Williamsburg - As the College of William and Mary's football program enters its eighth day of fall practice, head coach Jimmye Laycock took a moment to reflect on a few relevant topics as the team continues its preparations for the upcoming season. The Tribe will hold its first preseason scrimmage this Saturday at a time to be determined. W&M begins the season Sept. 4 at North Carolina and the home-opener is slated for Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. against VMI.

Coach Laycock Practice Notes: 8/17/04

1. Have any of the three tailbacks stepped up and taken the lead at the position?

All three [Jon Smith, Trevor McLaurin and Elijah Brooks] of them are working very hard. [Senior returning starter] Jon Smith came back in excellent condition. He looks like he's gotten a little bit quicker and a little bit shiftier. But all the backs have looked good. There is solid competition at the position every practice, but the three are working hard together.

2. Coming in as a preseason First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection, the expectations on quarterback Lang Campbell are obviously high. Is he performing at a level that you expected from him?

Lang is doing very well right now. He understands the offense, and he's jumped in there and is running the show with great leadership. He's executing very well and is helping the younger guys out.

3. Have any of the younger QB's stepped forward as the No. 2?

Right now it looks like [redshirt freshman] Mike Potts is the number two. Behind him we're still sorting it out a little bit, but right now he's pretty solid at number two.

4. With the loss of senior all-conference player Steve Stocki on the offensive front, who has stepped up as a leader among the offensive line?

I would say if I had to single out one person who would fill that role at that position it would be [returning starter] Patrick Mulloy. He's our starting center coming back, and he has prepared himself very well. He is in great shape, he's gotten himself stronger and he's jumped in there and performed well along with providing leadership.

5. Has the offensive line as a unit come together as you had hoped?

It's too early to tell. We've got some experience there [returning starters Matt Witham, Ryan Lumm, Patrick Mulloy and Michael Grenz] and it looks like they are using that experience. We'll have to see after we start scrimmaging.

6. John Pitts and Dominique Thompson have been role players in the past few years behind All-American wide receiver Rich Musinski. Have they responded to their increased role in the offense?

Both of them have done well along with [fourth year senior] Josh Lustig. I think Lustig has jumped into the mix very well. All three of them have played a lot in certain games. They understand their roles, they understand our passing game and they are all able to play a number of different wide receiver positions.

7. How is the new defensive scheme coming together under new defensive coordinator Jim Pletcher?

It's a little too early right now. We haven't had too many full, live situations we start that [Thursday]. We'll have to see how they're doing. The biggest concern is just to see how they mesh and grow together as a unit. Rather than playing as individuals carrying out their individual assignments.

9. Who has stood out amongst the team's linebackers?

Travis McLaurin [preseason first team all-conference ] came back in great shape, and it looks like he's going to pick up where he left off in the spring playing very well. [Returning starter] Chris Ndubueze also came back in great shape. He looks like he lost some weight and he's a little bit of a quicker, faster linebacker. He seems to be playing very well. There's some good competition for the other linebacker position, but Chris and Travis are doing very well.

10. Returning starter James Miller seems to be having a good camp, do you look for him to be a standout in the middle of the defense this season?

Jason is a very gifted athlete. I think it's a situation where he is getting comfortable with the schemes and really playing with confidence within the system. He has a lot of athletic ability and certainly can make things happen. It comes down to him being comfortable with where is supposed to be and when he is supposed to be there so that he can turn it loose and just play football. Once he gets to that point I think he'll be an outstanding player.

11. Would James Miller be considered the leader of that secondary?

[Returning starter] Jonathon Shaw is certainly in there too. Jon has had a real good preseason, and with those two guys at the safety position they really give us some good leadership.

12. How is the health of the team in general through the first week and a half of practice?

Everybody looks to be ok. We have our bumps and bruises and some guys are starting to wear down a little bit, but they're working hard and seem to be doing fine.

13. Has there been much contact so far in camp?

We have had controlled contact, we'll scrimmage a little bit more tomorrow and then we'll scrimmage Saturday.

14. What would be your overall assessment of how the team is progressing?

Their progression is fine right now. They're doing what you would expect from them. They're practicing hard, their attitude seems to be very good and they are very attentive to doing things right. Those are good signs, but we'll have to see as we get going.

15. How badly has the weather affected us?

It's affected us a little bit. Just the wetness, but we're alright. We'll be ok.

16. Are there any freshman that have stood out to this point?

Right now we have basically just evaluated the freshmen and looked at them. We feel like there is a good group here, but right now it's just too early to figure out where any of them might fit in.