiny symbolism all week.
"Just pull it," he said. "It's not going to break, is it?"
The words have resonance with players, coming from Hall - a two-time all-conference defensive end on two consecutive championship teams at GSU in 2000-01.
Still, it's the chain itself that had everybody talking.
"I'm verbal, but Mark is more symbolic," said defensive backs coach Calvin Spears, as he chuckled.
Spears - who played with Hall before joining him on a remade GSU coaching staff this year - says Hall's dogged determination has been impressive.
A person of such honest and clear intensity, Hall doesn't confine his enthusiasm to the gym. He has been an energetic presence during practices as well - exhorting the linemen to greatness.
"Mark's more physical than me," Spears said. "He's in that weight room all day. All I've got is mind games! Besides, that thing is too heavy for me to lug around all day."
But what did it mean?
"You've got me," said videographer Charlie Lewis, a former Grambling State defensive lineman who has documented countless practices over the past seven seasons. "I've got no idea. You'll have to ask him about that."
Coach Doug Porter, an assistant to both Eddie Robinson and Doug Williams, marvels at Hall's full-go motor - though the chain remains a mystery: "I haven't figured it out yet," he said, smiling.
One of Grambling State's most important additions this off-season, Hall has helped produce a team that showed up remarkably conditioned for summer sessions. The message each morning has been as steely and simple as those thick silver rings over his shoulder.
"If you've got a unit as tight as that chain, you've got a good unit," Hall said. "That's why I wear it. That's the message: We're not going to break."
Interim GSU coach Melvin Spears thinks small things like the chain, as with so many other symbolic gestures, can mean a lot.
"The thing you struggle with, is keeping guys motivated when they are tired," Spears said, as the team entered the bottom half of another smothering summer session this week. "Mark does that so well. He's the spark plug - and a big part of why we are doing so well in this preseason."
But what, you know, about the chain?
Tim Hudson, a tireless volunteer trainer, could only allow that it "may be his lucky chain. Maybe that explains it."
Coach Spears shook his head, as a big smile bloomed: "Hard core," he said, then thought about the question.
"It's about working hard every day, and never giving up on each other," Spears said. "That's what that chain means. No one needs to be the weak link."
Tiger bites: Backup quarterback Brandon Landers has been reliable while running the two-minute drills. He'll need to put on some weight before next season. ... Wide receiver Tim Abney is the only GSU player who'll miss Saturday's season opener, Spears said. Abney - who has already used his redshirt - attended workouts this week. He says he's likely to remain out for the year, resting an aggravating groin injury. He'll file for a medical exception. ... Former longtime sports information director Collie J. Nicholson will be honored at the Alcorn State game this week.
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Teacher in the trenches
Roberts 'refining' the work done by GSU's O-line
August 30, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Sometimes a new eye sees different things.
That's been the case with first-year offensive line coach Carl Roberts, who has inherited a unit with starters from 2003 at all five positions.
"We're returning all the same guys. I'm just here to refine what they were doing," said Roberts - who spent 16 seasons as the offensive line coach at Jackson State before head coach James Bell chose not to retain him in 2003. Roberts had been out of coaching for a year when former GSU coach Doug Williams hired him to come to Grambling.
"My philosophy is simple: If I have the height and I have the weight (in an offensive line), then I can concentrate on the basic fundamentals. And we do," Roberts said. "At that point, then it doesn't matter where you are at. I can take that fundamental technique anywhere in America."
Simple, yet important stuff. The kind of stuff that caught Williams' eye after the departure of former offensive line coach Marshall Hayes - who is now at Delaware State. But then Williams himself left for the NFL in February.
Roberts forged ahead, quickly putting his unique imprint on this unit. After all, this is the personable front-line professor who sent four JSU linemen into the pros - including Lester Holmes, a No. 19 overall pick in 1993 for the Philadelphia Eagles.
"I pride myself on teaching," Roberts said. "Being technically sound, more than their size, is what will set this group apart."
In keeping, Roberts has focused on fundamentals, spending vast amounts of time even with veteran players - leaving no detail unexamined.
