After Saturday's huge 33-3 win over OVC rival Eastern Kentucky, the Skyhawks moved to 4-1 in the conference, tying first place Jacksonville State for most conference wins with 4, putting the Skyhawks in prime position to win the OVC for the first time since 2006. They finish the regular season with three more conference games, with a potential OVC Championship game looming November 19 at Jacksonville State. Today, I watched in as the coaches went over the Eastern Kentucky film and corrected the errors they saw. Afterwards, they held a team meeting and talked about their place in the standings, and how they're in a good spot to win the conference for the first time in a decade. A quick practice was held after the meetings, and at the conclusion, I was done for the day.
For today's visit, I spent time with the coaches going over their gameplan for Eastern Kentucky as well as going over the previous day's practice. As the hours long meeting concluded, I went out with the equipment staff to help set up the day's practice, which had a lot to do with the basic fundamentals of the game, which were constantly reiterated through the week after last Saturday's debacle against Georgia State. I observed practice, and when it was over, I concluded my visit for the day.
During today's hours, I took a break from the observing with the coaches to go down to the equipment room with the equipment managers. I spent several hours today cleaning out the equipment room and reorganizing it help de-clutter the place for the equipment to be placed back from the prior road game to Atlanta. With only two home games left, including Saturday's game against OVC rival Eastern Kentucky, the equipment staff wanted to get their space organized for when the offseason gets here. I learned that the equipment managers are an extremely important part of the team, and they do a lot for the team, most of which goes unnoticed by the casual fan in the stands. Without their hard work and dedication, the games wouldn't be able to be played.
Today's hours were spent listening in to the coaches remarks of the game film from the game played Saturday against Georgia State University in Atlanta. The team did not play well, and the score showed in the 31-6 loss. Afterwards, pictures of some of the standout players and seniors were selected to be printed off and framed to hang in the halls of the football building. I went and picked up the pictures from the University Center, and I went to Wal-Mart to buy the frames for the pictures. I framed the pictures and placed them along the hall's walls. This was done to show appreciation for the players standout play on the field and in the classroom as well.
Today was the day the Skyhawks headed to Atlanta to take on Georgia State University tomorrow in the Georgia Dome. After a film review, I watched the Skyhawks go through a practice that was a bit longer than their normal practices before gameday. After the practice was complete, we headed to position meetings where I sat in on the special teams meeting. They talked about the possibilities of possibly running an onside kick to start the game if they won the toss and even the potential to fake a punt or field goal if the situation was right and they needed a momentum shift. Afterwards, the team went to the University Center where they had a meal before they hit the road to Atlanta.
Today was a fun day. I spent time with the coaches looking over the film as usual, but today I got to do something other than recruiting. Today, I filmed practice, and I enjoyed it a lot. I never understood how difficult it is to film games/practices until today. I had a schedule of the practice, and for every period, I had to make sure that I was filming the correct drill in practice. I learned that there are minor details that are very important in filming, such as making sure all 22 players were in the shot. I had to keep a view of five yards behind the offensive side of the ball and 10 yards behind the deepest defensive back. On pass plays, I had to try to keep everyone in the frame, but it was more important to follow the ball in order to see the techniques the receivers and defenders were using on any given play.
Today, I continued my trek around the Eastern part of Tennessee around Chattanooga and Knoxville in looking up seniors with potential offers from rival schools or bigger schools than UTM. Completing this task is time-consuming, and some could call it tedious, but it is always worth it, especially if you are able to find that "diamond in the rough" that you or other schools perhaps have overlooked. It is also a good way to look at potential walk-ons for the team as well, who in turn could eventually receive a scholarship.
Today was much like my last visit to UTM. I spent many hours in the recruiting room doing research on the players from my last visit along with more potential prospects. I took a break to go and listen in on some meetings and watch a little film before I was done for the day. I've been around college football for a while now, and it still amazes me how important the little things are that can give away a play that's coming, such as an offensive lineman's splits or how they are in their stance. It goes to show that attention to detail, even in football, is a great way to be ahead of the game because it is extremely important in multiple facets of life.
Today I returned to the recruiting room, and I started an hours long process that will last many visits. After the homecoming game last week, I began going through the high school teams in which the Skyhawks have potential recruits to see if each school had any other senior players with offers from other schools. I used the Maxpreps website to find the teams rosters, and I made note of their position, height and weight, and if they had any offers from other schools. It’s almost like going through with a fine tooth comb to ensure that potential players aren’t overlooked.
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November 2016
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