Bulldogs continue Spring Practice Saturday morning

RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech’s football team practiced for over two hours Saturday morning at Joe Aillet Stadium in the third practice of the spring season. Members of the Regal Blues passed out free pizza and Powerade to fans in attendance, courtesy of head coach Sonny Dykes. The team practiced at Joe Aillet Stadium Saturday morning before inclement weather moved into the Ruston area, working out in helmets and shoulder pads. “I thought today was probably the most spirited, competitive workout we’ve had so far,” said Dykes. “We had shoulder pads on today so there was la little more contact. I really liked the way the guys worked and bounced around. I thought the defense was playing fast, just like they have for three practices, and the offense played a lot better today. I thought the quarterback position was a lot more solid today than it has been. It was a good day; I was really happy with the way we worked and thought the tempo at the end of practice was outstanding.” Fans attending the third spring practice of the season were treated to free pizza and Powerade, purchased by Dykes and the football program and distributed by members of the Regal Blues. “We wanted to try to take care of the people that came out today and watched and supported us so we thought it would be a good idea to get some pizza and Powerade for those guys,” Dykes explained. “I appreciate them coming out and watching us practice and our players love it when people come out to watch. We want to encourage people to come out and watch their team.” With one-fifth of the spring practice season complete, the offense installed the final third of the package and offensive players seemed to adjust better to the tempo and style of play that Dykes and offensive coordinator Tony Franklin are installing. “I thought it [the offense’s performance] was pretty good,” commented Dykes. “We executed it better than we have, certainly better than we did Friday. The biggest adjustment is everyone learning the tempo [of the offense], especially the quarterbacks. There is so much on that position; those guys have to be comfortable in that position with the offense and the tempo.” Tech has only had three quarterbacks available over the last two practices as Randy Hardin has moved to the sideline as a student assistant coach, NLI signee Taylor Burch will join the team in the fall and incumbent starter Ross Jenkins has gone home after his father passed away Thursday evening. “They have been trading blows,” Dykes said. “We haven’t had anyone that has stepped up to this point. We’ve missed Ross for the last two practices but he obviously has a lot of things he has to deal with regarding his family [and his father passing away]. We are just trying to improve and get better.” The team will return to Joe Aillet Stadium for its fourth practice of the spring on Monday, March 22 at 4 p.m. All fans are welcome to watch the Bulldogs practice and can enter the stadium through the West Side gates. For complete coverage of Bulldog Football, please visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com. Quotes Head Coach Sonny Dykes “I thought today was probably the most spirited, competitive workout we’ve had so far. We had shoulder pads on today so there was la little more contact. I really liked the way the guys worked and bounced around. I thought the defense was playing fast, just like they have for three practices, and the offense played a lot better today. I thought the quarterback position was a lot more solid today than it has been. It was a good day; I was really happy with the way we worked and thought the tempo at the end of practice was outstanding.” On bringing pizza and Powerade out for the fans attending practice: “We wanted to try to take care of the people that came out today and watched and supported us so we thought it would be a good idea to get some pizza and Powerade for those guys. I appreciate them coming out and watching us practice and our players love it when people come out to watch. We want to encourage people to come out and watch their team.” On the quarterbacks: “They have been trading blows. We haven’t had anyone that has stepped up to this point. We’ve missed Ross for the last two practices but he obviously has a lot of things he has to deal with regarding his family [and his father passing away]. We are just trying to improve and get better.” On the defense: “I feel like our corners have really improved. That is a position I have been really happy with. They are playing with a lot of confidence, playing aggressively and making plays. I think we are improving as a group. The defensive line, in particular, did some good things today. It was a pretty solid day overall.” “They have been the most encouraging so far. They know their assignments and, as a result, have been able to play very fast.” On the punting game: “We have to get better. That’s an issue we need to get addressed. We are working towards getting that fixed but it is a work in progress. Hopefully we will get that addressed this spring and going into fall camp.” From Wednesday to Friday: “I think the players are just starting to get more comfortable with the way we practice and the speed of the practice. That is something we are continually getting used to, coming out here and understanding how quickly we move. That is something we really made progress on today. We are still learning the whole practice process – and it is a process.” On adjusting to the role as a head coach: “I’m starting to feel a little more comfortable in knowing what I am supposed to be doing out here. The first day I seemed a little bit lost but since then I’ve felt more comfortable. I’m just like the players in that I am learning the style of practice and getting more comfortable with my role. We are all learning together.” On installing the final third of the offense Saturday: “I thought it was pretty good. We executed it better than we have, certainly better than we did Friday. The biggest adjustment is everyone learning the tempo [of the offense], especially the quarterbacks. There is so much on that position; those guys have to be comfortable in that position with the offense and the tempo.” On the linebackers: “I think it’s [the linebackers] a good group, but we’ve had some guys that have been a little banged up. [Adrien] Cole and [Solomon] Randle have been out, so we haven’t exactly had our guys on the field. However, I liked how our other guys have bounced around. They have really stepped up and improved. I am excited about them.” On the practice plan for next week: Same as this week - just get out here and continue to learn how to practice and how to adjust. We are just trying to improve. We have to improve on a lot of little details and the only way we do that is to do it over and over and over again.