“This practice was one with lots of highs and lows,” said Phoenix coach Pete Lembo. “At times, we stepped up and made big plays on both offense and defense. At other times, we were very inconsistent and sloppy.”
The Elon special team units worked on punt protection scheme and technique as well as punt return technique. Meanwhile, the Phoenix defense began to mix in its pressure package.
“Every year when that happens, it takes the offense a couple of days to adjust,” said Lembo. “All three quarterbacks (junior Wes Pope, sophomore Shayne Milligan and freshman Donny Kirby) have been turning in solid performances, but need to work on their consistency just like everyone else on this team.”
The defensive line – anchored by junior Cody Scoggins, junior Mark Ewing and sophomore Tim Happer – put forth another strong effort.
“The defensive line is improving on a daily basis,” said Lembo. “These guys are working very hard. The first unit has good speed.”
Scoggins crashed the offensive line for a pair of sacks in the one-on-one pass-rush situations. He then registered yet another sack during the 11-on-11 scrimmage period.
“(Junior wide receiver) Michael Mayers had an outstanding day,” said Lembo. “He’s a little banged-up right now, but he’s battling through adversity and making a lot of plays in pressure situations.”
The Phoenix will return to the practice fields at 2 p.m. Friday. All practice sessions are open to the public. Please contact the Elon Sports Information Office at (336) 278-6711 to check on possible schedule changes.
– ELON –