The A&M-Commerce Lions took the field Monday, April 2, for the first practice of the spring. Questions lurking over the team include about how the Lions will climb back atop the Lone Star Conference, as well as who is playing quarterback when the team opens the 2012 schedule Sept. 1 against Southeastern Oklahoma.
Guy Morriss returns for his third year as head coach and brings a combination of old and new coaches to fill out his staff, including Dan Lounsbury at offensive coordinator, and Brian Williams as defensive coordinator. New strength coach Lance Farmer comes in to shape up the Lions for the next season.
“Lance has done a great job with our kids,” Morriss said. “We lacked strength last year, and he has come and set the tone early for how the Lions will play football for years to come.”
Along with strength issues, Morriss also said that the players staying healthy will be a key to success as well.
“We lost a lot of guys to injuries last season,” Morriss said. “We have to get through a complete training with no players getting hurt. We won’t hit but we’ll work on technical things needed in order to finish more games.”
To get the Lions back on top they will need key returners to step up and make plays. The Lions return key players such as senior quarterback J.J. Harp, senior linebacker Bryn Roy, and senior wide receiver Kevin Bevans, senior linebacker Danny Mason, and senior defensive back Marlin Terrell.
“These guys will have to come up big for us next season,” Morriss said. “They did such a good job last season carrying the team and they will have to step it up even more this year.”
Along with the returning seniors, Morriss will also be counting on some juniors and sophomores to carry some of the load, including wide receiver Kenzee Jackson, defensive lineman/linebacker Jeremy Dotson, and defensive lineman Ortavious Simmons.
“I trust that the kids will pick up quick, because we want them to feed off of returning players’ energy to complete this turnaround,” Morriss said.
If the Lions want to turnaround they will have to do it quickly. The spring game is scheduled for Saturday, April 21, at 2 p.m.
“We want to look sharp and crisp for the fans that come out and support us,” Morriss said.
The Lions will have to first find a quarterback that will start in the spring game. Yogi Gallegos will not return for his senior season due to the shoulder injury he received last season at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
“Yogi is done playing football due to the damaged nerve in his neck,” Morriss said. “If he were to take one wrong hit, he could end up losing his whole arm. I feel bad for him, but we will keep him around the program as an assistant or something, he’s a good kid and we want to keep him around.”
The Lions have three quarterbacks on the roster, and plan on bringing four more quarterbacks in the fall.
“We will sort that situation out when the time comes, I just want us to get better as a team first before we worry about individual positions,” Morriss said.
Harp will be the featured quarterback to return for the Lions after completing 160-of-260 passes for 1,634 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago. He also completed 61.5 percent of his passes, the fourth highest single-season completion percentage in program history.
The Lions have talent coming back, but will need better play from the quarterback, as well as the defense if they want to climb back at the top of the Lone Star Conference.
“It will take a total team effort to turn this program around, not only from the players but from the coaches as well,” Morris stated.