By Tyler Wooten
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State Football begins its attempt to return to the FCS Playoffs this afternoon with the first training camp practice of the 2016 season. Camp will run from today until Mon., Aug. 22 before the first day of classes on Aug. 23.
We recently sat down with head coach Mike Sanford to talk about last season, this season and everything in between.
Q: What are your thoughts on the 2015 season now that we are a year removed?
Sanford: “I think last year was a combination of exciting and frustrating. The year before in 2014 we won a lot of our close games, and that had a lot to do with why we had the record we had and got to the playoffs. Last year, those close losses were really difficult. The one to (No. 3) Illinois State (L, 27-24, in Normal, Ill.) was heartbreaking, and then if one or two plays in the (No. 8) North Dakota State game (L, 28-14, at home) go different then that is a completely different game. Losing in overtime at home to Western Illinois (L, 37-30, OT) was tough as well. But, we also had some exciting wins. Finishing with a close win against Youngstown State (W, 27-24) was a huge win for us to finish on a positive note.
That's where we're coming from this year. There were things that we learned from last year going into this year. We need to be more detailed, we need to be more disciplined on the field by being where you're supposed to be at the time you're supposed to be and do it the way you're supposed to do it when you get there. There were some things we could have done better. We took a step back on defense in some ways. We got away from some of the things we did the previous year, and our focus is to go back and do more of the stuff we were doing on defense in 2014.
I'm very excited about our team, and I'm very excited about our attitude. We've had a great offseason and a great summer. We've had a disappointing loss in losing (quarterback) Matt Adam, but we have to move on from that and go on from there.”
Q: Speaking of, the quarterback position seems up for grabs this year. Redshirt sophomore Isaac Harker is the only returnee under center, but he did lead the game-winning drive against Youngstown State. How do you see this playing out this camp?
Sanford: “The good thing is that we have a guy coming into this with a lot of confidence in Isaac Harker. He helped us win a game in the snow and made some difference-making plays in the game to help us win. We've added Aaron Young, a graduate transfer from Wyoming who will compete and be in the middle of that. We also have two freshmen: Cade Sparks (Fontana, Calif.) and Zach Larkin (Hamilton, Ohio) who are both really good prospects and outstanding young guys.
We don't know what we're going to see just yet in the heat of battle other than what we've watched on film and the people we've talked to, so we're anxious to get a look at all three of our newcomers. We're going to have a very open mind going into it with these guys because you just never know how it's going to turn out.”
Q: No matter who it is, they're going to have a good target available in Robert Tonyan Jr. How excited are you to see him play in his final season at Indiana State?
Sanford: “I'm very excited about Rob. He's had a really good summer. He's healthy, he's lean, but he's strong and fast. I'm very excited about him.”
Q: Alongside Rob, senior long-snapper Joshua Appel was named First-Team All-MVFC and a First-Team Preseason All-American. This summer he again proved he is one of the top collegiate long-snappers, regardless of division, after winning the Chris Rubio collegiate camp for the second year in a row. What does Appel bring to the team?
Sanford: “Josh not only is an excellent snapper, but he's the leader of the specialist group and he's a leader on our team. It's been exciting to watch him. This is my fourth year and this is his fourth year. He brings a lot to our team, the most important of which are his accurate and fast long-snaps.”
Q: Is there anybody else on either side of the ball that you want to single out as being a key factor this season?
Sanford: “I think (senior linebacker) Jameer Thurman would be a guy to be really excited about. He's a leader of our defense, he's a leader on our team and I'm very excited about him. I think he's very underrated in the conference. He's an outstanding player. (Senior defensive lineman) Conlan Cassidy is another guy I would speak of, as is (senior left tackle) Dakota Vermillion on the other side of the line. I think he's underrated in the conference as well as far as his ability. I also think there will be some new names fans will get to know here soon.”
Q: Are there any newcomers to the team that fans should pay attention to?
Sanford: “I would say wide receiver Bob Pugh (Foley, Ala./Highland CC) will be one of the more exciting newcomers. There are also a few returnees you may hear more about this year, like (wide receivers) Clayton Smith and Miles Thompson.”
Q: We also will have a new kicker for the first time in a few years. Any thoughts heading into the position battle in camp?
Sanford: “First of all, (redshirt junior) Andrew Lunsford was the main guy competing for the job this past spring. He's our kickoff guy, and he showed a lot of improvement in his field goal game this spring. We also have a signee from Florida Jerry Nunez (Naples, Fla./Naples HS), who has a lot of ability. It's funny, they're actually both from the same area in Florida.”
Up next (Day Two, Aug. 6): 2015 season review
For the latest information on the Sycamore Football team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.