"That's what is going to help us win, week in and week out," Roberts said. "Game to game, we have to focus on those fundamental techniques. Hopefully, with that and our size, we can get in there and wear some people down."
The question remains if Roberts - who moved here without his family, since he'd just built a house in Jackson - will wear down himself.
He was quick to report that his wife Mildred and two daughters, Ashley and Cambria, visited over the weekend.
"It's tough," Roberts admitted. "But no tougher than being let go, or being out of coaching. You never know how the Lord is going to send opportunity."
That down-to-Earth presence is especially welcome as GSU continues to re-integrate Eddie Robinson's classic Wing-T running scheme into its offense, a process that began last season - when the team averaged 143 yards on the ground per game, up from 117 in 2002.
"We mainly are trying to get a little bit more into a demeanor of running the ball," said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears. "Running the ball comes from an attitude perspective and I think that Coach Roberts is doing an outstanding job in getting us there. I look forward to running the ball, as well as passing the ball. In our practices, we have done a real good job of protecting."
Senior center Lance Wright, for one, has been energized by the running assignments.
"It has been exciting," said Wright, a second-team preseason all-conference selection. "Once we make a commitment to the run, teams are not going to be able to defend us - not with the talent we have in the passing game."
Wright is one of those five returning starters, joining junior guards Charles Wilson and Darryl Rodgers. Senior Jonathan Banks and junior Andre' Bennett are at the tackles. The line's average height is an impressive 6-foot-5, with an average weight of 332.
"They are so big that I think the trap plays are going to be effective," Roberts said. "A lot of time a back can hide behind them."
The unit also has shown it can execute both the Wing-T assignments and some new zone-blocking schemes during the summer sessions.
"Banks moves really well for a big guy. Charles Wilson is also nimble," Roberts said. "We're working on pulling. We're working on their feet. But at the end of the day, you block. Being big is one thing, but being outstanding technically is another thing. That's our goal."
Wright has already developed a close working relationship with Roberts. It's based on respect for each other - and for the game of football.
Simple, yet important stuff.
"When Coach Roberts came, I liked his first statement to us on the football field," said Wright, who leads the team in prayer after every practice. "It was this: 'I'm about getting the job done. I'm not all about the talk. I just want the job done.' He doesn't do a lot of hollering. He just wants us to learn the game."
About Roberts
An offensive lineman during his playing days at Jackson State from 1979-83, Carl Roberts got his start in coaching as a volunteer at his alma mater in 1985. By 1987, Roberts had become a full-time member of the Jackson State staff. He would eventually add strength and conditioning, special teams and pro scout liaison to his duties with the offensive line.
But Roberts' journey to coaching the offensive line at GSU actually began in 1984 - when, as a gutsy guard on the USFL's Oklahoma Outlaws, he helped protect former coach Doug Williams at quarterback.
"If you stay with the basics, you will succeed," said Roberts. "I was never the biggest offensive lineman. In fact, I was often one of the shortest ones. But I felt like I played full-speed on every down - and I was technically sound."
An impressive coaching stint at JSU followed, and when Williams took over before the 1998 season at Grambling State, Roberts was a top hiring wish. But Williams could not pry Roberts away from JSU.
Only a housecleaning by a coach with no experience in the Southwestern Athletic Conference could dislodge a tactical legend like Roberts. Williams jumped at the opportunity.
- Nick Deriso
About those new guys
Despite established veteran leaders, two new faces on the GSU offensive line have garnered early praise.
Sophomore Chris Wiggins saw unexpected playing time, filling in at center for some of the summer sessions after a groin injury sidelined senior center Lance Wright.
"He has gotten some valuable reps, but he still doesn't have a lot of game experience," new GSU offensive line coach Carl Roberts said of Wiggins, a 6-5, 375-pound transfer out of Delaware State. "But he came in and solidified that center position."
The team has also seen a lot of potential in lineman Doug Smith Jr., the Houston prepster with an impressive lineage. The 6-7, 340-pound freshman - ranked in TexasInsider.com's Top 100 for Lone Star State prospects - is the son of defensive tackle Doug Smith, who played eight seasons for the Oilers.
