Swainsboro downed Bradwell Institute 27-9 on Friday night at Olvey Field in the Tigers’ first scrimmage under new head football coach Ross Couch.
"Going into the game, one of our goals was to win, just as it is every time we hit the field, but our primary concern was evaluating all of our players and determine strengths and weaknesses. Now we’ve got good film to teach from during the summer," Couch said. "On Friday, we had to see who would step up and make plays and who would fold up and shut down when the lights came on, and I think we got some answers. We’ll be moving some people around to fix some of our issues and get kids in places where they can best help the team."
The Tigers were able to move the ball at times against Swainboro, but there’s plenty of room for improvement for a program that over the past three seasons went 3-26-1 under previous coach Greg Hill.
"Offensively, we’ve got to clean up some of the mistakes. We did a decent job running the ball, but ball security is a glaring problem we have to coach up better," Couch said. "Passing wise, we had open routes and we completed a few, but we left a lot out there too. Once our QBs get more experience setting up in the pocket and they begin to trust the protection, the scrambles we had Friday will turn into completions. Schematically I think we are in a good place, but our execution up front has to improve and we’ve got to develop some depth."
Defensively, Bradwell needs to be more physical and fundamental, Couch said.
"We’ve got to get these guys more physical and we’ve got to tackle better. A lot of that comes down to mental toughness. In June and July, we are going to figure out who has it and who doesn’t," he said.
"There also were some issues with alignment and assignment, but we’ve got it on film and we’ll be able to make corrections and move people around to fix some problems," he said.
The Tigers begin summer workouts May 29 with weight lifting sessions from 8 to 10 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Beginning June 5, the team’s summer workout schedule is 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
"We’ve got 7-on-7s planned, and a contact camp in July, but our biggest concern is improving what we do and getting everything installed and repped," Couch said.