Practice No. 15 of the preseason for the Missouri State Bears was unlike any other. The practice regimen itself was very similar to previous workout sessions, but the difference was literally in the air.
“I thought we had a little more pop today,” said head coach Terry Allen of the mid-80-degree practice. “I think the weather had more to do with that than anything else.”
The cooler-than-usual afternoon at Plaster Sports Complex saw the Bears practice about two-and-a-half hours in full pads. The first-team offense again had a great drive in the two-minute offense as Cody Kirby engineered a 40-yard drive to the red zone to set up a 45-yard field goal attempt by Jordan Chiles. Kirby was 4-for-5 on the series for 36 yards.
The second-team offense was led by Trevor Wooden who was 1-for-2 through the air and was sacked twice despite a nice six-yard carry in the two-minute drills.
Wooden’s skills as a passer, receiver and runner only serve notice daily that he brings a lot to the table regardless of what position he fills. But, his speed and power in the offensive backfield should only complement the regular MSU running backs who are turning heads on their own.
“We have a good group of guys,” said new Bears’ running backs coach Gerald Davis. “They all run hard and have no problem sticking their nose in there. These guys are all like brothers, and having experienced players makes my job easier. ”
The experienced players in the running back corps, include Chris Douglas (Jr., Lawrenceville, Ga.), Stephen Johnston (Jr., Mansfield, Texas) and Mikael Cooper-Falls (So., Springfield, Mo.), along with Jonathan Davis (Sr., Tampa, Fla.) who remains suspended under team rules.
Cooper-Falls led the 2009 squad in rushing, despite starting just two games, and accumulated 424 yards on a team-best 92 carries to earn MVFC All-Newcomer Team honors. However, he is expected to miss most of the upcoming season while recovering from a spring ACL injury. Douglas started the final game of the season and put on an impressive performance at Southern Illinois to finish the campaign with four touchdowns and 325 yards.
Davis got the starting call six times in 2009 and finished with 284 yards on 77 carries with three touchdowns. He has yet to practice this season, but time off has not slowed teammate Johnston who missed the entire 2009 campaign with a knee injury. Johnston owns a 5.6 yard-per-carry average in his first two seasons, including a 354-yard effort in just eight games in 2008.
Transfers Drew Temple (So., Kansas City, Mo.) and Vernon Scott (RFr., Muskogee, Okla.) are currently third and fourth, respectively, on the depth chart, and redshirt freshman Joey Mendel (Springfield, Mo.) is trying to get healthy after a history of knee issues. However, coach Davis says he really has no pecking order with so many capable backs ready to perform at any moment.
“I like our depth,” coach Davis said. “Each guy brings something different to the table. Our guys are still battling it out on the depth chart, and each of them gets time with the first string. It is good for them to run behind different offensive linemen so they get to know what each of them does.”
Emulating a Missouri State great like coach Davis is also a good addition for the Bears’ rushers. “Turbo” broke the MSU touchdown standard in 2007 with 19 scores and posted a five-touchdown game against Indiana State as a senior. Having a young RB coach with a proven track record in charge, the Missouri State running game looks to be in good hands for years to come.
A slight schedule change has the Bears practicing just once on Wednesday and twice Thursday. The Wednesday afternoon session at Plaster Field is slated to start around 2:30 p.m. with Thursday practices at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The team also has a 3 p.m. practice Friday before closing out camp on Saturday with a 9:50 a.m. scrimmage which is free and open to the public.
