Blood
Southern coach Eric Dooley praises QB Harold Blood’s development after scrimmage
Aug
Southern was back on the practice field Tuesday after taking a break Monday for the start of classes, and the first name off of coach Eric Dooley’s lips was junior quarterback Harold Blood.
In Saturday’ 103-play scrimmage, Blood acquitted himself well. Dooley said his opinion didn’t change after watching the video.
“Blood went out and ran the offense I wanted him to run,” Dooley said prior to practice Tuesday. “He took it under his wing. You can’t be coach Dooley, you’ve got to do what coach Dooley says.
“It’s not going to go from the chalkboard to the field. Things will change. He was involved in the game, he studied tapes, he studied defense and understands what we’re looking for.”
Blood’s unofficial totals passing were 27 completions in 38 attempts for 377 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. At least four of his throws were dropped by receivers.
Blood’s development will be a big factor in Southern’s season as he is seeing his first extensive action. Dooley liked the way he kept his composure when the pocket broke down and he had to move his feet.
“Even when he has to get outside the pocket, he understands he’s got to keep his eyes downfield, knowing he can make a play downfield or may have to run it,” Dooley said. “The game has slowed down for him. He has a better understanding of the defense. He met with the defensive coordinator.”
Blood appears to be a solid No. 1 with Noah Bodden as the backup. The only other quarterback to play Saturday was Scotlandville freshman Czavian Teasett. He completed three of four passes for 46 yards and also showed poise.
“I see maturity beyond his years,” Dooley said about Teasett. “He’s a freshman and nothing bothers him. He comes out and executes. He pays attention to details. He let Blood and Noah go and paid attention and gets with (quarterbacks) coach (Willie) Totten as well.
“He’s not the average freshman. He’s like a sponge, soaking up everything.”
Dooley also complimented Tennessee-Martin transfer wide receiver George Qualls, who caught three passes for 56 yards.
“George Qualls got off to a slow start because he was getting some things settled, but we knew what type of wide receiver he was and he displayed it on Saturday,” Dooley said.
The Jaguars moved their practice time to 3 p.m. starting Tuesday and will work toward a simulated game Saturday, although without as much hitting as a normal scrimmage. The Jaguars open the season at Alabama State on Sept. 2 at 5 p.m.
“We haven’t had a high contact camp; we’re practicing smart,” Dooley said. “We’re treating this week as game week. We’ll play a game Saturday but without all-out contact. We want to make sure the guys are moving around and playing for 60 minutes.
“The direction we’re going, I like where we are, the way the guys are moving around. The biggest thing I was looking for is execution and mental assignments. You could see the guys understand what we’re giving them to execute.”
