On March 31, the Morehead State Football Eagles will open 15 days of spring practice that will conclude with a spring game on April 25. Also, the 11-game 2009 schedule has also been announced.
Coach Matt Ballard’s Eagles finished the 2008 season with a 6-6 overall record and a 4-4 Pioneer Football League mark. MSU ended the season with wins at Dayton and at home against Campbell.
The 2009 schedule includes eight PFL games and non-conference contests against Southern Virginia, Saint Francis (Pa.) and North Carolina Central. The complete schedule, with times to be announced later, follows: Sept. 5 – Southern Virginia, Sept. 12 – at Saint Francis (Pa.), Sept. 19 – at North Carolina Central, Sept. 26 – Butler*, Oct. 3 – Dayton*, Oct. 10 – at Davidson*, Oct. 17 – at Jacksonville*, Oct. 24 – Marist*, Oct. 31 – at Campbell*, Nov. 14 – San Diego*, Nov. 21 – at Valparaiso*
“There are several concerns and goals that apply to spring practice every year,” Ballard said. “We have to make sure we have all our personnel moves in place. We always want to avoid key injuries that require surgery or long rehabs.
“We got to adjust and tweak our schemes based on our personnel. And, we want to end spring practice with everybody in place and knowing what we can hang our hat on offensively and defensively.”
Offensive coordinator Gary Dunn mentioned the offensive line, wide receiver spots and fullback as key areas to be addressed during the spring.
“We lost two key members of the line in Nick Schoenfeld and Chris Setters,” Dunn said. “We have a couple of probable starters who will miss spring practice due to injury. So, we will be able to evaluate several guys who have been in our program for a couple of years who should be ready to step up and earn starting or key reserve roles.
“We have to replace Nick Feldman at wide receiver, but we have a lot of good, young talent. We’ve got to identify who our fullbacks are going to be. Evan Sawyer is our leading candidate at quarterback, but Jared Phillips is also experienced.”
Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator John Gilliam returns several key members of the 2008 Eagle defensive unit that ranked sixth nationally in rushing defense and eighth nationally in total defense.
“We’re excited about our guys up front,” Gilliam said. “Wes McDermott anchors our linebackers and Derik Steiner our defensive line. I told them that I was excited and that they could be among the national leaders in rushing defense again.
“We’ve got to answer some questions in the secondary, especially at cornerback. We lost a great player in David Hyland, but we do have some talented players returning. We have to identify a starter at cornerback and establish some depth.”
While weather adjustments may be necessary, the Eagles are scheduled to practice on Tuesdays (March 31 and April 7, 14 and 21), Thursdays (April 2, 9, 16 and 23), Fridays (April 3, 10 and 17) and Saturdays (April 4, 11, 18 and 25) during the spring practice period. Weekday practices are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT. Saturday practice times vary, and the spring game is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT on April 25.
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MSU file photo
Football Eagles open spring practice on March 31, announce 2009 Fall Schedule
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