By Bret Strelow | App State Athletics
BOONE, N.C. — The cornerback put himself in perfect position to break up the red-zone pass, but 6-foot-4 receiver
Dalton Stroman used his size, strength and sure hands to make a contested catch near the front-right pylon.
Several coaches, including defensive coordinator
Scot Sloan, rushed over to offer some quick praise — to the defender, who couldn't help but smile at the improbable outcome.
App State's opening practice of Fall Camp on Friday featured encouraging moments and developments across the board. On a sunny day with temperatures in the high 70s – after a rainy, significantly cooler report day on Thursday — head coach
Shawn Clark and his staff put together a plan that tested the endurance of their new-look roster.
That included splitting the field in half at times for matching drills or 11-on-11 segments on each side.
"We started off a little sloppy in the beginning, and I think that's due to a lot of new faces with some guys who just got here in July," Clark said. "We were two-spotting a lot of drills, which means we were getting two groups running at the same time. In one session, you'd normally get 24 reps in 10 to 12 minutes, and today we got 36."
Stroman came down with several impressive 50-50 catches, while there were also big plays in the passing game from fellow receivers
Kaedin Robinson and
Dashaun Davis. Not to be outdone, defensive backs
Omari Philyaw,
Trenton Alan Yowe and
DJ Burks made impressive interceptions, but the offense responded immediately to the Burks play by having
Mason McHugh connect with tight end
Kanen Hamlett for a score.
Ryan Burger and
Joey Aguilar both had productive plays worthy of praise and mental mistakes to correct on Day 1.
"They showed leadership and controlled the offense," offensive coordinator
Frank Ponce said. "A couple of throws got away from them, but those are things we're going to correct throughout the next couple practices, and they're going to be fine. They did a really good job, and they're great kids who worked their butts off."
Of the 33 scholarship newcomers on the current roster, 15 were summer arrivals going through their first App State practice. The entire defensive unit has only four returning starters, but there's some newness involved for everyone, even the defenders who went through the spring with first-year defensive coordinator
Scot Sloan.
"As the practice went on, the sense of urgency got a little sloppy and attention to detail, mentally, got sloppy — as we got tired, our brains shut down," Sloan said. "That's the first thing that shuts down when you get tired, so that will be part of the training, to get stronger mentally. The only way to do that is to physically tax yourself. That's a good eye-opener for us as coaches and for them."
