Black Knights Kick Off Spring Practice With Strong Effort

Head Coach Bobby Ross Pleased with Initial Spring Showing
March 28, 2006

Above-average temperatures and beautiful blue skies greeted the Army football team as it stepped out on to the Michie Stadium playing surface around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, officially heralding the start of the Black Knights' 2006 spring season.
And the good feelings around Army's football complex were not limited to the unseasonably mild weather conditions as veteran head coach Bobby Ross put his club through a briskly paced two-hour workout in helmets and shorts.
"I was very pleased with what I saw today," said Ross. "The retention was good. Our adjustments to some new things that we want to get done were good. I felt pretty good about it. Our attention to details like taking the proper splits on certain plays was so much better than what it was at any time last year. That's a good start. Now, we'll see if we can carry that over.
"It's nice is to have a little retention with our veteran players. Right now, we've got eight starters back on offense and eight on defense. They weren't all out there today, but that's very encouraging. It all starts with the up-front people and I thought part of it was very good, and for the first day, better than I had anticipated."
With the departure of four-year starter Zac Dahman at quarterback, much of Ross' attention will be trained on the quarterback position where David Pevoto, Pat McDonald and Kevin Dunn are expected to battle for the starting job.
All three candidates enjoyed solid showings on Tuesday, with Pevoto gaining the majority of snaps with Army's first offensive unit.
"All three quarterbacks threw the ball pretty well," Ross offered. "I thought all three quarterbacks did well. I was particularly pleased with David (Pevoto). I thought he was more accurate with the ball. He was around the receiver more consistently and that was a good start. Now he's got to sustain that. Dunn has good `zip' on the ball. I was very impressed by that. He's got to improve his mechanics and footwork. McDonald has got to pick up the quickness to what he does a little bit better. But all in all, I thought they all did a decent job for the first day."


Another area sure to capture much of Ross' focus this spring will be the running back spot as the Black Knights strive to uncover a replacement for departed All-East performer Carlton Jones, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of the last two seasons. With no clear-cut favorite entering spring drills, the next three weeks remain crucial for the host of individuals battling for playing time at the position.
"It was just the first day. There are so many people we're looking at there that it's hard to say. Until we get into some scrimmage work, I won't be able to tell. The one thing that did catch my eye today was the performance of Wesley McMahand. He's got a little quickness to him; he's got a little `scoot' to him. He cut the ball back there a little bit. I was pleased with that. He showed a little something. But it's way too early to tell with any of them."
As is in the case of the offense, eight starters return to Army's defensive cast. The overall level of experience was quite evident to the Black Knights' field boss on Tuesday.
"Our retention in our defense is very good. We've got experience at every position. Even the younger guys who haven't played a lot in games, have some good experience. That should really help us to make progress."
Army will return to the practice field for a helmets only workout on Wednesday, then break a day before closing out the week with workouts on Friday and Saturday.