Central Michigan University Athletics
'Next Man Up'
8/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - It's the next-man-up mentality.
Almost without exception, every football team experiences it every season: the loss to injury of a key player.
The Central Michigan football team felt the bite of the injury bug last week, when senior tight end Tyler Conklin suffered an ankle injury that required surgery. There is no timetable for his return.
Conklin produced a breakout season in 2016, when he caught 42 passes for 560 yards and six touchdowns. He entered the 2017 season on the Watch List for the John Mackey Award, which goes college football's top tight end.
"Conklin, he's a great player and I talk to him every day and he's in good spirits," said CMU associate head coach/tight ends coach Sherrone Moore after Thursday's practice. "It's always hard to lose a player of that caliber who is also probably the leader of the group, but at the same time it's football, and injuries are going to happen and you can't dwell on it. You've got to move on to the next guy."
That next guy, in this case, is any number of players, some of whom have logged significant game time in the past. Senior Zach Crouch has the most experience at the position, and has seven career receptions for 128 yards.
Also in the mix are juniors Logan Hessbrook, who transferred to CMU from Saginaw Valley State after a standout prep career at nearby Ithaca, and Jonathan Carson. Freshman Keegan Cossou, another mid-Michigan product (Greenville) is on the depth chart along with running-back-turned-tight end Jay Roberson, a senior.
"Roberson, he's picked it up pretty quick and he has some athleticism and does some things naturally," Moore said. "He's been an intriguing piece to add to the puzzle."
That group is tasked not only with filling Conklin's shoes, but of learning the Chippewas' new spread offense, in which the tight end is often spread wide.
"I've got a group of guys who are working hard to get the system to be a part of their DNA and they're doing a good job," Moore said. "They know it's their time to prepare and play like (Conklin) does."
The move to grass: The Chippewas eschewed Kelly/Shorts Stadium for the natural-grass practice field to the west of the Indoor Athletic Complex on Thursday.
It's the first time in camp that the Chippewas have practiced on grass.
"You're at that point in time in camp where guys' legs are starting to get a little bit sore," coach John Bonamego said. "This is a little bit softer surface. Our field turf is excellent, but it's just to change it up, if even for a mental break for (the players). If they think that it's better then it's better."
Better day: Bonamego, in his post-practice address to the team, said he was pleased, by and large, with their effort and performance on Thursday in relation to Wednesday, which was their first practice in full pads.
"We weren't as crisp" on Wednesday, he said. "We had a lot of little things. It was the first time we had the officials out so it was just procedure penalties, just the things that if you don't address them they mount up and you get in a game and they can cost you a game.
"We're fortunate to be able to have the officials out here, calling the penalties, and there weren't near as many of them (Thursday) so we did a nice job of making the corrections."
