Lance Guidry refuses to conform to college football’s sometimes utopian standards.
The man whose Welsh dialect can sometimes be difficult to understand wore a baseball cap, suit and tie while delivering the opening remarks at his introductory news conference in December, during which he called a university administrator his “homegirl.”
He’ll openly admit he wasn’t looking to add a transfer quarterback in May. He took one and, eight months later, that sophomore will start the first game of Guidry’s tenure at his alma mater.
And on Isaiah Golden, his all-American defensive tackle who missed the entirety of preseason camp while serving prison time as the result of his involvement in a 2014 armed robbery?
“(Other teams) are not looking at it as a kid that’s had to pay the price and has had to serve some jail time and now he’s out,” Guidry said.
“They’re not happy. But if he was on their team, they’d be happy.”
Guidry’s promotion to head coach was neither unforeseen nor daunting for the two-time former Cowboys defensive coordinator who has loudly proclaimed he loves no university in this state other than McNeese and nothing successful comes without hard work.
Now, eight months after that introduction when he urged all in attendance to “Cowboy Up,” Guidry’s first team has undeniably mirrored this unconventional, tirelessly working attitude.
August practices end with Guidry gathering the team for a talk before another quirky ritual in which two players are chosen by their peers. One is selected to lead the team in prayer.
The other must dance for the team, a reward of sorts for practicing well.
Preceding these dances? Sometimes unending wind sprints from sideline to sideline that end two hours of grueling, uncensored preparation that’s answered some of the team’s many looming questions.
Transfer quarterback James Tabary will crouch behind the Cowboys’ most questionable unit — an offensive line that lost three starters to graduation and is attempting to tinker with the right combinations.
Allaying the concern is a group of seasoned, deep running backs headlined by the team’s leading rusher, Ryan Ross, to go along with receivers Kent Shelby, a preseason all-SLC selection and transfer Darious Crawley.
“The only thing that worries me is on third down when it has to be a pass and you have to convert third-and-longs, are we physically capable of being able to block the big ends in our conference that come with power?” Guidry said. “I’m going to have to use the running backs to chip on these defensive ends a little bit to slow down their rush and power rush. There’s just some things we’re going to have to do schematically to help them out.”
Golden’s return buoys an already stout defensive line that could again be among the nation’s top run stoppers. Behind them is the other looming uncertainty — a secondary that’s been preparing since spring to be without one of its leaders.
Dominique Hill, along with receiver Tavarious Battiste, is suspended indefinitely for rules violations that date to last season. Hill led the team in tackles for loss and was a leading voice in the secondary.
Eight months ago, before any of these punishments were known, Guidry stopped mid-sentence with that baseball cap still covering his bald head.
“Defense with attitude,” he said, referencing the trademark unit he’d led for the past two seasons.
Now? He’s got a team with an attitude.
“Once you step on that field,” defensive back Andre Fuller said, “you better have it.”
from American Press: Your Best News And Advertising Source - Home http://ift.tt/2c0eb3v
0 التعليقات:
Post a Comment