Cowboys counting their reps
Nearing first scrimmage
{{tncms-inline account="TylerAmPress" html="<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/McNeese?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#McNeese</a> football practice this morning has been delayed due to lightning.</p>— Tyler Nunez (@TylerAmPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/TylerAmPress/status/1027558383434575873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2018</a></blockquote>" id="1027558383434575873" type="twitter"}}
<p class="p1">The McNeese State football team saw its practice start late and end early due to two separate lightning delays, but that didn’t keep the Cowboys from getting some live reps in Friday in Cowboy Stadium.
<p class="p3">The first-team defense showed signs of frustration for the first time in fall camp as the first-team offense found success all morning.
<p class="p3">Senior defensive back Colby Burton could be seen on the sidelines trying to rally teammates in DWA (Defense With Attitude) jerseys late in practice, reminding them that they have teammates on the sideline who wanted their spot.
<p class="p3">The Cowboys have one more practice before their scrimmage that was moved up to 9 a.m. Saturday. It was originally scheduled for 6 p.m.
<p class="p3">Head coach Lance Guidry said fans at Saturday’s scrimmage can expect to see between 70 and 80 live snaps between different groups on both sides of the ball.
<p class="p3">“That would put us at about 120 snaps (in fall camp),” Guidry said. “If you get some live reps throughout the week, you don’t have to scrimmage as long.”
<p class="p3">Guidry said the Cowboys will go light this morning in preparation of the scrimmage.
<p class="p3">Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Landon Hoeffer said he has been pleased with the progress of his portion of the team.
<p class="p3">The restocked offensive line has shown a lot of improvement since the start of practice as coach Ben Norton works with them attentively every day to get them game ready.
<p class="p3">He added that the seven offensive linemen who were able to participate in spring drills have definitely earned their spots among the top of the depth chart.
<p class="p3">“Those guys that were here, I told them they built a great callous,” Hoeffer said. “This should be easy to them now after all the stuff they went through in the spring.”
<p class="p3">Those names include veterans like Grant Burguillos, Tyrae Johnson and junior college transfer Zack Jones.
<p class="p3">Hoeffer emphasized the versatility he has at his own specialized unit of wide receivers. From route-running possession guys like Parker Orgeron and Trevor Begue to explosive players who can make big plays, like Cyron Sutton and Kylon Highshaw. Hoeffer said he thinks the Cowboys will be dangerous when quarterback James Tabary steps back to pass.
<p class="p3">“I want them to be nasty like a snake farm,” Hoeffer said. “They’re starting to do that. We’re not as nasty as we need to be, but we’re starting to get there. I’m really proud of the way they’ve come along to this point.”
<p class="p3">After today’s practice and Saturday’s scrimmage, the Cowboys will get their first day off from practice on Sunday as they participate in the annual photo and media day Sunday evening. After that, they will get back to practice for their last week of fall camp before classes begin on Aug. 20.