Willie Totten saw somethings he liked during spring practice but says Mississippi Valley State still has plenty of work to do before the 2004 season opener.
Totten, set to start his third season as Valley's head coach this fall, watched his troops round out spring drills in the annual Green/White Spring Game Tuesday afternoon at Rice-Totten Stadium in Itta Bena. The offense scored four touchdowns and one field goal in 10 possessions.
Quarterback Curtis Kemp hooked up with wide receiver Will Smith for two touchdowns, while quarterback Brandon Wagner ran for two.
Smith finished the spring game with four catches for 129 yards, and Wagner led all rushers with 67.
"The entire spring went pretty well, but we've got a lot of things to correct between now and two-a-day practices in August," Totten said.
Offensively, the Valley head coach is looking for more consistency from his two quarterbacks and was pleased with the performance of his veteran receiving corps. Also, he said Marcus April likely earned the starting nod at tailback with his work in spring drills.
"The offensive guys are finally starting to catch on to what we're asking them to do. I saw that a little bit at the end of last season and even more so in the spring," Totten said.
The offense worked without starting lineman Brent Fluker, a rising sophomore out of J.Z. George, who has a knee injury.
Totten expects him to be ready to go in the fall, though.
Defensively, Totten said linebacker Jarrette Prout, the team's leading tackler in 2003, continues to be impressive. He had seven stops Tuesday along with two sacks and a forced fumble.
"Prout picked up where he left off during the fall. He was the second-leading tackler in the SWAC last year, and he's on pace to becoming one of the best players in our conference," Totten said.
Also, Totten liked what he saw from linebackers Tyler Knight (3 tackles, 1 pass breakup) and Clayton McDonald (3 tackles, 1 sack) and defensive end Barron Pullam.
But free safety Jeremy Ruffin, who transferred from Ole Miss prior to the 2003 season, seems to be the most improved defensive player.
"Ruffin has really come on strong. Last year, he was dealing with some personal problems and had a hard time adjusting," Totten explained.
