Aug. 12, 2010
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Interview with Coach Caldwell
On campus in Nashville – Two Commodores expected to help share the offensive load this fall, running back Zac Stacy and tight end Austin Monahan, were taken from the practice field Thursday night with apparent leg injuries.
Stacy, the team’s second leading rusher from a year ago, and Monahan, who contributed a career-high reception total in his shortened 2010 campaign, were injured on consecutive plays in an 11-on-11 drill toward the end of the two-hour practice.
Both players were expected to have MRIs performed late Thursday at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Both injuries were listed as sprained knees after the practice.
“We don’t know the seriousness of those yet, and we’ll just have wait and see what happens. But I hate it for those two really great young men,” Caldwell said. “Hopefully, they’ll be back in a week or so. We just don’t know yet.”
In 2009, Stacy rushed for 478 yards, the eighth most ever by a Commodore freshman. Monahan contributed 10 receptions before missing the final six games with a leg injury.
The injuries came as the Commodores finished their first week of preseason drills. The squad is expected to return to the practice field Friday and Saturday, then take off Sunday for participate in Dore Jam, the Commodores’ annual Fan Day activity.
The Commodore offense was inconsistent in their second full-gear session prior to Stacy and Monahan. With a handful of players out of the session preparing for upcoming classroom finals, the offense struggled to sustain drives against the defense. Three promising 11-on-11 possessions were halted by timely defensive plays, miscues and mental mistakes.
Quarterbacks Larry Smith, Jordan Rodgers and Charlie Goro guided drives that reached inside the defense’s 20-yard line only to have incomplete passes, missed blocks or execution errors force a field goal.
Several defenders, including linebacker Dexter Daniels, cornerbacks Reggie Ford and Trey Wilson, and tackles T.J. Greenstone and Rob Lohr, contributed solid individual plays during the 11-on-11 drills.
