Coming off suspensions, two UCA running backs knocked off quite a bit of rust last Friday during the Bears’ first scrimmage of the spring in front of a few fans at Estes Stadium.

The backs, Kentrel Rogers and Willie Hopson, have both had some time away from the field, but in their first appearance back at Estes, they drew some oohs and ahs from the crowd as well as from coach Clint Conque.

“The backs made some good plays, some big runs,” Conque said. “I thought they ran hard. Kentrel’s up to 216 pounds right now, but he showed some acceleration.”

Rogers, who was suspended after last season and just returned for the spring, was punishing defenders as he would simply not be tackled, gaining a few extra yards on each carry.

Hopson, returning after sitting out a year for academic reasons, started the scrimmage a little shaky, but eventually excited the crowd just as Rogers did.

Ross Brown also got some carries out of the backfield and had a few impressive runs himself.

He drew respect from safety Cory Cangelosi, who’s sitting out this spring. Cangelosi said Brown was “pound-for-pound” the strongest player on the field.

Conque has suspended the team’s other back, Bernard Scott, who split time in the starting roll with Rogers last season, indefinitely for the time-honored tradition of violating team rules.

The 78-play scrimmage was not without errors, but they were all errors Conque said he feels can be corrected.

“I thought the effort was really good tonight,” he said. “When you go this many plays, you’ll see some good and bad things. But if you have effort and the right attitude, the mistakes can be fixed. I thought all the mistakes we made tonight are correctible.”

One area that may have been better than expected came from the quarterbacks. Conque is faced with breaking in two new signal callers while junior Chris Reil sits out this spring.

Lance Parker, a Vanderbilt transfer, was with the program last season, but saw limited action. Redshirt freshman Nathan Brown is sharing the limelight with Parker this spring.

“The quarterbacks did some awful good things,” Conque said. “Some of the bad things they did were because they were nervous. I thought Nathan settled in nicely, and Lance had a nice drive during the scrimmage. I think we’ve got some ability [at quarterback].”

If the quarterbacks were nervous, a charged up defense sure didn’t settle their nerves any.

Two transfer defensive ends, who will take the place for outgoing defensive ends Chad Taylor and Gary Davis, Conque’s praise.

Jacob Ford and Lawerence Atkinson each finished the night with a sack and put pressure on the quarterbacks throughout the night.

The secondary also came up strong despite their leader (Cangelosi) standing on the sideline.

Ahmad Brown had a pick on the first play of the scrimmage and LeRoy Hamilton picked off a pass late in the scrimmage. Dathan Johnson also drew praise when he deflected a pass thrown up in the corner of the end zone for 6-foot-5 receiver Aaron Fairooz.

Linebacker and Conway native Quentin Maxfield made big hits, including one on Rogers that left the back gripping his ribs.

Ryan Taylor and converted running back Lance Boykins also caught the eye of Conque from their linebacker positions.

“Coming out the defense had the upper hand,” Conque said. “But once we got out to the middle of the field, I think the offense started clicking.”

Fairooz caught two touchdown passes, one from each quarterback. He also had a 77-yard touchdown called back. All-GSC receiver Michael Norvell is back in action after a knee injury and made some catches Friday night. Ben Faires came out late with a couple receptions. Conque also noted the work of Louisiana Tech transfer receiver Miller McVay.

“Our veteran receivers played well,” Conque said.

Tight end Austin Cade also had a touchdown catch near the end of the scrimmage.

Justin Jones and David Farr stood out on the offensive line. After missing the week with bronchitis, Josh Restum returned to action on the offensive front.

On the special teams front, James Paul returned from a broken foot and booted a 38-yard field goal. Garrett Morgan, returning for his fourth season, also booted a 38-yarder.

Receiver Che Jones who, according to Conque, has had an “outstanding spring,” sat out Friday because of a nagging injury. Receiver Zach Nance suffered a broken collarbone during the scrimmage.

The Bears are continuing practice this week and will hold their final scrimmage Saturday at 7 p.m. in Estes.





