Sophomore Savion McKinnon made the catch last Saturday during the football team's annual spring showcase. (Photo by Rick Smith of GoLeopards)
The football team may not be in season, but it's hard to tell based on how the Leopards have been practicing during the spring semester. The team's hard work culminated in the annual Maroon-White Spring Showcase held Saturday afternoon.
“Our goal for spring practice is to create opportunities for our players to gain more knowledge and improve their skills,” said head coach John Troxell. “There's a lot of education going on, especially when it comes to bringing young players back into the team. We're going to slow down the game so they don't have to think too quickly.”
The spring showcase follows a historic 9-3 season in which the team won its first Patriot League title since 2013 and qualified for the NCAA FCS Playoffs. However, the team was looking ahead to the start of next season after losing to Delaware State in the first round.
“We've been saying all spring, 'What are we going to do today to beat Buffalo?'” freshman quarterback Peyton Kosover said, hinting at the team's first game next season. “Our goal every day since the end of last season has been to prepare for next season, and we’re really looking forward to it.”
The showcase featured a 90-minute practice at Fisher Stadium. There were 10 different practice periods throughout the session, including various individual position work and live scrimmages. Although the team incorporates live periods during spring practice, the coaching staff reserves most of its situational scrimmages for showcases to assess how each player has developed. There is.
On Saturday, many young players showed off their talents, especially on the offensive end. Early in the game, Kozarber scored a 46-yard touchdown run by freshman wide receiver Savion McKinnon. Fellow freshman wide receiver Ben Bussiere also completed two more touchdown passes from Kosover in the opposite corner of the end zone.
“It felt great to be out there as a team,” Kozarber said. “Our offense was good all day.”
Troxell thought the showcase was a success because the Leopards accomplished both of their main goals heading into practice: avoiding injuries and allowing young players to get meaningful reps.
“You're always nervous when you work a scrimmage, so our first goal was to come out of it healthy, and we accomplished that,” Troxell said. “On the other hand, we had some great work from young players that we hope will contribute to the competition this year.”
Troxell highlighted Bussiere's two-touchdown performance as an eye-catcher for the coaching staff heading into camp this summer.
“Look at Ben Bussiere, he still has a ways to go,” Troxell said. “But we got a chance to evaluate him and see him come up with some big plays. A player who can help us in the future and understands what he's doing. It gives us hope that there is.”
The team will have some downtime before returning to campus for summer training in June.player After that, he plans to train until he officially reports to camp in late July.
“We don't have much time until August,” Troxell said. “Hopefully our players who are a little more energetic will use this time to get healthy as we prepare for a 12-game schedule.”
