AMHERST — Normally the quarterbacks are the only players in gray non-contact jerseys for UMass.
On Tuesday, the sidelines were littered with far more gray jerseys than Walt Bell and his staff would have preferred due to injuries. In the third-to-last spring practice of the year, the Minutemen were reduced to low numbers at a lot of key positions, including the offensive line and running back. Bell quickly adjusted to being short-handed by rolling out players in new positions.
The most notable players in new roles were shifty wide receivers Brennon Dingle and Cameron Roberson, who were slotted in at running back for the practice.
“They’re our A-backs, so they’re in our hybrid role, it’s just the first time they had to go back there by themselves,” Bell said. “They’re back there plenty in two-back backfields and things like that, they just got some extra work back there.”
It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it turned into a beneficial one for the Minutemen as they try to squeeze as much into these final few practices as they can. Both Dingle and Roberson earned valuable experience at new positions that will help them when they transition back into their other roles. And it gave the chance for the coaches to learn more about both players and how they can better utilize their skillsets during the season.
“The good news is both of them did a great job in pass protection,” Bell said. “I don’t know how excited they were to really pour it in there in inside drill, but it was a good day. We found out some things about those guys we wouldn’t have known, especially in the pass protection deal. That’s huge for us, it gives us multiple tools to play with.”
Another area where UMass is trying to build depth is at tight end, where freshman Josiah Johnson made a few appearances last season for the Minutemen. Recruited as a quarterback, Johnson has practiced most of the spring at both positions while wearing the gray jersey. Yet he was in the white uniforms of the offense on Tuesday as he worked with the receivers and tight ends almost exclusively.
Bell said it was important to him for Johnson to get at least one day of just focusing on his duties as a receiver/tight end without worrying about his responsibilities as a quarterback. Johnson will still suit up as a quarterback for Saturday’s spring game and will still be listed as one on the roster, but Bell is trying to invent ways to create depth and utilize his best weapons on the field.
“We just wanted to give him a day where he could go learn,” Bell said. “We only have one day of spring left, he’s played quarterback every other day, we just wanted to make sure we got him some reps out there just so he’s had the feeling before. He’ll be a quarterback on Saturday, we’re just trying to build depth and sometimes you have to manufacture depth and he’s really one of the best guys we have on the team with the ball in his hands.”
LONG WAY TO GO — Bell said UMass made big strides Saturday during its second of three scrimmages scheduled for the spring compared to its first scrimmage the week prior. He said the Minutemen still have a long way to go before they’re ready for an actual game, but he’s been happy with the progress they have made during the spring.
“Right now the only thing I’m positive about is we have a lot of work to do, but we have gotten a lot of work done,” Bell said. “Our kids are starting to understand the effort level with which we want to play. It’s been a wonderful building block for these guys.”