I know this is coming late, but the Elon University football team partook in their second spring scrimmage Saturday afternoon. Here are some things I saw and the potential impact on the season:
A couple of injuries occurred in the game, one of which is crucial. Junior running back Matt Eastman played in the first series with the first-team offense, but played no more, instead sitting on the sidelines with his practice jersey and pads off and leg propped up on a water cooler. Impact: This could be deadly, depending on the seriousness of the injury. Eastman has been expected to provide a bruising presence out of the backfield for the Phoenix, who is trying to replace three senior running backs. I'll look into it some more, it may be just a pulled muscle that will be fixed in 24 hours. If not...we'll have an interesting situation at running back.
Due to injuries on the offensive line and at wide receiver, redshirt freshman wide receiver Ricky Brown and sophomore offensive tackle Brian Gerwig took snaps with the first-team offense. Impact: With projected starters sophomore offensive lineman Austin Sowell and junior wide receiver Rasaun Rorie battling injuries, Brown and Gerwig were not bad with the first team. But coach Jason Swepson expects Sowell, at least, to be back for the season, and the wide receiver position has incredible depth, including fellow redshirt freshman Andre Davis, senior Jeremy Peterson, freshman Justin Osborne and sophomore Danny Sellers.
The first-team defense looked incredibly sharp, not allowing much at all for the first-team offense. Sophomore safety Miles Williams returned an interception of a Thomas Wilson for a touchdown. Impact: The defense was, at best, inconsistent last season. I'll touch on it more in my season preview in the Fall Sports Insert, but there seems to be a stronger defense this season. It appears to be a more cohesive unit that has some fantastic tools, such as senior linebacker Blake Thompson, junior defensive tackle Tony Thompson and sophomore linebacker Jonathan Spain.
The most impressive player? Freshman running back Thuc (pronounced Tuck) Phan. He returned a couple kicks on the scout kick-return team and played running back with the second-team offense. He's 5-6, 160 lbs., and a shifty son of a gun at tailback. At Media Day on Thursday, senior wide receiver Aaron Mellette called Phan one of the most exciting freshmen he's watched this year. Impact: With Eastman, sophomore transfer Karl Bostick and now freshman B.J. Bennett all suffering injuries in the last week, Phan may end up being the second-string tailback at the beginning of the season, depending on the status of those injured Sept. 1. Not sure how Swepson would feel about that, but considering how Phan played Saturday, it wouldn't shock me that he might be a secret weapon for the Phoenix come two Saturdays from now against the Tar Heels.
[box]Remaining Practice Schedule Thurs., Aug. 23 - 3:40 p.m. Fri., Aug. 24 - 12:30 p.m. (Scrimmage; Rhodes Stadium) All practices at Hunt and Tucker Practice Fields unless otherwise noted.[/box]