Just east of Carter-Finley Stadium on the plot of grass known as the Dail Practice Field is a tower, and while it’s not as aesthetically pleasing as the Richard Vaughn Towers in the distance, the players who practice in its shadow will tell you it’s just as functional because it keeps them on schedule.
Beyond giving coaches a bird’s eye view of practice, the tower has a digital clock display that keeps track of the periods of practice, counting down the minutes as the team moves through its schedule.
Coach Tom O’Brien is big into schedules, and running back Jamelle Eugene said dropped passes over the past few games have kept the team from staying on its long-term schedule for success.
“Coach O’Brien always talks about being on schedule and dropped passes don’t help us stay on schedule,” Eugene said. “[A dropped pass] kills the drive.”
Junior wide receiver Owen Spencer said drops were game-changers.
“A dropped pass is just like a sack or a tackle for loss,” Spencer said. “It’s a wasted play.”
And wasted plays were plentiful the last time the team took the field against Boston College Oct. 17. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Russell Wilson threw 17 incompletions in the contest, with several hitting receivers in the hands before falling to the turf of Alumni Stadium.
But Spencer insists the receivers are capable of making big plays and catches.
“We wouldn’t be here unless we had good hands. That’s how we got here,” Spencer said. “Drops are a matter of lack of concentration.”
Spencer, whose catching abilities were questioned by the media during midseason last year, said the receiving corps practiced catching with distraction drills this week. He said he and redshirt junior wide receiver Jarvis Williams are trying to get the receivers on the same page.
“Once you’re out there working hard as a unit, you work hard on the field,” Spencer said.
Williams said during the bye week, the team has gone “back to school” as the receivers have focused a lot of attention on film study.
“We went to the film and looked at all the plays we could have capitalized on,” Williams said. “We know nobody’s perfect but we want to be as close as we can and catch every ball.”
Williams said the receivers will take to the field in Tallahassee, Fla. Saturday with a fresh approach to the game.
“We’re going to come in with a clean state of mind for the game,” he said.
Williams said making catches was important to forge a trusting relationship between the quarterback and his receivers as well.
“[The quarterbacks will] feel more comfortable coming to you when they don’t have no other choice and just throw it up,” Williams said.
Eugene, who had several open-field passes go through his hands in Chestnut Hill, said the running backs haven’t worked on their hands. He said his drops were mostly flukes.
“That was out of character for me to drop a ball,” Eugene said, adding he doesn’t forget the balls he lets slip to the ground. “I take it personally – I mean, I’m not known for dropping balls. I’ve got some of the better hands on the team. and, if I drop a ball that sends a message to the rest of the team.”
Eugene said he always catches extra balls at practices, but said he hasn’t upped his training since the BC game. However, he said the drops won’t impact Wilson and Mike Glennon’s throws.
“We’ve not exactly been catching every ball since they’ve been at the helm so they just keep going on about their reads,” Eugene said. “They’re going to throw it to whoever’s open regardless of whether they dropped a pass the play before or the game before.”
