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SOME BRIGHT MOMENTS...
included a few nice catches and runs by junior Cory Ely. |
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August 14, 2009 - COVINGTON
It still wasn't the caliber of football that the Covington Buccaneers expect to be playing with just two weeks until the season opener, but there were some positives in a scrimmage against Eaton on Friday that Dave Miller's squad can build on as they head back to the practice field next week.
"I felt we did a better job defensively, especially in the ten-play series," said Miller. "We put some pressure on their quarterback and did a better job of flying to the football."
Neither team's varsity units managed to score in the ten-play sequences, but Eaton held the advantage in the down-and-distance scrimmage, three touchdowns to none.
And all three scores for Eaton came on big plays, much like in the Milton scrimmage on Tuesday.
The first score was a 70-yard touchdown run after Covington appeared to have the running back stuffed in the backfield on a third-and-ten situation.
Eaton's second score came on a pass play and the third touchdown was a carbon copy of the first - Covington had the play stuffed in the backfield only to let the back slip away and run in for the score.
And each touchdown was the result of something that can be corrected.
"Missed tackles," Miller explained. "The good thing is we were in position to make those plays, but we didn't wrap up the way we should have. We'll correct that."
Covington's offense struggled once again, failing to score throughout the scrimmage.
Much of that was due to the dominance by the Eaton defensive front against a Covington offensive line that has yet to find its identity - something that baffles the Buccaneer loyalists considering the entire line is back from a year ago and this same unit has worked so hard in the off-season.
Covington's only productive drive came in its final drive of the game, only to end in a fumble inside the Eaton ten.
"I was hoping we could have punched it in there at the end and ended on a positive note," Miller said. "We put together a nice drive there and moved the ball pretty well. We just didn't finish the way good teams do."
Covington played the scrimmage without three of it's starters, including quarterback Jake Bitner. Also, Josh Boehringer only played a couple of series before he was given the rest of the evening off.
Still, the effort overall wasn't to Covington standards, something Miller and the Buccs will look to improve upon next week in the final scrimmage against Versailles.
"There are some things we can build on," Miller said. "We'll go back and look at the film and correct the mistakes and continue to get ready for the season."
A season full of promise if the Buccs can find the consistency expected of good football teams.
"We can be a darn good football team," concluded Miller. "Eaton is a good team and we played toe-to-toe with them early on. We just have to find it within ourselves to maintain that effort."
An effort that Miller hopes takes the Buccs to another level.
