Rams turning to freshmen early
KINGSTON — There were plenty returning faces and some intriguing new talent wearing the blue and white practice jerseys on a humid Tuesday morning at Meade Stadium, as the Rhode Island football team held its first scrimmage.
With the first true game action, coach Jim Fleming wanted to get a good early evaluation of his personnel, from returnees to recent recruits. hile the Rams have had notable recent struggles, including a 1-10 record last season, their 2016 recruiting class was ranked second best in the Colonial Athletic Association by 247Sports.com – which gives URI some opti- mism going forward
“We’ve got to count on some of those freshmen,” Fleming said. “Which is a little bit unsettling, particularly on the offensive line. What we’ve been able to do is get guys that are reasonably physically ready; they’re 300, 310 [pounds]. They are not developmental projects.
“They’ve got the strength to play, but they are 18-yearolds going up against 22-yearolds. There is a difference in that. We’re excited about that class but any time you’re counting on true freshman it keeps you up at night.”
One of the new faces who showed some skill was Aaron Parker, a 6-foot-3 191 converted receiver out of Maryland.
“You’re able to get talented kids in here,” Fleming continued about some of the true freshmen out there. “Aaron Parker is a good example. We signed him as a linebacker and saw him catching the football and made him a receiver. He can be a legitimate weapon
“His talents and his body, at this point, scream receiver. He was able to go up and get the ball, his challenges will be like any other true freshman coming in here; he’s going to have to get under the bright lights and make those plays against pretty good talent.”
Parker looks to add explosiveness to the receiving corps and take the load off of junior running back Harold Cooper, who had a breakout season in 2015, averaging 74.6 yards a game in 10 contests.
Cooper looked in mid-season form, rushing eight times for 73 yards with one 29-yard reception along the sideline. While Cooper looks to have another good year, the plan is to spread some offense out around him.
“He is obviously a weapon,” Fleming said of Cooper. “There are certain plays that are designed with him and mind. When he gets going and finds that second level, he’s got enough wiggle to find his way through. The problem we’re having is on some of the inside zones or outside zones are getting that edge or finding some kind of crease
“Our management issue is getting him enough, so he stays healthy the whole season.”
“I’m excited about Deshawn Collins,” Fleming continued about depth. “I think he can be a really good back and we got banged up at the running back position.”
The man playing in front of Cooper and taking snaps from behind that line is another position to watch. Sophomore Wesley McKoy, who started the majority of games at quarterback last season, saw action first.
McKoy went 9-for-15 for 99 yards and one touchdown. McKoy also added a rushing touchdown, scrambling in for a 27-yard effort. With some large ground gains, four sacks and some losses, he ended the game with 13 carries for a net of 17 yards.
“I think as a group we did great,” McKoy said. “We moved the ball up and down the field on the defense.”
Sophomore Jordan Vazzano, who was redshirted in 2015, went 10-for-21, completing five of 10 passes in the first half for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked once and had the longest completion of the day, a 44-yard toss to Parker.
“As an offense there was a noticeable improvement from the spring game,” Vazzano said. “We were a lot sharper listening to play calling and execution. I think we could do a better job in short yardage situations.”
“I felt comfortable [with the receivers],” Vazzano said. “We get enough reps in the camps and practices.”
Senior Paul Mroz went 10-for-14 with a touchdown and had a 30-yard pass to sophomore Marven Beauvais.
Parker looked good running routes and getting up for passes, earning a game-high 112 receiving yards on three catches. Sophomore tight end Grant Lewis caught two red zone passes for two touchdowns, and junior Harold Buckner III, a transfer from ASA College in New York, led the team with six catches for 79 yards, he also had a touchdown.
“They’re facing quite a bit,” Fleming said of the defensive schemes the quarterbacks are dealing with. “We’ve got ten days, one week of camp. We’ve got different flavors of even fronts, some odd fronts, a number of different blitz patterns and six or seven different coverages. There’s enough in there that the quarterbacks have to identify, and we’ll continue to grow that package.”