ELON, N.C. – Under the leadership of first-year head coach Rich Skrosky, the Elon University football team has just eight remaining practices this spring leading up to the highly anticipated Spring Game on April 26 at Rhodes Stadium. But on Saturday, April 12, the Phoenix has its first of three scrimmages beginning at 10:30 a.m. We caught up with @CoachSkrosky after practice today to discuss the team's progress and tomorrow's first scrimmage.
 
How has the team progressed from day one until now?
"We're close to being about halfway through and the guys are beginning to get more comfortable. At the very beginning it was literally 'where do we go for practice and how fast does practice move' but now we're really getting into a comfort zone and have started executing day in and day out. Today the defense got the better hand and that was good to see because a few days ago the offense got the better hand and put together a few long drives. There's been good balance on both sides."
 
Skrosky on implementing the offense and defense this spring:
"One of the things we talked about at the very beginning of the spring was that we wanted the guys to feel good about the base foundation on both sides of the ball at the end of spring, and we're about where I thought we'd be. We want them to feel comfortable with the base stuff then as they get comfortable with that we'll be able to add a few wrinkles. We're not installing a whole bunch because we're focused on fundamentals and a lot of individual work."
 
How have injuries impacted practice thus far this spring?
"Our numbers are good right now. As the spring goes on you get a couple guys banged up here and there, but I feel like from a numbers perspective we're in a good spot. We had a couple of linemen miss today's practice, but overall it's been good."
 
Is there a particular position that has stood out in practice?
"On the defensive side of the ball, our linebacker core has really been a strength. They're a veteran group that's played a lot of football. Depth is always a concern, but I think that's the case across the FCS level. I really like what I've seen out of our safeties, but both lines on each side of the ball have been inconsistent and I expect that to change as we move forward. There's some great competition at the wide out position and there's some real talent there that I'm excited to see."
 
What are you looking to see in Saturday's scrimmage?
"Tomorrow we're going to come out and go full scrimmage, about 80 plays live. It will be interesting to see how guys respond. We'll have three scrimmages throughout the course of spring and hopefully we'll be able to make some personnel decisions when it's all said and done."
 
"The biggest thing for the players is when the coaches step back and they're not standing behind them and they have to get the signals and play fast, how do they react? There's going to be a great crowd out here and we'll have officials on the field, and I think when you play in that mode some guys rise up and some guys, you know, their head droops a little bit. So that's what I'm really looking to see tomorrow. Guys will get somewhere between 30-40 reps, so I don't think we'll have a problem from an endurance standpoint."
 
All practice sessions are open to the public and the full schedule is listed below. Practice dates, times and locations are subject to change due to weather conditions.
 
Fans interested in attending practice sessions should contact Jonathan Small, director of football operations, at 336-278-6718.
 
2014 Elon Phoenix Spring Football Practice Schedule
Saturday, April 12 – 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, April 13 – 12 p.m.
Monday, April 14 – 5 p.m.
Wednesday, April 16 – 5 p.m.
Friday, April 18 – 5 p.m.
Wednesday, April 23 – 5 p.m.
Friday, April 25 – 5 p.m.
Saturday, April 26 – 6 p.m. Spring Game (Rhodes Stadium)