Blacknbengal
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Hornets offense struggles
By Josh Moon
Montgomery Advertiser
Tuskegee defensive coordinator Gregory Green drove over to Savannah, Ga., to do a little scouting at the Alabama State-Savannah State game Saturday.
With the annual Turkey Day Classic matchup between Green's Golden Tigers and ASU less than a week away, he wanted to see what the ASU offense looked like with its two new quarterbacks.
He came to the same conclusion as ASU offensive coordinator Johnnie Cole.
"It doesn't look too good," Green said, after watching the Hornets gain just 77 total yards in the first half. "They're trying some different stuff and it was worth driving over here to see it. But it's not too good. They may be in a little trouble."
Those comments were a bit less harsh than Cole's. "It was bad, very bad," Cole said after the game. No one in the stands at T.A. Wright stadium could have come to a different conclusion.
ASU quarterbacks Clayton Harris and Travis Logan -- pressed into action when injuries and quitting cost the Hornets their regular quarterbacks -- were a combined 8-of-16 for 48 yards. The Hornets finished the game with just 152 total yards and only 10 first downs.
Had it not been for the defense and special teams, ASU might have lost the game. The defense scored on an interception return. The special teams scored when SSU had snap go over the punter's head and the Hornets eventually recovered the fumble in the end zone.
The defense also recovered a fumble at the SSU 11-yard line to set up a touchdown. The special teams set up the other score with a 59-yard return of the second-half kickoff.
The 32-yard drive for a touchdown following the kickoff return was ASU's longest drive of the day. The Hornets had five drives result in negative yardage. They turned the ball over on downs five times, punted six times and fumbled once.
"We just couldn't get the right mix in on offense," ASU head coach L.C. Cole said. "We kept shuffling guys in and out trying to find the right combination. We just never found it."
The game did accomplish one purpose for the Hornets. It gave them an opportunity, against a lesser opponent, to get the inexperienced quarterbacks some game experience.
"We were able to see both of (the quarterbacks) in some different situations and see how they handled themselves," said L.C. Cole. "They did some good and did some bad, but they didn't turn the ball over but the one time. We have a better idea now of what we need to work on."
Whatever the Hornet coaches need to work on, they'll have to work quickly, with the Turkey Day Classic only two days away.
"We're going to throw a few more things at them in the next couple of days," L.C. Cole said. "It's not going to be anything major. We're still going to be pretty simple on offense. There's just not enough time to do much."
Tuskegee comes into the game with a 9-1 record and has one of the better defenses ASU will face.
"We're just going to have to do what we can," said L.C. Cole. "They're going to know our offense and what we're going to do. We'll just have to see if we can execute."
The one thing that may cause the Tuskegee coaching staff a few problems is how to handle the ASU rushing attack.
Going into Savannah, the Hornets had Jatavious Abrams as their only real threat at running back. But at the start of the third quarter, ASU sent Robert Randolph into the game at running back.
It was an unexpected move, since Randolph wasn't even listed on the ASU roster. But it was a move that paid off.
Randolph's 55 yards on 11 carries made him the game's leading rusher and provided the Hornets with an offensive spark. But more importantly, ASU might have found the big back it was looking for in the 5-foot-10, 235 pound Randolph.
"He's a powerful runner and that's what we've been trying to find," offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic said. "It was supposed to be (Brendan) Boatwright but that hasn't worked out."
By Josh Moon
Montgomery Advertiser
Tuskegee defensive coordinator Gregory Green drove over to Savannah, Ga., to do a little scouting at the Alabama State-Savannah State game Saturday.
With the annual Turkey Day Classic matchup between Green's Golden Tigers and ASU less than a week away, he wanted to see what the ASU offense looked like with its two new quarterbacks.
He came to the same conclusion as ASU offensive coordinator Johnnie Cole.
"It doesn't look too good," Green said, after watching the Hornets gain just 77 total yards in the first half. "They're trying some different stuff and it was worth driving over here to see it. But it's not too good. They may be in a little trouble."
Those comments were a bit less harsh than Cole's. "It was bad, very bad," Cole said after the game. No one in the stands at T.A. Wright stadium could have come to a different conclusion.
ASU quarterbacks Clayton Harris and Travis Logan -- pressed into action when injuries and quitting cost the Hornets their regular quarterbacks -- were a combined 8-of-16 for 48 yards. The Hornets finished the game with just 152 total yards and only 10 first downs.
Had it not been for the defense and special teams, ASU might have lost the game. The defense scored on an interception return. The special teams scored when SSU had snap go over the punter's head and the Hornets eventually recovered the fumble in the end zone.
The defense also recovered a fumble at the SSU 11-yard line to set up a touchdown. The special teams set up the other score with a 59-yard return of the second-half kickoff.
The 32-yard drive for a touchdown following the kickoff return was ASU's longest drive of the day. The Hornets had five drives result in negative yardage. They turned the ball over on downs five times, punted six times and fumbled once.
"We just couldn't get the right mix in on offense," ASU head coach L.C. Cole said. "We kept shuffling guys in and out trying to find the right combination. We just never found it."
The game did accomplish one purpose for the Hornets. It gave them an opportunity, against a lesser opponent, to get the inexperienced quarterbacks some game experience.
"We were able to see both of (the quarterbacks) in some different situations and see how they handled themselves," said L.C. Cole. "They did some good and did some bad, but they didn't turn the ball over but the one time. We have a better idea now of what we need to work on."
Whatever the Hornet coaches need to work on, they'll have to work quickly, with the Turkey Day Classic only two days away.
"We're going to throw a few more things at them in the next couple of days," L.C. Cole said. "It's not going to be anything major. We're still going to be pretty simple on offense. There's just not enough time to do much."
Tuskegee comes into the game with a 9-1 record and has one of the better defenses ASU will face.
"We're just going to have to do what we can," said L.C. Cole. "They're going to know our offense and what we're going to do. We'll just have to see if we can execute."
The one thing that may cause the Tuskegee coaching staff a few problems is how to handle the ASU rushing attack.
Going into Savannah, the Hornets had Jatavious Abrams as their only real threat at running back. But at the start of the third quarter, ASU sent Robert Randolph into the game at running back.
It was an unexpected move, since Randolph wasn't even listed on the ASU roster. But it was a move that paid off.
Randolph's 55 yards on 11 carries made him the game's leading rusher and provided the Hornets with an offensive spark. But more importantly, ASU might have found the big back it was looking for in the 5-foot-10, 235 pound Randolph.
"He's a powerful runner and that's what we've been trying to find," offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic said. "It was supposed to be (Brendan) Boatwright but that hasn't worked out."
