As the lightning started up and forced the Georgia Southern Eagles to move practice from the banks of Beautiful Eagle Creek to Hanner Fieldhouse Wednesday, the group was condensed into a smaller area.

It quickly became apparent looking around just exactly how much youth is still on the team.

The players ran through the playbook and got some valuable time to practice the hardest part of the step up from high-school to college football – the mental part.

The only way to do that is to ease the younger players into the playbook.

“You can’t prepare them for everything, or you’ll start to play slower,” said GSU coach Chris Hatcher. “The big thing you’ve got to do is keep it simple. Early in the year, you find out what they do well on Saturdays and kind of cater to that. Early in the year, we’ll be about as vanilla as we’ll be. You just can’t do too much too early.”

It would be nice if the Eagles could redshirt some of these guys, but much like 2008, that’s just not an option.

“There was a couple guys we played last year and a couple guys we’ll play this year that a redshirt would do them wonders, but we’re just not in the situation to do that,” Hatcher said. “Watching practice the other day, there’s a huge difference between an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old, but they’re getting valuable experience. I really think if we get off to a fast start, this is the team that could turn the corner and get us where we want to be. That’s being in championship contention each and every year.”

Overwhelming the players with all the intricacies of the playbook slows them down, and that’s the opposite of what the GSU coaching staff wants to see.

“We always talk about wanting to play fast,” said Hatcher. “That has nothing to do with speed or how many plays we get in a minute or whatnot. It has to do with when you don’t have to think – you just line up and play. … From a mental standpoint, that’s the hardest thing for a freshman to adjust to.”

As good as advertised

While a bulk of the team’s wide receivers will be freshmen this season, there are some new guys on the other side of the ball turning some heads, too.

The coaching staff has seen exactly what it hoped for from first-year players Laron Scott (a transfer DB from Butler Community College), and true freshmen Josh Rowe and Darius Eubanks, who have put themselves in contention for starting roles. Eubanks said the opportunity to play early was something he’s been aware of since recruitment.

“They were honest with me from the first time they talked to me until now,” he said. “I came to my visit and they treated me well. Nothing’s changed since then.”

The move to from wide receiver/free safety in high school to rover in GSU’s defense has added a whole new dimension to Eubanks’ game. There’s only one way to learn his new position.

“I just keep my head in my notebook,” he said. “Every night I take my notebook home and I just study. Study, study, study. I do my homework for school then just get right back to studying my football.”

Feeling the love

Defensive assistant Chris Covington is just a year removed from playing linebacker for GSU. Everyone on the team has been talking about the positive attitude the team has had since the 17-10 defeat of Furman back in November, and Covington has seen it, too.

“It sounds cliché to say, but they’re exactly right when they say that,” said Covington, who now spends most of his time breaking down film and working with the outside linebackers. “I was here last year and we had a good group of guys, but we weren’t nearly as close as these guys are at this point in the year. They’re young, but they know how to win. They’re buying into the program, and it’s an exciting thing to watch.

“I actually got an offer to go somewhere else, but my heart’s been here and I just wasn’t ready to leave Georgia Southern. It’s a great game and it’s amazing being out here doing something to help the team.”

Matt Yogus can be reached at (912) 489-9408.