Offense Makes a Difference in First Scrimmage
With approximately 200 fans in attendance at Hornet Stadium, Alabama State held its first preseason scrimmage on Saturday, looking to get a gauge on how the team has progressed towards its Aug. 30 opener against Florida A&M.
The offense entered with more questions than the defense, but after the first scrimmage, head coach Reggie Barlow had to be pleased with the improvement on that side of the ball. The new spread offense moved the ball efficiently, the quarterbacks looked solid and the kicking game was soothing to watch.
“We looked positive and upbeat as we made plays, whether it was offense or defense, it all was copasetic,” Barlow said. “Both sides of the ball were very competitive, but we still have a lot to work on.”
Quarterbacks Reid Herchenbach and Anthony Speight, along with Devin Dominquez and Brandon Dowdell, were all able to make consistent plays to give the offense a little fire. Senior Cedric Harris caught a touchdown pass from Herchenbach and Speight threw a scoring pass to freshman Nicholas Andrews.
Speight, who is still adjusting to the new offense, said he “feels that the offense still has some timing issues, but they are coming along a little at a time”.
The defense still looked strong at times, but it was evident that it was not as dominant as it was last season against this new offense.
“Defensively we wanted to take a look at the younger guys and fill them in spots that we need, such as a right corner and middle linebacker,” Barlow said. “But, in all, I think we looked pretty good.”
The team is on tap to have three two-a-day practices – Monday, Wednesday and Saturday – and practice once on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Practice will be at 7 p.m. tonight at Hornet Stadium.
