First Look: Bobcats Show Promise at Lubbock Scrimmage

OFFENSE

At quarterback, Christian English and Colton Hill each had their turn to lead Central’s offense on Thursday. At the beginning of the scrimmage, English threw several passes to open receivers to move the Bobcats down the field. When he had time in the pocket, passes came out on time and on target. Under pressure, English showed great ability to avoid the pass rush to extend the play. The young man still needs work throwing on the run, but up to this point in his career, that is completely expected. The quarterbacks could not run during this scrimmage, so English was never allowed to show what he could do with his legs. Next week, against Killeen Shoemaker, English will show what he can really do.

Hill showed flashes of brilliance when he was in the game. Some of his throws appeared amazing, especially when throwing over the middle. Colton Hill, like his brother, needs time to develop. His brother Tyler Hill, who graduated after last season, started as a receiver his sophomore year, and it looks like Colton will follow in his footsteps. However, if Central runs into injuries down the line, it should be comforting to know that another Hill is waiting in the wings.

The ‘Cats' O-line played great for the most part against the Mustangs. Holes were open for the running backs to run through, and the quarterbacks stayed clean for most of the night. Central’s strengths on the line originate from the Bobcats’ two big tackles. The ‘Cats will need to lean on these two veteran backs early on in the season, so the offensive line needs to stay healthy and stay sharp moving forward.  One of the more encouraging results from the scrimmage was the discipline of these two big dogs. Yet, on a night filled with penalties, the O-line picked up few. Nothing can kill drives faster than a holding penalty, but the Bobcats generally played a clean game last night.

The running backs and receivers made plays when needed, but like the rest of the team, they are still a work in progress. A surprise on offense was Junior running back John Paul Nombrano. The young man sits behind Robinson and Brawlee on the depth chart but made every snap he took count last night. He had several runs that went for 20+ yards and scored one of the Bobcats' touchdowns. The ‘Cats seem to be incredibly deep at the running back position this season.

The receivers had a hot and cold night. In some instances, catches looked routine. The receivers snagged the ball out of the air and took off down the field. Most of the Bobcats’ offense came through the air to these guys. On the other hand, drops plagued the ‘Cats throughout the scrimmage. Luckily for Central’s receivers, technical aspects of football can be overcome with more practice. Coach Crane and the other offensive coaches will undoubtedly drill this issue at practice this season until it is resolved.

DEFENSE

Coach Martin’s new defense is also a work in progress, but against Coronado last night, the Bobcats made positive steps forward. While two mistakes in the secondary led to touchdowns, overall, this defense is slowly coming together. The biggest positive takeaway is that the Bobcats kept the Mustangs out of the end zone for most of the night.

Coronado brought a talented offensive line to the table on Thursday, and the Bobcats' defensive line handled it well. The Mustangs struggled to run the ball throughout the entire scrimmage, and Coronado’s quarterbacks felt the pressure when dropping back to pass. Size will continue to be an issue for the ‘Cats, but the initial look at this unit sees them strong and hungry to win.

The linebackers and secondary took strides towards improvement together. These two units are ball hawks. The largest upside from these guys during the scrimmage was the four takeaways the ‘Cats generated—two fumble recoveries and two picks. While this young defense experiences the growing pains of gaining actual game experience, it’s the takeaways that will be the difference. 

However, penalties were a major problem for the ‘Cats’ defense during the live portion at the end of the scrimmage. Late hits out of bounds and unnecessary pass interference sustained drives that would have otherwise resulted in the defense trotting off the field. The penalties are indicative of the youth that the Bobcats bring to the table and another area that this coaching staff can easily help the ‘Cats overcome. Coach Crane said it best when he talked about his young team. The defense needs to find discipline quickly because it will not matter how many times they get stops if yellow laundry riddles the field after every play.

Next up, the Central Bobcats open up the 2023 season in Week 1 when they host Killeen Shoemaker at San Angelo Stadium on Friday, August 25, at 7 p.m.