by Barca Blog - Known as a guy that always gives maximum effort on the practice field, junior tailback Kennard Reeves finally got his first taste of significant playing time in the Commodores' final two games last season.Reeves took advantage of the opportunity, giving him a confidence boost for 2009.
"The biggest thing I needed to get last year was game experience," said Reeves, who had a career-high six carries for 34 yards against Wake Forest. "Everyone was saying I was doing well in practice, but I needed that quality game experience. I hope to come in this year and build on that."
The Duluth, Ga., native is one of several players in the Commodore backfield competing for carries this fall. With Jared Hawkins sidelined during the first week of camp, and press clippings focused on the talented freshmen trio of Warren Norman, Zac Stacy and Wesley Tate, head coach Bobby Johnson reminded us not to forget about other veterans fighting for playing time.
"We’re not giving up on Kennard or Gaston (Miller)," Johnson stated. "Kennard had a great run during our scrimmage (on Saturday) where he broke about five tackles.
"There’s still a lot of evaluation to go. We want everybody to continue to work hard. Unless you continue to work hard, someone is going to pass you. That’s a great situation for us."
Although time will tell how the logjam at tailback unfolds, Reeves is making his case during camp. He's quietly exploded for several big runs while also showing improvement in pass blocking drills. With competition at an all-time high, he seems poised for the challenge.
"Naturally everyone wants to play," Reeves said, "and we know with our offense that there is going to be room for possibly up to four running backs play in a game. So, we're all vying for position right now. It's not bad blood competition though, we're all trying to encourage each other and we want everyone to do well."
You can read my full Q&A with Kennard by clicking here.
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