G-Males concentrate on psychological recreation for Fan Day – Lincoln Parish Journal

 
By T. Scott Boatright
 
Second-year Grambling State College soccer coach Mickey Joseph is taking some completely different approaches as he prepares his Tigers for the 2025 season opener, which kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday inside Shreveport’s Independence Stadium towards Langston.
Because the Tigers performed their Fan Day exercise at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium sporting solely helmets together with T-shirts, a lot of these sleeveless, and shorts, they did so at a sluggish, deliberate tempo and lined all phases of the sport.
“We need to preserve them contemporary,” Joseph mentioned of the choice to follow with out pads. “The NCAA permits you solely two (full contract) scrimmages. We did our two scrimmages and took them to the bottom (permitting tackling). That gave us what we wanted to judge these children, and that’s what our teaching workers did.
“And we’ve received to maintain them contemporary. I didn’t try this final 12 months and that’s one of many errors I made final 12 months. I pushed them and pushed them, and don’t have sufficient assets to get them again. So, now, we’re doing issues quite a bit in another way. We’re having halftime. We give them a five-minute break after which give them an eight-minute break at halftime. We’ve pretzels and different snacks out right here simply to refuel them.”
There are different adjustments Jones has made in the best way his Tigers will function this season.
“On Tuesday and Wednesday, we’re doing one thing completely different that we didn’t do final 12 months,” Joseph mentioned. “We’re going from 24-page scripts to 16-page scripts. And all of that’s a part of simply making an attempt to maintain the gamers contemporary.”
Joseph stayed near the group throughout the exercises, a number of instances calling a participant over to the aspect for a fast speak, generally displaying particular hand or foot strategies whereas doing so.
“This sort of day lets us strive to ensure we’re all on the identical web page,” Joseph mentioned. “As a result of it’s attending to be the time we now have to be. It’s about training laborious but in addition specializing in the psychological a part of the sport. 
Joseph has but to call a beginning quarterback for the Langston recreation. It’s a two-man race between redshirt sophomore C’zavian Teasett and redshirt junior Ashton Frye.
Frye performed in 4 video games for GSU final 12 months, finishing 4 of his seven cross makes an attempt for 9 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Teasett performed in 10 video games in 2024 as a Southern College quarterback, finishing 71-of-129 cross makes an attempt for 941 yards and 6 touchdowns with two interceptions.
Whereas Joseph has indicated it’s probably each will see motion within the season opener towards Langston, it was Teasett who received probably the most work with the first-team offense on Saturday.
As that exercise ended, Joseph confused to his group the necessity for them to concentrate on and take into consideration Langston and nothing else.
“What you don’t need is for Langston to listen to that you simply’re preparing for Ohio State,” Joseph mentioned. “We don’t need them to assume we’re going to miss them. I used to be the pinnacle coach there. And we beat (Arkansas Pine Bluff) and Tuskegee whereas I used to be there at Langston. And Tuskegee and Pine Bluff each had fairly good soccer groups.
“I used to be teaching for a Langston group that got here right here and almost beat Grambling (in 2008, when the G-Males gained 13-2). We will’t overlook Langston. We will’t let that occur. We’ve made progress, however we nonetheless have a option to go. At present was about getting them fascinated about all the little issues, as a result of these little issues could make a distinction in a ballgame. This season is about to start out. We have to concentrate on beating Langston, nothing else.”

source