LIVINGSTON, Ala. – University of West Alabama Head Coach Bobby Wallace is pleased with his football team as the Tigers took to the gridiron for the Red and White Game on Saturday afternoon as part of Super Tiger Day festivities.
“We have a lot of athletes on the team this year and I feel as if we could line up and play game today,” Wallace said. “That’s how good I feel about our improvement over the spring. It’s rare to feel that way in Division II football at this time of year.”
A good crowd filled Tiger Stadium to watch the 2010 version of the Red and White show their skills. UWA is riding the momentum of an 8-5 season, which took the Tigers to the NCAA Division II playoffs, and final ranking of 19th in the Division II poll.
“There were a lot fans, parents and supports in the stands today,” Wallace commented. “It’s great to know there is some enthusiasm about the program and people are showing their appreciation by supporting the team today.”
Several players caught the eye of Wallace and his staff during spring drills.
“Gary Johnston has greatly improved during workouts. He’s gained a lot of reps with Deon Williams playing baseball and that has improved his skills. We are faster at all our skill positions and the offensive line is the most athletic since I’ve been here. On defense, we’ve great strides. We moved D’Eric Jackson to defensive back which made it possible to move Brandon Walker to safety. We also made key additions with Rico Jernigan and Lindsey Spinks. We have six defensive linemen that can play right now and we feel good about that. We only made it through spring with three healthy defensive tackles, which has limited our scrimmages.”
West Alabama opens the 2010 football season on Aug. 28 as the Tigers face Shorter in Demopolis, Ala.