		Rogers, Hopson run hard in return

		by Kai Caddy Posted 4-5-05, 4:46 p.m. Coming off suspensions, two UCA running backs knocked off quite a bit of rust last Friday during the Bears’ first scrimmage of the spring in front of a few fans at Estes Stadium. The backs, Kentrel Rogers and Willie Hopson, have both had some time away from the field, but in their first appearance back at Estes, they drew some oohs and ahs from the crowd as well as from coach Clint Conque. “The backs made some good plays, some big runs,” Conque said. “I thought they ran hard. Kentrel’s up to 216 pounds right now, but he showed some acceleration.” Rogers, who was suspended after last season and just returned for the spring, was punishing defenders as he would simply not be tackled, gaining a few extra yards on each carry. Hopson, returning after sitting out a year for academic reasons, started the scrimmage a little shaky, but eventually excited the crowd just as Rogers did. Ross Brown also got some carries out of the backfield and had a few impressive runs himself. He drew respect from safety Cory Cangelosi, who’s sitting out this spring. Cangelosi said Brown was “pound-for-pound” the strongest player on the field. Conque has suspended the team’s other back, Bernard Scott, who split time in the starting roll with Rogers last season, indefinitely for the time-honored tradition of violating team rules. The 78-play scrimmage was not without errors, but they were all errors Conque said he feels can be corrected. “I thought the effort was really good tonight,” he said. “When you go this many plays, you’ll see some good and bad things. But if you have effort and the right attitude, the mistakes can be fixed. I thought all the mistakes we made tonight are correctible.” One area that may have been better than expected came from the quarterbacks. Conque is faced with breaking in two new signal callers while junior Chris Reil sits out this spring. Lance Parker, a Vanderbilt transfer, was with the program last season, but saw limited action. Redshirt freshman Nathan Brown is sharing the limelight with Parker this spring. “The quarterbacks did some awful good things,” Conque said. “Some of the bad things they did were because they were nervous. I thought Nathan settled in nicely, and Lance had a nice drive during the scrimmage. I think we’ve got some ability [at quarterback].” If the quarterbacks were nervous, a charged up defense sure didn’t settle their nerves any. Two transfer defensive ends, who will take the place for outgoing defensive ends Chad Taylor and Gary Davis, Conque’s praise. Jacob Ford and Lawerence Atkinson each finished the night with a sack and put pressure on the quarterbacks throughout the night. The secondary also came up strong despite their leader (Cangelosi) standing on the sideline. Ahmad Brown had a pick on the first play of the scrimmage and LeRoy Hamilton picked off a pass late in the scrimmage. Dathan Johnson also drew praise when he deflected a pass thrown up in the corner of the end zone for 6-foot-5 receiver Aaron Fairooz. Linebacker and Conway native Quentin Maxfield made big hits, including one on Rogers that left the back gripping his ribs. Ryan Taylor and converted running back Lance Boykins also caught the eye of Conque from their linebacker positions. “Coming out the defense had the upper hand,” Conque said. “But once we got out to the middle of the field, I think the offense started clicking.” Fairooz caught two touchdown passes, one from each quarterback. He also had a 77-yard touchdown called back. All-GSC receiver Michael Norvell is back in action after a knee injury and made some catches Friday night. Ben Faires came out late with a couple receptions. Conque also noted the work of Louisiana Tech transfer receiver Miller McVay. “Our veteran receivers played well,” Conque said. Tight end Austin Cade also had a touchdown catch near the end of the scrimmage. Justin Jones and David Farr stood out on the offensive line. After missing the week with bronchitis, Josh Restum returned to action on the offensive front. On the special teams front, James Paul returned from a broken foot and booted a 38-yard field goal. Garrett Morgan, returning for his fourth season, also booted a 38-yarder. Receiver Che Jones who, according to Conque, has had an “outstanding spring,” sat out Friday because of a nagging injury. Receiver Zach Nance suffered a broken collarbone during the scrimmage. The Bears are continuing practice this week and will hold their final scrimmage Saturday at 7 p.m. in Estes.