After just over a month of spring practices, the ULM football team and new coaching staff get to show off the progress they have made in the annual Maroon and Gold Spring Game.
The game will have 4 quarters each lasting eight minutes, and expect a mix of running clock and real-game clock usage.
If you haven't been to a practice yet this year, expect to see a big difference between last year's team and this year's. Coach Mike Collins really has the defense flying around. With many seniors leaving on the defensive side of the ball, younger players can pick up the new system as fast as some of the seniors and compete for playing time. Watch for aggressive blitzes in any situation, but especially on 3rd down. Coach Collins has shown in prior practices and scrimmages he is willing to bring pressure up the middle and from the edge.
The offense, which is being run by Coach Matt Kubik, still has a spread look, but the similarities to the prior staff's offensive philosophy ends there. The tight end position is used much more in Coach Kubik's system, both lined up by the offensive tackles and motioning in the backfield. The run game also has a much higher focus, especially with runs up the middle. While there still are some screens, Coach Kubik is more willing to let the quarterbacks take chances with passes in the middle of the field and taking deep shots.
There are several players, both older and younger that I think are worth looking out for.
QB # 13 Garrett Smith: Smith began last year hot before injuries to the wide receiving corps and himself slowed his progress and eventually ended his season. Smith is very much the vocal leader of the offense and has developed a little more accuracy during the off-season. He seems to be fully recovered from his injury. 2nd string QB Will Collins will give Smith a nice push so Smith does not get complacent.
Running Backs...all of them: After the last two seasons of having a run game that can only be described as horrific, Coach Kubik and new RB Coach Alan Ricard have the RBs running downhill more. Tyler Cain finally seems to be healthy and beginning to trust his knee again, while Ben Luckett is still the more powerful of the backs. Kaylon Watson and walk-on Austin "Bus" Vaughn will also look to impress Saturday to earn some playing time this year.
WR #2 RJ Turner: Turner was expecting to have a break-out year last year before an injury before the season knocked him out for the entire year. He is one of the biggest receivers on the team, and with WR Coach Tim Leger working on his route running and technique, he could make some big plays Saturday.
TE #97 Reagan Heddins: With Alec Osborne recovering from injury and the increased focus on the Tight End position, Heddins has shown promise throughout the spring. He can block and catch the ball well out of the backfield.
DT #92 Howard Houston: The transfer from Foothill College holds high standards for himself and came to ULM expecting to replace the enormous shoes (pun intended) of Gerrand Johnson. Houston definitely has the size and acceleration required to be a Defensive Tackle in the new 4-2-5 defense. The only question is will he fit into the scheme of Coach Collins. I believe he will; watch for him to get multiple tackles behind the line of scrimmage Saturday.
LB #7 Cortez Sisco: After losing Mitch Lane, Hunter Kissinger, and Cody Robinson from last year's team, there was a void to be filled in the Linebacker position. While David Griffith, Chase Day, and Braxton Moore have all looked good this spring, Sisco has been highly impressive as a Redshirt Freshman. He was recruited as a Safety, so he has the speed to be versatile and can rush the passer and drop back into coverage. He can and probably will make several huge plays in the game on Saturday.
The game will begin at 3 P.M. at Malone Stadium. You can find the roster below.
*Notes about the roster: Number 6 for the Gold Roster Brian Williams will be playing receiver. Number 7 for the Gold Roster Cortez Sisco will be playing LB. Both number 47 Cody McGuire and 53 Caleb Tucker for the Maroon team will be playing at defensive end. The specialists will be playing for both teams.
The game will have 4 quarters each lasting eight minutes, and expect a mix of running clock and real-game clock usage.
If you haven't been to a practice yet this year, expect to see a big difference between last year's team and this year's. Coach Mike Collins really has the defense flying around. With many seniors leaving on the defensive side of the ball, younger players can pick up the new system as fast as some of the seniors and compete for playing time. Watch for aggressive blitzes in any situation, but especially on 3rd down. Coach Collins has shown in prior practices and scrimmages he is willing to bring pressure up the middle and from the edge.
The offense, which is being run by Coach Matt Kubik, still has a spread look, but the similarities to the prior staff's offensive philosophy ends there. The tight end position is used much more in Coach Kubik's system, both lined up by the offensive tackles and motioning in the backfield. The run game also has a much higher focus, especially with runs up the middle. While there still are some screens, Coach Kubik is more willing to let the quarterbacks take chances with passes in the middle of the field and taking deep shots.
There are several players, both older and younger that I think are worth looking out for.
QB # 13 Garrett Smith: Smith began last year hot before injuries to the wide receiving corps and himself slowed his progress and eventually ended his season. Smith is very much the vocal leader of the offense and has developed a little more accuracy during the off-season. He seems to be fully recovered from his injury. 2nd string QB Will Collins will give Smith a nice push so Smith does not get complacent.
Running Backs...all of them: After the last two seasons of having a run game that can only be described as horrific, Coach Kubik and new RB Coach Alan Ricard have the RBs running downhill more. Tyler Cain finally seems to be healthy and beginning to trust his knee again, while Ben Luckett is still the more powerful of the backs. Kaylon Watson and walk-on Austin "Bus" Vaughn will also look to impress Saturday to earn some playing time this year.
WR #2 RJ Turner: Turner was expecting to have a break-out year last year before an injury before the season knocked him out for the entire year. He is one of the biggest receivers on the team, and with WR Coach Tim Leger working on his route running and technique, he could make some big plays Saturday.
TE #97 Reagan Heddins: With Alec Osborne recovering from injury and the increased focus on the Tight End position, Heddins has shown promise throughout the spring. He can block and catch the ball well out of the backfield.
DT #92 Howard Houston: The transfer from Foothill College holds high standards for himself and came to ULM expecting to replace the enormous shoes (pun intended) of Gerrand Johnson. Houston definitely has the size and acceleration required to be a Defensive Tackle in the new 4-2-5 defense. The only question is will he fit into the scheme of Coach Collins. I believe he will; watch for him to get multiple tackles behind the line of scrimmage Saturday.
LB #7 Cortez Sisco: After losing Mitch Lane, Hunter Kissinger, and Cody Robinson from last year's team, there was a void to be filled in the Linebacker position. While David Griffith, Chase Day, and Braxton Moore have all looked good this spring, Sisco has been highly impressive as a Redshirt Freshman. He was recruited as a Safety, so he has the speed to be versatile and can rush the passer and drop back into coverage. He can and probably will make several huge plays in the game on Saturday.
The game will begin at 3 P.M. at Malone Stadium. You can find the roster below.
*Notes about the roster: Number 6 for the Gold Roster Brian Williams will be playing receiver. Number 7 for the Gold Roster Cortez Sisco will be playing LB. Both number 47 Cody McGuire and 53 Caleb Tucker for the Maroon team will be playing at defensive end. The specialists will be playing for both teams.
