Cowboys to scrimmage under lights

American Press

9 hours ago

The Cowboys will be going primetime Saturday night inside Navarre Stadium.
McNeese State will hold its second and final scrimmage of camp starting at 6 p.m. Following, the players and coaches have a Fan Fest on the field, letting their faithful get a close look at this year's Cowboys.
'We are progressing pretty good,' said McNeese head coach Matt Viator. 'The goal tomorrow is to get into a lot of situations. It might be boring to watch, but that's the way it is.
'Most of it will be pre-scripted. We like to make sure we get the number of situations we want to see.'
The Cowboys will work Saturday night as if it is a regular game to get them ready for the season, which opens in two weeks at home against Louisiana Christian. He gave the players Friday afternoon and Saturday morning off.
While Viator says he will likely have a working depth chart after the scrimmage, it will not be set in stone.
'That's always been the intent,' said Viator. 'Not that you are 100 percent settled on all 22, but that you have a pretty good idea who the one and two guys are, so you are not working four or five guys as much.
There will probably not be a final decision on the quarterback position as junior Alex Flores missed his second practice Friday with a hand injury. Flores hit his right throwing hand on a helmet during his follow-through through Tuesday.
X-rays were negative, and he is expected to be back fully at practice on Monday.
'It is swollen up, so it is hard to get a grip on the ball,' said Viator.
The main thing the Cowboys want, especially on offense, is consistency.
'We want to see the plays better executed and crisper,' said Viator.
Jake Strong and Delvin Lippold, both in the QB battle, had solid Friday workouts. Strong especially looked good during the final two-minute drill portion of the practice.
Strong came over from Texas Tech in the offseason, while Lippold is a redshirt freshman who had some solid moments for the Cowboys at the end of last season. Flores spent most of last year as McNeese's No. 3 QB but had a nice game in the season finale against Lamar.
Tight end Logan Mauldin, in his second year with the Cowboys since coming over from Coastal Carolina, said camp this summer has been different.
'The sense of urgency around the team, not only the players, but the coaches, is different,' Mauldin said. 'The sense of urgency to get better every day has led to us getting better every day.'
Mauldin believes that the tight ends will be used more this year, both in the passing and running game. He had 15 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown last season.
'We are getting utilized a lot in this playbook,' said Mauldin. 'We are going to have a lot of big plays this season.'
He has also noticed an increase in physical play during this camp.
'There is a little bit of wear and tear on the body, but it gets you ready for the season,' Mauldin said.
As for the scrimmage, Mauldin wants the Cowboys to show what kind of team they are going to be.
'I want to see us playing fast, come out strong, have fun, and have each other's backs,' he said. 'I want to see how we respond when somebody might mess up and respond the right way.'
After this weekend, the Cowboys will transition from camp mode to preparing for the season as the season opener nears.