Tech's Franklin to try hand at receiver
August 6, 2006
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From Staff Reports
RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech head coach Jack Bicknell welcomed 98 players to campus Sunday afternoon as veterans and newcomers reported in preparation for fall practice which begins tonight.
Bicknell said that although his summer was productive, he is ready to get started as the Sept. 2 opener at Nebraska looms near.
"The summer was great," Bicknell said. "I got to play some golf, but even after a while, you get frustrated with your golf game. It's time to get going. I'm anxious to see the guys we recruited on the field in action. I'm anxious to see what type of team we will have."
One of the changes that Bicknell is anxious to see will be that of returnee Freddie Franklin, who will be moved to wide receiver during the first few weeks of fall workouts.
Franklin was one of the Bulldogs top running backs his first two years, rushing for 448 yards and four touchdowns last year, including a career-high 120 yards and one touchdown in a 40-28 win over Fresno State in the season finale.
However, with the load of quality running backs Tech has in camp, Bicknell wants to see if Franklin can help the Bulldogs at the receiver slot.
"We know what Freddie can do in the backfield," Bicknell said. "We could move him back three days before the opener against Nebraska and he would be fine. I think he can help us at wide receiver. I think of him in the same mold as (former Bulldog) John Simon."
Bicknell said one of the reasons for the move is the health of sophomore Shane Womack, who could miss a significant amount of time at the beginning of the year due to injury.
"Dr. (William) Bundrick is going to look at him (Sunday night) and we will know more after that," Bicknell said.
The Tech coaching staff has already moved running backs Mark Dillard and Weldon Brown to the defensive secondary, and they feel comfortable trying Franklin at receiver because of the combined talents of a young Bulldogs backfield.
Sophomore Patrick Jackson, who is recovered from a knee injury that kept him out of most of spring practice, joins incoming true freshmen William Griffin, Myke Compton and Daniel Porter.
Tech's first practice of the fall is set for tonight at 6:45 p.m.
-- NORTHWESTERN STATE: After enduring a turnover drought last year, Northwestern State�s Purple Swarm defense is gearing up to turn the tables this season which makes for mixed emotions for head coach Scott Stoker in preseason practice.
�The good news is we did a good job of forcing turnovers today,� said Stoker after Sunday afternoon�s two-hour workout in shorts and shoulder pads. �The bad news is we turned it over too much.
�No matter what, somebody�s going to be doing poorly every day in that case,� he said. �Considering how few turnovers we came up with last season, we have to make a big jump in the number we force this year.�
Last year, the Purple Swarm came up with only 17 turnovers in a 5-5 season. The 1.7 average was the lowest for Northwestern since team statistics are on file dating back to 1960.
Stoker expects the defense to look more like the nationally-ranked Top 10 units in 2002, 2003 and 2004, even while facing the most challenging schedule in school history. One reason for his optimism is the Purple Swarm�s much-improved depth.
�We�ve got some prime time players (Preseason All-Americans Tory Collins and Ed Queen, preseason All-Southland Conference pick Charlie Brooks) up front on the defensive line, and we�ve got some young guys who have redshirted and are now ready to contribute,� said Stoker. �Albert Smith, Josh Daniels, Neal Walker could have good seasons and great careers for us.�
The Demons were erratic in the passing game in Sunday�s 11-on-11 work, he said.
�We�ve got to pitch and catch more consistently than we�ve done,� he said. �Sometimes it�s a case of not throwing the ball well, and sometimes we�re not doing a good job catching it. Sometimes we�re throwing it to the wrong spot and sometimes we are not running the right route. We�re three practices in, so it�s early, and I expect to see progress throughout this week before our first scrimmage Saturday.�
Sunday�s special teams concentration came on kickoff coverage and returns. Stoker said kickers Robert Weeks and Lee Scott are battling to handle the kickoff duty while a bevy of players are in contention for return assignments, including senior Greg Skidmore, who led the SLC with a 24.6 average last year.
The Demons resume practice in Turpin Stadium this morning at 8:15, beginning a weeklong series of morning sessions culminating with a Saturday morning scrimmage. They don full gear for the first time this preseason on Tuesday morning.
