GoBulldogs.com article [james bailey mention]

Fall Camp Heating Up
Aug. 17, 2015
By Josh Mitchell
jomitchell@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State football team was back out on the practice fields Monday morning after it had its first day off from fall camp on Sunday. The sun was shining and the thermostat was rising, inching closer to 100 degrees. With another practice scheduled for this afternoon, it will be the team’s first in triple digits during this year’s camp.

“This week we’re going to have a gut check with the weather and it’s going to be good for the guys,” head coach Tim DeRuyter said. “They got to learn what it’s like to strain. Groups of guys come together when they have to persevere through some tough times. A little heat doesn’t hurt anybody.”

The heat isn’t going away anytime soon, but with added depth throughout the Bulldogs’ roster this season, getting through it should not be difficult. The defense, particularly in the back seven, has seen a lot of competition with first-time players hungry to make an impact.

“I think we’re playing with a different edge than we played with last year,” DeRuyter noted. “When you have a bunch of young players or even first-time players, typically they don’t have the confidence or swagger to play. It’s the first time being out there so it’s hard to play at the top of your game when you question yourself. Everything is happening so fast.”

DeRuyter expects takeaways to go up this season as guys have been attacking the football, especially in the secondary from the likes of juniors Jamal Ellis, Dalen Jones, Stratton Brown and redshirt freshman Anthoula “Tank” Kelly. Monday’s practice saw three interceptions (James Bailey, Jalen Smith, Eric Wilson) and a pair of forced fumbles during 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s.

Bailey, who was perfectly positioned on a slant route, is one of several first and second-year players making an impact this month. The linebackers have notably seen a pair of true freshmen in Bailey and Nela Otukolo making noise during camp.











“James Bailey is unbelievably ahead [for a true freshman],” said linebackers coach Jordan Peterson. “He had another INT today. He’s been making some big time plays as a true freshman. I’ve never seen anybody catch on to the system and put as much work into it. He really approaches the game like a pro.

“Nela is a stud. He’s going to be really good for us. It’s about that time in camp where all of the freshmen hit a mental wall as far as the calls mixing together, what technique is with what call, and a lot of those freshmen are doing a phenomenal job with putting the extra work in on their own when they get home and are staying on top of things.”

A class ahead of Bailey and Otukolo that have impressed Peterson this fall in the young group have been sophomores Justin Green, Tobenna Okeke and fourth-year junior Brandon Hughes. Along with veterans in Ejiro Ederaine and Kyrie Wilson, the Bulldogs look to have a very deep core in the heart of their defense.

“It’s giving us the luxury of going into things when we get to a pass situation, we can put two fresh guys on, which we’ve never had that luxury before. Guys just had to suck it up and go,” Peterson said of the added depth to the linebackers. “Now we’re going to be able to get new guys on the field, keep guys fresh throughout the game and split up the reps a little bit.”

With youth though can come mistakes. It happens, but with seniors like Ederaine and Wilson, the underclassmen have leaders to look up to. Ederaine has been the voice of the defense throughout camp, rallying guys after miscues, getting them ready for the next snap.

For Wilson, being vocal isn’t as much in his personality compared to his fellow senior, but he has been trying to step out of his comfort zone. “It’s a little bit different because usually I’m the type of person that shows by example or by just leading,” Wilson said of his shift in roles. “I’m not really a vocal person, but I’m getting in there, trying to be more vocal, and help out whoever needs help.”

The leadership has already been paying dividends as Wilson noted that the younger players are “picking up information faster and faster every day.” Between their ability to process what they learn in meeting rooms and display it on the field, and the veterans’ leadership, Wilson has the belief that they’ll be able to rotate, not just one or two players, but their entire their group during games come this fall.