Thursday, June 7, 2012

Keys to Another Successful Season-
Ends and Receivers

For a team that runs the ball most of the time, one may think that this is not an area of concern. It is true that Ferrum is an option attack offense, but the Ferrum passing game has proven to be a major cog in the offensive wheel.

Looking back over some statistics, there seems to be a trend emerging. Over the last four seasons, Ferrum has started to utilize the passing game more, albeit slightly, to enhance their offensive attack. Below is a comparison of how the Panthers have distributed their offensive running and passing plays:

2008- Ferrum ran the ball 500 times, and passed 120 times.
2009- Ferrum ran the ball 471 times, and passed 129 times.
2010- Ferrum ran the ball 444 times, and passed 150 times.
2011- Ferrum ran the ball 461 times, and passed 169 times.

What this shows is that Ferrum is developing its offense to be more multi-dimensional.

Look for the Ferrum passing game to continue this trend, but with a new quarterback, there may be an adjustment period. While it is not known who the starting quarterback will be, I am going out on a limb and assume that Tim Reynolds will get the call. Reynolds, a sophomore, saw limited action last year, but he made the most of his chances. I have seen video of his high school career (Yorktown H.S) on You tube, and he seems to be quite talented. He returned punts, played defense, and quarterbacked. While I doubt you will see him on defense, returning punts is a very likely roll.

If Reynolds is indeed under center, his receiving corp is solid. Derek West, and Makaya Jackson will both be back as his main targets. He will also have a stable full of running backs to throw to. as well as sophomore Matt Ball at Tight End. As a Freshman, Matt played in 7 of the 10 games. I think the passing game, no matter how frequently it is used will be strong.

No comments:

Post a Comment