By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – If one listened to Tennessee Tech head coach Dewayne Alexander talk to his Golden Eagle players following Friday's Spring Game at Tucker Stadium, they heard the veteran coach explain why the windshield was larger than the rear view mirror.
To keep focused on what's ahead more than what's behind. After back-to-back 1-10 seasons and the transition from a coaching change, the focus is on the future of the Tech football program, and that's what the 2019 spring practices were about.
With the 15 sessions in the books, the inherent focus was to get the team ready to improve on what they started in the 2018 campaign and try to bring the Tech football program back to good graces.
Friday certainly helped its cause. With alumni from several eras lining the Tucker Stadium turf and grandstands, as well as in the post-event huddle, they got a first-hand look at what Alexander and his staff is trying to build.
Offensively, it was a little slow at first. Shannon Fayne ended the first offensive series as he recovered a fumble and took it back to the house 43 yards for the score.
The Tech special teams put the next points on the board as Haidar Zaidan cleared a 49-yard field goal.
The defense then ended another drive as Fayne picked off a Bailey Fisher pass. The next drive also ended on a miscue as Andrew Swicegood recovered a fumble at the 25 and returned it for a score.
Following that play, the Tech offense started to come together. Fisher capped off a three-play drive – aided by a personal foul call – and scored on a 41-yard quarterback keeper.
The next drive saw the Tech offense push into the defensive 10-yard line in seven plays, then score on 4th-and-goal as rising sophomore Cam Singletary ran into the end zone on a three-yard carry.
It wasn't long before the Golden Eagle offense was back in scoring position. With a big completion to Darrius Stafford, the stage was set for David Gist to break away for a 15-yard touchdown run.
Tech's offensive team scored once more as Andrew Goldsmith ran for a 24-yard touchdown towards the end of the scrimmage. The Golden Eagle defense also came up with one more play as Brian Thompson picked off Jackson Guy on the penultimate drive.
The last official event of the spring practice slate is Saturday morning with the Letterman's Breakfast at the Athletic Performance Center as the 2018 award winners will be recognized as part of the alumni gathering.
Following that, the focus will return to recruiting as the student-athletes wrap up the 2018-19 academic year. Then everything begins again in the summer as the 2019 season approaches.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information