"An outstanding talent," Roberts said. "He's not weight-room strong right now, but he's strong. His dad was an outstanding talent, so he comes by it naturally."
Smith will likely be used as a top backup, Roberts said.
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Grambling's quick slants
September 2, 2004
AFTER MOSES
A season-ending injury to Moses Harris puts more scrutiny on the other GSU receivers.
Freshman Clyde Edwards has recovered well from a slight ankle injury, only missing one pass on Tuesday that required him to get low. But redshirt freshman Paul Hardiman couldn't finish practice with a similar injury, and watched from the sidelines. Spears said neither should miss GSU's Saturday opener.
NEW FACE
GSU didn't see Alcorn State's top returning defender in Lorman, Miss., last season.
Even so, senior Alcorn State linebacker Dwan Wilson posted 52 tackles - despite missing not only the Grambling State game, but also Alabama State and Stephen F. Austin, with a sprained MCL. Wilson finished with four sacks, two passes broken up, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He was named to second-team All-SWAC honors.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Pro football scouts from Carolina and Green Bay watched this week's workouts in Grambling, with special attention paid to linebacker/defensive end Kenneth Pettway, defensive end Lennard Patton, middle linebacker John Petty and, of course, quarterback Bruce Eugene.
"Patton, with some dominating performances, could be a first-team All-American," said GSU defensive coordinator Luther Palmer. "He definitely has the potential to get it done."
An athlete in the best sense of the word, Petty started as a freshman at tight end. He then switched to strong-side linebacker before this season's move into the middle.
"That's his true position," Palmer said. "He feels comfortable there. He's running well."
RUNNING HARD
Former Richwood standout Lewis Carter had been pencilled in at cornerback opposite Ivory McCann. Until this week.
The multi-talented junior Bakari Guice - who, ironically enough, also prepped in Ouachita Parish, at Wossman - has been slowly working himself into a starting position.
Guice is also returning kicks and working as a receiver.
GO FIGURE
33 Points, of 40 total, scored by Grambling State in the second half last year at in Lorman, Miss.
5 Touchdowns by Bruce Eugene against ASU in 2003, including three in the air and two on the ground.
538 Combined passing yards by Eugene and Alcorn State's Donald Carrie last year.
- Nick Deriso
Getting to know... kicker Brian Morgan
We're seeing scouts out here at practice all the time. As a senior, are you getting some pro football nibbles?
I've talked to a few people. But it's going to come down to having a good season. Judging kickers is so hard - because there are so many scouts who don't know how to do it. Several of them so far have told Coach Spears I look good, but said they'd have to send a special-teams person down here to really evaluate me.
The combine is a place where the experts go to evaluate players. Where else can a kicker shop his talent?
There's a camp (an invite-only NFL special teams event sponsored by Paul Assad) in Reno in March. Hopefully, I'll get invited to the combine, too. I'd like to show them what I can get done.
Grambling signed a punter in New Iberia's Tim Manuel who is talented enough to start out of high school. That must have been a relief for a pure kicker like you, who was occasionally pushed into punting last year.
I just don't like to punt. I didn't like to punt, even back in high school. I did it then, and in my first year here, because they needed me to. But I don't practice punting anymore. So when the coaches said go out there and punt, it was all just on instinct.
Do you follow guys in the NFL who played college ball around here, like Louisiana Tech's Josh Scobee at Jacksonville?
Scobee is doing great. I know he's a heck of a kickoff guy, but I was surprised he won field-goal duty, too. The other guys ahead of him on the depth chart just kept getting hurt. Apparently, that was a good place for him to go! - Nick Deriso
THE MORGAN FILE
·Hobbies: Fishing and golf
· Favorite pro athlete, and why: Sebastian Janikowski, because of his attitude about being the best kicker in the NFL
· Favorite actor: Nicolas Cage
· Favorite actress: Jennifer Lopez
· Why did you choose GSU?: For the opportunity to play immediately - and win championships
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