Photo: Vincent Lands, Senior, Baton Rouge, LA Glen Oaks HS, 6-1/235 LB
By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter
What was obvious from the eye test after Wednesday’s brief scrimmage was still obvious after watching film.
Junior defensive end Vince Lands is bringing it.
“Lands is having an excellent camp,” Southern coach Pete Richardson said. “He’s on top of his game. We’re having a tough time dealing with him (on the offensive line). He’s practicing hard and he’s coming along.”
Lands had 62 tackles, including team highs of 18 stops for losses and six sacks last season. Then, he did a team-best 30 consecutive bench-presses of 275 pounds near the end of last month.
His combination of size, quickness, smarts and intensity makes him hard to block.
“We’re beginning to mesh on defense,” Richardson said. “You can see the experience start to come through. Now it’s a matter of getting the little things, staying fresh and getting ready to go.”
Showcased by Lands, but also evident in the linebackers and defensive backs, the defense has been showcasing its speed lately. The unit looks to be a more aggressive version this season.
“Defensively, we have a little more footspeed on the field,” Richardson said.
Meanwhile, SU only played its top two quarterbacks — No. 1 Bryant Lee and No. 2 Warren Matthews in the workout — with 26 plays in the middle of the field and eight in goal-line work. But Richardson wants to see better results from the two sophomores.
“We’re making progress, but we have to have better decision-making and the handling, with the quarterbacks,” Richardson said.
Landry could be out awhile
Senior wide receiver Gerard Landry could be out awhile because of an oral infection.
Landry has missed the past three days and had a root canal Wednesday.
“They’re going to have to go back in and do oral surgery, so he’ll be out probably a week and a half,” Richardson said.
On that timetable, then, if Landry misses all of next week, he’d be back around game week, starting Sunday, Aug. 26, for the season opener Sept. 1.
In addition, senior wide receiver A.J. Turner came down with a possible quadriceps pull Wednesday. Richardson said, “I don’t know exactly how long it will take him.”
Another senior, former Louisiana-Monroe RaShon Jacobs, has been sidelined much of preseason camp with an ankle injury, though not the same ankle that had suffered a fracture earlier this year. Jacobs did not play last season but he is expected to make a significant impact this year.
Also still out is sophomore tackle Allen Buckner (heat). He could remain out for some time as well.
George honored
SU senior free safety Jarmaul George made the Sports Network’s preseason Football Championship Subdivision All-American second team.
George, the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s preseason defensive player of the year, had 51 tackles and team highs of five interceptions and five pass breakups as an All-SWAC first-teamer last season — his first with Southern since 2003, when he was the SWAC Freshman of the Year.
The work
After day after day of searing heat, Southern practiced in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts under a nice blanket of clouds. Classes started Thursday, but that had no effect on the practice, which followed a normal script.
“It’s been hot, but we’ve tolerated it real well,” Richardson said.
Cool down
In an effort to help the team beat the heat, members of the East Baton Rouge Parish chapter of the SU Alumni Federation handed out popsicles to the players after practice Thursday.
Doling out the treats were president Charles Stokes, chairlady Barbara Morgan, Betty Fuller, Emma Mensia, Irma and Henry Allen, Karen Austin, Olga Gaines, Otha Franklin, Rosa Franklin, Mauretta Johnson, Melvin Robinson, Janet St. Cyr-Moore, Kestee Weir III and Edselle Cunningham.
Notes
A Baltimore Ravens scout attended practice Thursday. True freshman G Brian Bridges practiced with the team Thursday but may be pulled from workouts soon. The school has yet to get a ruling from the NCAA Clearinghouse on Bridges’ eligibility. SU’s fan day will be Aug. 25, after a morning scrimmage. True freshman OT Leslie Davis came down with a “slight pull” in his leg Thursday.
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